NO FEV, no Carlton.

That was the catchcry of the pre-season as pundits - many of them Blues fans - wondered how a team could replace a seven-time club leading goalkicker, two-time Coleman Medallist and three-time All Australian.

Hence, most pencilled Carlton in as the big flop of 2010.

But after knocking off Port Adelaide in impressive style yesterday, the Blues now sit fifth with five wins and a percentage of 119, their best start to a season since 1996.

And thanks to a fleet of creative smalls and a fiery Irishman previously better known for kicking his teammate than kicking goals, Carlton’s forward line is functioning as well, if not better, in the post-Fev era.

So far in 2010 Carlton is up in several key attacking areas:

Even more telling, since Round 3 the goals kicked from forward 50 entries figure is an impressive 35.1 - comfortably the best in the league.

Since that Round 3 debacle against Essendon, Carlton’s forward success has been all due to a group we will dub ‘Setanta and his little helpers’ - the four-prong attacking unit of Setanta O’hAilpin, Jeff Garlett, Eddie Betts and Chris Yarran.

In the last five games, O’hAilpin and Garlett have both kicked 12 goals, while Betts has slotted 11 and Yarran 10.

As the graphic below shows, Fevola was the most relied upon forward in the game last year (and continues to be at Brisbane this year), with a third of Carlton’s kicks into the 50 going to him.

The Blues now have a spread of key targets, and opposition teams are finding it impossible to shut them all down.

Combine that with an improved defensive effort - the Blues are conceding less than 90 points per game for the first time since 2001 - and you have a team in fine form and looming as a real threat come September.

While it’s not quite yet a case of ‘Brendan who?’, suddenly the post-Fevola era at Carlton is looking rosy.