The team sheets came through with no changes as the sides warmed up at Spotless Stadium. Then came word that Marc Murphy had experienced hamstring tightness and was a late withdrawal. Brock McLean removed the substitute's vest and came into the initial 21, with Dennis Armfield then donning red. Murphy averages 26 possessions, four marks and 5.5 tackles in 2014 and his loss was a major blow to the Blues' midfield stocks. As it turned out, GWS would win the midfield battle as the young club stole an upset victory in front of 9059 fans.

Eddie McGuire was critical of the expansion clubs this week, accusing them of diluting the talent pool and reducing the general standard of play. GWS chairman Tony Shepherd responded at the pre-match function: "The Giants strongly support equalisation. In fact, we look forward to the time when we're a wealthy, successful club and we can contribute. In the meantime, the Giants are very grateful for the support of the 17 other clubs. If we want a vibrant and growing national competition, we must have 18 sustainable clubs. Contrary to Eddie's view, this is not socialism, it's good business sense. The privately-owned clubs in America have worked this out and I thought we had too."

The Giants have produced some strong football over the past month, losing narrowly to Hawthorn and Essendon before claiming victories against the Brisbane Lions and now Carlton. On top of a first ever triumph against the Blues, the Giants also registered their highest half-time score with 10.2 on Sunday. It has been a slow build, but progress is being made under coach Leon Cameron.

New AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan was instrumental in GWS' entry to the competition and he was in attendance on Sunday. Addressing the pre-match function, he also had his response to McGuire's thoughts. "I don't buy into that one personally," he said. "Eddie has his views on that, I just think a bigger challenge is the development of players rather than the talent pool." McLachlan was also quizzed on the fixture, which has come under some criticism this year. "We've acknowledged that we've tried a lot of time slots this year with an eye on the next broadcast deal. We had to do that. We now have a good view of what works and doesn't work and a more attendance-focused fixture next year is a priority."

Carlton's season is now in free-fall, struggling to back up encouraging efforts against Geelong and Hawthorn over the past fortnight. Malthouse is contracted until the end of next season and hasn't committed his future beyond that. Sunday's result emphasises the fact plenty of work needs to be done to turn the club around. Whether Malthouse is the man to do that remains to be seen.

Twitter: @AFL_JD