ANOTHER chance.

When Carlton fell to St Kilda in the dying seconds of their Round 24 clash, their September dream was left in the hands of Port Adelaide. 

Only a loss for the Dockers was what the Blues needed to secure their chance, and by the fourth quarter in the final game of the home-and-away season, they knew their fate. 

Carlton co-vice captain Sam Walsh said while it wasn’t an ideal way to have to find out, excitement was palpable that the Blues had the chance to prove their wares for the second straight September.

“After the [St Kilda] game, we came back to the Club and the amount of family, friends and the boys that were there, it was a bit of an eerie feeling watching the game,” Walsh said.  

“To see Port get the win was great, it’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster today. 

“It hasn’t been an ideal end to the year but for us to still find a way, we’ll take getting in whatever way we can because we know that the passion the fans bring and the energy that September gives you.”

Despite being undermanned and trailing by 20 points, a youthful home side showed plenty of heart, able to claw back the margin and hit the lead with just minutes to go.

That was until Jack Higgins kicked a goal with seconds remaining to see the Blues fall by two points, at that point clinging onto their spot in the eight.

While a few things got away from the Blues according to Walsh, the midfielder - who was brilliant with 32 disposals - said the Blues will review the game and look for ways to refine their craft ahead of another big game at the Gabba.

“I thought there were some real positives out of the game but I thought there were a few things early that we let St Kilda get on top with,” he said. 

“There were a few moments late that we’ll review because footy is a game of margins and maybe we missed a few opportunities there but we know the work we’ll put in to put our best foot forward in the coming weeks.”

Now confirmed that Carlton will face Brisbane on Saturday evening in a fortnight, the schedule for the coming weeks has become clearer for all those involved, starting with some much-needed recovery. 

After that, training mode will be in full swing, with Walsh keen to take the trip up north that he missed in Opening Round, as he also turned his attention to which teammates could potentially be joining him.

“We’ve got the bye in the middle of the week so it’ll give us a chance to refresh early in the week which a lot of guys will take, then we’ll get into preparation from there,” he said. 

“I didn’t get to play the last time up there and the boys showed an incredible fight – the way that they fought back in that game, we’ve had some good battles against Brisbane so we expect nothing less.”

One thing that wasn’t missing from the Blues’ last game was the unwavering support of their loyal fans – a fitting way to finish the home-and-away season and celebrate Member Thank You Round. 

The noise under the roof at Marvel Stadium was deafening, but as the Blues know well, they expect nothing less from their loyal army. 

 “The year had its ups and downs: if you stick together, it’ll start to turn. I think we’ve seen that,” he said. 

“We just know now that we have to bring that footy that our fans will get behind and that’s what really creates energy for us.”