THREE in a row, and a first win in six attempts over the Crows.

Carlton thrilled the 38,369 in attendance at the MCG with its best performance of the season, downing Adelaide by 27 points.

So, how did the Blues' fifth win in seven weeks happen?

The class of 2016

In November of 2016, Carlton bid on Will Setterfield with pick No.5 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft. When that was matched, the Blues welcomed Sam Petrevski-Seton to Ikon Park.

Less than three years later, the two were united in Navy Blue — and they could have scarcely been more impressive at the home of football.

Petrevski-Seton did what he has done for the last month, shining off half-back in a polished performance. With 20 disposals and nine marks, it seems like the Halls Creek Cowboy has found a home in defence.

The sealing goal wasn’t the be-all-and-end-all for Petrevski-Seton’s counterpart: Setterfield continued his promising form line from recent weeks. With 24 disposals and that snap, a career-best performance from the 21-year-old could yield a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

The hoodoo gurus

The central conversation post-match was around the Blues achieving three wins in a row for the first time since 2016.

It was also Carlton’s first win at the MCG since Round 8 last year, and its first win over Adelaide in over five years. 

However, there was another recent record which the Blues defied when it accounted for the Crows yesterday afternoon.

Prior to yesterday’s game, Carlton had won just two of its past 26 matches without Matthew Kreuzer, dating back to 2015.

Andrew Phillips had a big say in the matter, finishing with nine disposals, 35 hitouts and a goal to fill the Tractor-shaped hole in the ruck.

Spreading the love

For just the third time in 10 years, Carlton had five players accumulate 30 disposals or more.

For the first time in a week, Carlton had 11 multiple goalkickers. Before that, it had been six years.

Since being appointed interim coach, David Teague’s main message has been about his players fulfilling their role.

At the moment, the Blues are getting 22 contributors across all areas of the ground. Since Round 12, the Blues have averaged 8.7 individual goalkickers per game: the most in the competition alongside Brisbane.

Starting at the source

A +23 differential in clearances. A +22 difference in contested ball.

If you need to find where the Blues set the tone for the day, you don’t need to look any further than at the coalface.

Both teams entered the contest relatively strong in the clearance stakes, placed inside the top eight in the competition at the beginning of the round.

However, Carlton completely blew Adelaide out of the water, thanks to the work of Patrick Cripps, Ed Curnow, Marc Murphy and Sam Walsh.

Fifth time lucky

Michael Gibbons missed out on being drafted for five straight seasons before finally getting his AFL chance.

Yesterday, in his fifth game at the MCG, he enjoyed his first win at the home of football.

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After showing signs in his first few AFL games which he thought would never come, Gibbons is showing he truly belongs in the sport’s elite competition.

To go with his 22 disposals yesterday, Gibbons once again hit the scoreboard — for the fifth straight week.

His season tally now sits at 12 goals: the 24-year-old has averaged over 17 disposals and a goal a game since June.

Patrick Cripps

That is all.