Photo Gallery: Rd 10 2010 v West Coast
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HE MAY have had an equal-record 45 possessions but Bryce Gibbs did not feature in the top two best players for the Blues, according to Carlton coach Brett Ratten.

The startling revelation came after the Blues recorded their sixth win of the season with a 29-point victory over the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium.

Gibbs equaled the record held by Greg Williams for the most possessions for a player wearing the navy blue jumper, but it was the performance of Jeff Garlett and Andrew Carrazzo that stole the show.

“Jeff Garlett was best on ground by a country mile. Nine tackles, fourteen possessions hit the scoreboard - he was that far in front,” he said.

“That is nearly the perfect game for a small forward - he could not do much more than he did. What Garlett did was exceptional for the team.”

“Andrew Carrazzo was second best for mine - his job on Shannon Hurn was outstanding.”

Carrazzo’s job on the dangerous Shannon Hurn was sensational, with the Eagles defender - so important in setting up their attacking forays forward - held to just 11 possessions for the match.

But Ratten did keep some praise for Gibbs as the defender was just simply unstoppable across half-back.

“Gibbs was allowed the freedom and utilised it magnificently - he is a smart player and he uses the ball so well,” he said.

“He is such a good player - if we get him in that situation again, we will probably use him again to play that role.”

Despite the win, the Carlton coach was disappointed with some of his team’s lapses at stages during the game, as the Blues took their foot off the pedal and were unable to pull further away from the Eagles.

“I thought West Coast Eagles marked the ball too many times in our forward-50. When we had players around that should have made a 50/50 contest I thought there were a few alarm bells,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say it was right through the game but you could probably pull out three- or four-minute patches here and there - I saw a bit of that creeping in which was a frustrating part of the game.”

The Blues will look to make it back-to-back wins when they take on Melbourne next Saturday afternoon at the MCG.