CARLTON knows its round 23 clash with Port Adelaide may soon take on monumental importance.
After Saturday's come-from-behind 10-point win over Richmond, Carlton remains a slim chance of leapfrogging the Power into eighth place.
First, it must defeat the out-of-form Essendon on Saturday night at the MCG and hope Port loses, as expected, to Fremantle at Patersons Stadium the same night.
That result would see the round 23 clash at AAMI Stadium become a simple proposition for each team - win, and you're in the finals.
"We'll enjoy the win tonight and then pretty much prepare for next week against the Bombers," Armfield told AFL.com.au after the win over the Tigers.
"That's another crucial game, we hopefully can get another win there and then it's all down to (the game against) Port (Adelaide in round 23).
"At the moment we've just got to win games and play good footy and that's what we've got to concentrate on first, before we worry about anything else."
The prospect of finals looked dead and buried when the Blues trailed the Tigers by 30 points at quarter-time.
But Mick Malthouse's men lifted after quarter-time, storming back in to the contest and eventually holding off a late Tiger charge.
"The boys are up and about. We were bitterly disappointed after last week, but as with footy, you've got that next week so to bounce back the way we have shows that we've got a bit of character," Armfield said.
There may not have been a tomorrow for the Blues if Armfield did not move on to Tiger young gun Brandon Ellis and completely shut him out of the game.
It was an inspired move by Malthouse and a game changing one, at that.
"Dennis is probably a bloke who needs a job. The job that he had in the first quarter didn't materialise the way we thought, whereas from there on in he had a target. And he did a pretty good job," Malthouse said.
