CARLTON turned to a small forward line and its captain marvel Patrick Cripps on Sunday to conjure a famous road win and keep control of its finals destiny, beating West Coast by 65 points at Optus Stadium.
The Blues all but ended the premiership defence of Collingwood in the process and replaced Fremantle in the top eight, winning 14.15 (99) to 4.10 (34) despite a mammoth injury list that had them as underdogs for the trip west.
EAGLES v BLUES Full match coverage and stats
The Blues can lock in finals with a win against St Kilda next Sunday, while a loss would still see them qualify if the Dockers lose to Port Adelaide and the Magpies fail to make up a massive 10.6 per cent gap, which equates to almost 200 points.
It was a win built on ferocity at the contest and a handball-heavy game that allowed an under-sized forward line to compete, with the Blues kicking almost 100 points despite missing Coleman Medal pair Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow.
Brownlow medallist Cripps was the star with 35 disposals, 21 contested possessions, 10 clearances and eight inside 50s, leading powerfully to inspire a win in difficult circumstances.
Defender Brodie Kemp, who had two career goals to his name going into the match, was swung forward to provide a marking target and finished with four goals, with midfielder Matt Kennedy provided a physical presence inside 50 to kick two.
Matt Owies was the pick of the small forwards with three goals in a 'small ball' structure that got the job done against the odds.
Alongside Cripps in the midfield, George Hewett (35 and six inside 50s) was prolific, while ruckman Marc Pittonet enjoyed one of his best days with 20 disposals, eight clearances and 32 hit-outs.
West Coast had few winners as Elliot Yeo (28 and eight clearances) and Harley Reid (26 and seven) did their best to get the ball moving the Eagles' way, and McGovern (19 and seven rebounds) fought hard in defence.
It was a particularly flattening performance in Andrew Gaff's farewell, with the veteran wingman ending his 280-game career with 25 disposals before being chaired off by Yeo and key forward Jack Darling through a guard of honour.
The Blues looked to be in trouble early as 192cm Kemp stood alone as a marking target and the forwards struggled to connect with the midfielders.
West Coast's tall defenders were preparing for a day of intercepting and controlling the air, while Jake Waterman got on top of Mitch McGovern at the other end to kick two early goals.
But rather than adjust their structure and move a tall defender forward, the Blues stuck to their guns and started surging the ball towards goal and giving their small forwards a chance in space, resulting in quick goals to Kennedy and Kemp and a two-point lead at the first break.
They made their move in a brilliant second quarter, dominating the contest and then ramping up their handball game in space as they continued a six-goal run that broke the game open.
Cripps had 10 disposals (nine contested) for the term as the makeshift forward line capitalised with all of Kemp, Corey Durdin, Owies and Kennedy hitting the scoreboard, while the Eagles were held scoreless for the quarter.
Premiership forward Jamie Cripps ended the drought early in the third term when he marked his 250th game with a long set shot goal from the boundary.
But the Blues' Cripps soon added some polish to his brutality in the third quarter when he placed to perfection a deep inside 50 to Zac Williams, kickstarting another run of seven unanswered goals.
Five of those came up to three-quarter time, with Durdin leaving the ground with an apparent shoulder injury in the one sour note to a day of celebration for the banged-up Blues.
Blues' debutants shine
Injected into the game just before three-quarter time, versatile forward Ashton Moir didn't take long to show his class and significant skill. The 19-year-old was under pressure as Cripps surged the ball towards the goal line, but he got his right foot free to guide it home out of mid-air in one of the game's highlights. Fellow debutant Cooper Lord was also impressive, winning his share of the ball in the midfield and getting involved in the Blues' handball chains in a lively performance.
Eagles quarter of horrors
The game was up for grabs when the second quarter started, however it was all but over when it finished. Carlton dominated disposals (109-64), contested ball (41-32), clearances (13-8), and inside 50s (16-7), despite its personnel issues, and handballed through the Eagles (50-29) for a 4.5 to 0.0 quarter. A four-point lead when the umpires put their hands up to end the first quarter (before a Kemp shot after the siren) turned into a 31-point deficit at half-time and, while there was plenty of time for a turnaround, the Eagles hardly looked capable of matching the Blues, let alone pegging back a six-goal margin.
Kemp claims forward line for himself
There is still significant doubt on key forwards McKay and Curnow for the final round of the home and away season, with Kemp now staking claim to the forward 50 if they don't return. Mitch McGovern might have been the popular tip to swing forward, but Kemp took the job and did it incredibly well with his ability to provide a marking target and bring the ball to ground for the smalls. His versatility meant he could chase and tackle while also fitting into the quick, rebound game and get goals out the back of the Eagles' defence.
WEST COAST 2.2 2.2 3.5 4.10 (34)
CARLTON 2.4 6.9 11.12 14.15 (99)
GOALS
West Coast: Waterman 2, Cripps, Petruccelle
Carlton: Kemp 4, Owies 3, Kennedy 2, Binns, Durdin, Moir, Motlop, Williams
BEST
West Coast: Reid, Yeo, McGovern, Waterman
Carlton: Cripps, Kemp, Kennedy, Hewett, Newman, Pittonet, Owies
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Carlton: Durdin (shoulder)
SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Jack Petruccelle (replaced Jack Williams in the third quarter)
Carlton: Ashton Moir (replaced Corey Durdin at three-quarter time)
Crowd: 48,455 at Optus Stadium
