DALE Thomas entered Saturday's match as possibly the only man under as much pressure as his former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
Thomas was recalled to Carlton's senior side after a strong performance for VFL affiliate Northern Blues, amid widespread coverage about his contract situation and games trigger for a fifth year.
Injury, underwhelming form and mounting losses have been the theme for Thomas, 29, since he switched camps to the enemy for the 2014 season.
He wasn't best afield on Saturday, but was a good contributor – picking up 20 disposals and slotting a late goal after multiple bounces to strengthen the Blues' hold on the contest.
The smile on Thomas' face afterwards was not lost on Carlton coach Brendon Bolton.
Bolton even subtly returned fire on those suggesting the Blues would deliberately keep Thomas in the VFL to avoid offering him another season.
"Without the conversation being purely around 'Daisy' (Thomas) today, because it was a team effort, it was good to see him smile and kick that goal," Bolton said.
"Because we know he's had a lot of injuries and (there has been) a lot of conversation around Dale.
"But we as a group of coaches and players are holding performance and form at the top of the chain, so we have integrity with our selection.
"Daisy played really well last week and got an opportunity this week, but it was good to see him just enjoy footy."
Five talking points: Collingwood v Carlton
Carlton's 23-point victory over the Magpies improved their season record to three wins from seven outings and provided "validation" the club was on the right track, Bolton said.
The club's top pick from last year's NAB AFL Draft, West Australian Sam Petrevski-Seton, led the way in a performance brimming with positives.
"I think Stephen Silvagni and his team did a fantastic job in terms of recruiting over the break and Samo's got real talent," Bolton said.
"He's learning the way we play, but there's some real poise and excitement with his delivery by foot, so he's one we're all smiling about …
"We picked him (in round one) on the back of no JLT (series games), so that probably says what regard we probably hold him in."
WATCH: Brendon Bolton's full post-match press conference
Bolton's squad was roundly written off leading into the previous week's clash with the Sydney Swans, but has now recorded consecutive wins to provisionally climb to 11th on the ladder.
The past fortnight's performances have been a stunning response to the 90-point humiliation on the Friday night stage against Port Adelaide in round five.
"We're building a list, we've built it by going to the draft and we've built it by starting in solidifying our defence," he said.
"Then we said we want to apply pressure and then we're trying to build consistency, so we're not deviating and we're not concerned and being distracted (by external opinions).
"This year is about sticking to the road map and we're doing that."
