CARLTON 3.4  8.5  13.8  15.9 (99) COLLINGWOOD 3.2  6.6  10.7  12.12 (84)
Goals: Carlton: A Everitt 3 B Gibbs 3 L Casboult 3 D Thomas J Lamb L Jones L Sumner M Murphy S Kerridge. Collingwood: A Fasolo 4 D Moore 3 J White 2 J Blair L Greenwood T Broomhead.
Best: Carlton: Gibbs, Casboult, Cripps, Simpson, Docherty, Kreuzer. Collingwood: Sidebottom, Pendlebury, Fasolo, Moore, Treloar.
Injuries: Collingwood: B Reid (shoulder), T Broomhead (ankle).
Umpires: Ben Ryan, Luke Farmer, Brendan Hosking.
Official Crowd: 60,222 at MCG.

It's been baby steps for Carlton since the end of 2015 heralded a cleanout of players the likes of which the Blues had never seen and the appointment of another new coach, this one with a far more realistic job description.

But Saturday's 15-point win over the old enemy Collingwood might in hindsight prove a significant moment in a steep learning curve.

Not that the Magpies, by their lowly 2016 standards, are proving any great shakes. But in front of a big crowd and the associated hype that a clash with an arch-rival brings forth, Carlton not only held sway, but held their nerve.

The first score of this game indicated what could follow for the rest of the opening term, that is, Carlton dominating the action but not taking their chances, Collingwood's opportunities a lot thinner on the ground, but largely converted.

It went the Magpies' way after Bryce Gibbs got the ball for the Blues within striking distance, and managed to hit opponent Jordan de Goey on the chest with a "beautiful" centre. Result: turnover, and a walk-in goal to the Pies' Alex Fasolo.

In fairness to Gibbs, who was as busy as anyone early, the Blues' next meaningful attack saw him pump the ball long to Levi Casboult, who marked as strongly as ever 20 metres out, and despite the usual misgivings of all watching, duly converted.

Carlton would in fact kick three on end after Fasolo's opener, but a 14-point lead should have been plenty more, Ciaran Byrne, Andrejs Everitt and Andrew Walker all missing getable chances, the Blues having dominated the inside 50s and more than doubling their opponent for contested ball.

In time-on, they'd pay for that largesse, too. With Steele Sidebottom already causing Carlton plenty of problems, he was instrumental in two goals within two minutes to reduce the gap to just two points at quarter-time.

That, however, wasn't about to be the launching pad for a massive momentum swing, more one of a couple of momentary rescue missions.

Carlton would kick three of the first four goals of the second term. When Everitt converted a free kick for a 13-point lead, the Blues had enjoyed the last nine inside 50 entries. They weren't just dominating contested possession, but obliterating Collingwood in the statistic, the Blues ahead 61-38.

A damaging little cameo from Jarryd Blair, including one of the best goals seen so far this year, and the creation of another for Fasolo, pulled the gap back to one point.

Again, however, Carlton kicked. A superb tap from Matthew Kreuzer from a throw-in saw Everitt sprint on to the ball and snap a goal. Casboult marked in close range and again managed to find the gap between the big sticks. And a two-goal buffer was once more restored.

And so the status quo was maintained after the long break. Again, Carlton had the better of everything, and again some decent chances were squandered.

It took the class of Gibbs to put some more definitive space between these two, with a run of three goals in a row, an efficient conversion, an open goal and a smart dribbling effort. All of a sudden the gap was 30 points, Collingwood now just hanging on.

Barely a minute later, Moore created Fasolo's fourth goal.

When Levi Greenwood rattled another on within 30 seconds of the final term starting, the margin was back to 13 points and trouble afoot. But if Carlton have proved anything this year, it's that while they may not be full of class, they are at least full of resolve. And they showed it again at the perfect time.

Much to the Magpies' chagrin, it was Dale Thomas who restored some equilibrium. Moore kicked his third for the Pies. But then came perhaps the definitive statement that this was to be Carlton's day.

Casboult, terrific for the Blues whenever they needed a target, presented again, right on the 50-metre arc, where skipper Marc Murphy backed him in and hit his man on the chest. Of course, given Casboult's recent history, the most difficult part of the equation was to come.

But the most important kick of the game was never in doubt. And the guttural roar that erupted from the Carlton faithful when the siren rang to herald a 15-point victory signified two things.

One was that there is still little in football as satisfying for the Blues than beating the Pies. The other, more important, is that however gradually, Brendon Bolton's Carlton is very clearly moving in the right direction.