A DYNAMIC display from Patrick Cripps has inspired Carlton to a 34-point belting of Yartapuulti to retain caretaker coach Josh Fraser's perfect winning record.
The Blues thumped a lacklustre Power 13.14 (92) to 8.10 (58) at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night as Fraser banked a second victory from as many games at the helm.
POWER v BLUES Full match coverage and stats
Captain Cripps turned in another brilliant display, collecting 31 disposals, eight clearances, a goal and nine score involvements.
The dual Brownlow Medal winner set the tone with 19 touches and his goal in a dominant opening half when the Blues crafted a match-defining 35-point lead.
Forwards Mitch McGovern, Will Hayward and Brodie Kemp kicked two goals each as Carlton improved its record to three wins and eight losses - the same as Yartapuulti.
Cripps and his fellow midfielders George Hewett (26 touches, one goal), Sam Walsh (28, one goal) and Jagga Smith (27 disposals) torched Power’s on-ballers.
And recruits Hayward (19 possessions, two goals) and Ollie Florent (26 disposals) were also busy as the Blues put a dent in the 150th game of Yartapuulti star Zak Butters.
The Power's midfield ace recorded 28 disposals but was largely subdued - the triple club champion was moved to half-back from late in the third quarter.
Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines had just five disposals in the game as Yartapuulti relied almost exclusively on Jason Horne-Francis, who was outstanding with 32 disposals, three goals and eight clearances.
The Blues, propelled by their skipper, made a fast start, kicking 5.0 to 2.0 in the opening term.
Despite losing utility Matt Carroll to a knee injury, Carlton's attack fired as Cripps collected 13 disposals and four clearances in the quarter.
The Blues' lead would have been greater if not for the feats of Horne-Francis, whose 10 touches in the term featured both his side's goals.
Cripps' imprint continued in the second stanza, the skipper scoring the first of four more goals for the visitors as they stretched to a 35-point advantage.
Carlton kicked its initial eight goals without a miss - a wayward left-footer from Cripps in the 16th minute of the term was their first behind.
With second-game spark Jack Ison and Kemp prominent, the Blues held a 34-point buffer at half-time, the same as the final margin.
Yartapuulti made slight inroads in the third term with two goals to one - the second, from ex-Blue Corey Durdin, came as a mass of players wrestled in a melee.
The hosts trailed by 31 points at three-quarter time and were 25 down when Todd Marshall goaled in the opening seconds of the final quarter.
But Carlton extinguished any hope of a Power comeback by booting the next three goals.
Ex-Blue sparks a big blue
There was tension between the two sides from the first bounce, but it didn’t rise to the surface till late in the third quarter. Former Blue Corey Durdin tackled one-time teammate Billy Wilson to earn a free kick in front of goal. He duly converted as a bit of push and shove developed behind him, lifting to a crescendo that will see the MRO hitting the rewind button a few times to check all the angles and activities.
In-form forward out of the contest early
Matthew Carroll was a big part of Carlton’s drought-breaking round 10 victory over the Western Bulldogs, but unfortunately the young forward won’t have such good memories from this win. Carroll grabbed the back of his knee early in the first quarter, limping from the ground straight away and not coming back into the contest. The 20-year-old was just starting to secure his place in the Blues’ best lineup but could now be looking at a lengthy stay on the sidelines.
YARTAPUULTI 2.0 3.5 5.7 8.10 (58)
CARLTON 5.0 9.4 10.8 13.14 (92)
GOALS
Yartapuulti: Horne-Francis 3, Whitlock 2, Marshall, Georgiades, Durdin
Carlton: McGovern 2, Kemp 2, Hayward 2, Walsh, McKay, Ison, Hewett, Evans, Cripps, Byrne
BEST
Yartapuulti: Horne-Francis, Drew, Butters, Evans
Carlton: Cripps, Hewett, Smith, Walsh, Hayward
INJURIES
Yartapuulti: Nil
Carlton: Carroll (knee)
Crowd: TBC at Adelaide Oval