CARLTON ruckman Shaun Hampson says breaking the club’s away hoodoo has lifted spirits around the club as the Blues aim to lock up a place in the top four.

The six-point win over the Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night is Carlton’s first victory on the road this season and Hampson has revealed the game was a major focus for the club.

“It was a very important match for us, the most important match for the year. To get our first win on the road is fantastic and it’s a great morale booster for the boys,” Hampson said.

The 201cm ruckman had 18 hit-outs working in tandem with Matthew Kreuzer against the Lions in form big man Mitch Clark.

But he was a frustrated onlooker during the dying minutes, sitting on the bench after copping a knock to the knee.

“The knee’s not going too great right now. I copped a knock on it against Dean Cox last week. I just got another knock on it today and it’s not feeling great but it will be right,” Hampson said.

“I’ll get up for next week, I’ve just got to look after it throughout the week, ice it, get some physio and do everything I can.”

The Blues almost succumbed to a final-quarter Lions’ onslaught that whittled their lead from 30 points at the final change to six at full time.

“We had the mentality that we’ve got to shut them down but they came out very, very hard and just brought it to us,” Hampson said.

“It happened in the reverse last year (round 21), that’s what we did in the last quarter except we managed to get the win, but it’s very nerve wracking.”

The victory makes it three wins on the trot over the Lions, a team which had the wood over Carlton for the previous six years.

Hampson says they learnt from the power Lions sides of that era.

“We’ve really grown as a team, we’re getting a good culture about us which is something we’ve been lacking,” Hampson said.

“We all know the culture Brisbane had with their premierships and how good their team was through the midfield and we’ve got Juddy (Chris Judd), Murph (Marc Murphy) and Gibbsy (Bryce Gibbs) who are coming along fantastically.”

The win was especially sweet for Hampson, who hails from Mt Gravatt in the QAFL where he only started played the game in his late teens.

He was plucked by Carlton at the end of the 2006 season and hasn’t looked back,

“It’s always good to get home and when you win and catch up with a couple of mates it makes it even better,” Hampson said.

“I was a bit wary about moving away from home at first but I mean the boys are fantastic, Melbourne’s a fantastic place and I could not be happier right now.”