Carlton was forced to overcome its own wastefulness, but it eventually held on against a dogged Port Adelaide to win by 18 points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Blues led from start to finish but their major opposition was their own inaccuracy, kicking 8.10 in the first half before kicking away to win 16.13 (109) to 14.7 (91).
Port Adelaide kicked three of the last four goals to cut the final margin but its third straight loss was soured by a likely suspension for playmaker Hamish Hartlett,
The young star's frustrations boiled over as the Power lost their grip on the match, landing a series of blows on Carlton captain Marc Murphy, including a forearm to the head in the third quarter.
While comfortably recording their fourth win in five games – and their sixth in seven clashes against the Power – the Blues would be concerned with their inability to convert, particularly in the first half.
Murphy was superb in his 150th game, providing the class that was too often missing from his teammates, playing mostly as a forward and kicking three goals in the first half including a brilliant dribbled goal from the boundary.
The skipper pushed into the midfield and finished with 23 possessions and was probably best on ground in his milestone game.
Veteran Heath Scotland (16 possessions and two goals) was a strong performer in his 250th game, while Andrew Walker capped off a successful afternoon for the milestone men with 20 touches in his 150th.
The Blues were dominant in the midfield, holding an advantage in clearances (36-32), contested possessions (145-123) and inside 50s (50-40), and they finished the game with 28 scoring shots to 20.
Alongside Murphy, Chris Judd, Kane Lucas and Mitch Robinson were key playmakers, while Ed Curnow held Port skipper Travis Boak to 16 touches.
Brad Ebert battled hard to finish with 19 possessions while Andrew Moore made the most of his opportunities in attack, kicking three goals.
Jeff Garlett was well held by Dom Cassisi in the first half, but he responded to kick three goals after the main break, holding his own with sidekicks Eddie Betts and Chris Yarran unavailable.
Another bright note for the victors was the debut of Troy Menzel, who started as the substitute and replaced key forward Jarrad Waite.
