SAM Walsh feels as though he’s getting up to speed with his match fitness.

But he still would’ve been feeling every bit of the previous four quarters after an intense finish to Sunday’s game at the MCG.

Walsh was the dominant player on the ground in the first half, as Carlton opened up an eight-goal lead against Port Adelaide in the Round 5 clash.

However, the opposition mounted a serious challenge, with the Blues just holding on to register a fourth win of the season — and another in heart-stopping fashion.

Speaking post-match on FOX Footy, Walsh said it was another performance indicative of where the group is at.

“It was a pretty crazy finish: it’s not how we would have like it, being in the position we were at half time,” Walsh said.

“There was still a lot to like, but also a lot to work on.

“To be able to dig in - like Harry’s mark - there were a few big efforts… but we shouldn’t have had ourselves in that position.”

A fortnight ago, Walsh mentioned his “scratchy” start to the campaign, having made his return from ankle surgery in Round 2.

On the back of a staggering 16-disposal first term, the reigning John Nicholls Medallist went one shy of equalling his career best, finishing with 38 disposals.

He also continued his outstanding run of form at the home of football: he has averaged 32 disposals per game at the MCG since the start of last season.

“I feel like I’m starting to get my game fitness back, which has been nice,” he said.

“We’ve got a pretty good midfield going in there, so we’ve got to keep building — we got challenged a bit.

“It’s a big one next week for us.”