THEY'RE all oh so sweet.
There's nothing quite like the roar of the Bluebagger crowd when the four points are won after a long wait.
In recent times, the first one that springs to mind is a win in 2017 over Hawthorn, with Carlton finally getting the chocolates after 14 unsuccessful attempts.
The 2020 fixture would've seen Carlton take on Hawthorn this week, so - in the latest edition of Tuesday Tops, presented by CUB - it's time to look back at Carlton's best drought-breaking wins of the past 20 years.
5. Round 22, 2017
The reason for this list coming to fruition. With this Sunday meant to mark a clash with the Hawks as per the 2020 AFL fixture, it was a perfect time to revisit the much-awaited success in Round 22, 2017. After 12 years and 14 attempts without success, Carlton finally got the four points against the brown and gold in a spirited showing on the 30th anniversary of the 1987 premiership. Prior to this game, Kade Simpson was the only player to have featured in a Carlton win, while Sam Docherty - who was named David Parkin Medallist - enjoyed one of his best games of an All-Australian campaign.
4. Round 1, 2017
Sure, we may have only waited one game for a first AFLW win in Navy Blue. But after a 13-year wait for a Carlton win at Ikon Park for premiership points and its first official women’s game in competition, this one clearly counts. No-one will forget the night where Ikon Park was a lockout, Darcy Vescio kicked four and the Game Changers kicked off the AFLW competition the only way old Carlton knows: with a win over the old enemy.
3. Round 6, 2011
This was covered at length last week, but it has to be included. It had been 18 long years since Carlton tasted success in Sydney, with the clash before this ending in heartbreak in the 2010 elimination final. On the back of Chris Judd, the Blues weren’t going to be denied against on the night of the Royal Wedding. In a “virtuoso performance”, Judd had a career-best 15 clearances, Eddie Betts kicked four in driving rain and the Sydney hoodoo was over.
The Blues would then have to wait another eight years for success in Sydney, with David Teague leading the team to a seven-point win in his fifth game as Senior Coach.
2. Round 4, 2008
Quite simply, it was a game Carlton needed to win to avoid the worst possible ‘record’ — and it had to do so against a Collingwood side which narrowly missed out on a Grand Final the year prior. Coming in on the back of 14 consecutive losses spread across 2007 and 2008, Carlton came up against the old enemy at the MCG hoping to avoid its worst-ever losing run. With seven players - including Michael Jamison, Chris Judd and Matthew Kreuzer - enjoying their first Carlton wins, while Brendan Fevola kicked seven goals. It was the sweetest of wins for the Blues in front of over 77,000 people.
1. 2011 elimination final
The two heartbreaking losses of the previous two seasons were almost worth it given how Carlton would ultimately break its drought of 10 years without a finals win. After falling by seven and six points in respective interstate trips to Brisbane and Sydney, Carlton went to battle with arch enemy Essendon in its first home final for a decade. Despite a false start, nothing was to deny the Blues on this day, kicking 21 goals from 44 scoring shots in a 62-point rout of Essendon.
