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Heath Scotland discusses the win over Port Adelaide and the upcoming clash with North Melbourne.
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CARLTON midfielder Heath Scotland believes Carlton’s round 11 come-from-behind triumph over Port Adelaide was the turning point for many of his younger teammates, as they started to believe in the direction the club is headed.

The Blues kicked seven final term majors while keeping the Power goalless to claim the 12-point win at AAMI Stadium, which saw his side win in Adelaide for the first time since 2004.

Scotland said he "could see the improvement coming" among the group, but labelled that mid-season win as the specific moment where the kids started to shelve any doubt in the side's ability.

"We've been down the bottom for a long time, and we've really battled away," he said, two days after Carlton beat Port Adelaide for the second time this season.

"Everyone has been training hard and playing hard and trying to improve and working away at it.

"It has been steady progress, but I think if you look back at our season, the last time we played Port Adelaide and we came back in the last quarter and pinched that game, it really helped with the self-belief of the players and young kids.

"At that stage, the players started to realise we are good enough if we stick to our processes and believe in ourselves and back ourselves.

"Since that game, it's changed the mentality of the players."

At 28, Scotland is one of the most experienced Blues, having played a total of 157 games.

He said playing alongside such emerging talents as Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs and Matthew Kreuzer has reinvigorated his enthusiasm for the game after a lean few years.

"It's great. Coming in off the field after most games in the past couple of years, we haven't really won any and it's been really demoralising," he said.

"This year, to see the improvement and the progress of everyone and to be winning games, it makes football a lot more enjoyable."

Scotland particularly praised the recent form of 20-year-old Shaun Grigg, who was one of Carlton's best players against Port on Saturday.

"He's a good player, a good kid, and he works hard," he said.

"Given the roles he's had this year, he's really grasped them and taken them on board, and he's just improving like the rest of the young kids.

"The confidence those boys gain from games like that is fantastic, and that's what's going to make us a stronger club and a much better team, players like him."