CARLTON coach Brendon Bolton has praised the leadership of the Blues' senior players in Sunday's 15-point win over Essendon.
In what was a scrappy affair for three quarters, Carlton's leaders stood strong in an entertaining final quarter, to steady the Blues and haul them over the line.
With 10 minutes gone and just a two-point buffer in hand, Marc Murphy delivered a captain's goal, giving the Blues some breathing space and sparking a run of four straight majors.
To the Bombers' credit though, they didn't give up.
Goals from ex-Hawk Sam Grimley, Mitch Brown and draftee Darcy Parish cut a 26-point deficit back to eight points.
But again at the coalface, it was Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson and Dale Thomas who weathered the storm, helping to settle the young Blues and guide the club to a second- straight win.
"When it's tight on the scoreboard you give opportunity for a team to jump you and we gave them that," Bolton said after the game.
"But to our players' credit in the last, it was probably our most polished with the ball. I thought Murphy, Gibbs, Simpson, [Sam] Docherty and Thomas played pretty well when that game was on the line.
"Our leaders are again giving effort and we're proud of them."
WATCH: Brendon Bolton's full post-match media conference
Gibbs was prolific at the stoppages with a game-high 10 clearances to compliment his 32 disposals, three score assists and one goal, while skipper Murphy had 26 touches and a goal.
But it was former Magpie Thomas who stole the show, with a best on ground performance.
The midfielder amassed 31 possessions, his best figures since round six, 2013, and had seven tackles, four inside 50s and kicked a goal.
Thomas, who suffered a series of shoulder and foot injuries in his first two seasons at Carlton, looked to have recaptured some of his best football.
But Bolton was reluctant to talk up the midfielder's performance or make comparisons to his past best, instead telling reporters he was just pleased with his "effort".
The Blues have now won two games in a row, and are brimming with confidence heading into next Saturday's clash against an inconsistent Collingwood at the MCG.
