THERE was a time, not too long ago, that Carlton would have stumbled and perhaps fallen in the face of a challenge like the one thrown out by Melbourne on Friday night.

The Blues under Brett Ratten soon got the hang of the offensive side of the game, but that didn't always serve them well when things got tight - as evidenced by the team's last two unsuccessful elimination finals.

Sometimes they'd go into a game they were favoured to win and come out the other side with a disappointing loss if confronted with some unexpected defensive strategy.

It was a sure sign that the mental side of their game wasn't quite as it should be, but that's changed now.

The Demons, undermanned and out of form as they were, did their best to bog the match down in the midfield with huge numbers around and behind the ball, but Carlton recognised the challenge and set about breaking it down.  

It's still a smallish sample, but on the evidence of the Blues' six wins this season, there's a ruthless quality about their game that's been lacking in the past.

With 30 possessions, 13 of those contested, and a game-high six clearances, Mitch Robinson threw himself about in a manner that embodied that ruthlessness during the 47-point win.

It's something Carlton has strived for in recent seasons, but it's not negotiable now.

"We've got that 'ruthless' trademark and we try and stick by it," Robinson says.

"If some of the boys aren't quite up on it then we'll give them a bit of a spray. We're always trying to have 22 blokes doing the same thing.

"Melbourne was able to play the game on their terms early and we wanted to change that. We tried to do that by winning more contested footy and really cracking in.

"It was ugly, but we got there."
   
The Blues have lost the contested possession count just once this season, against Collingwood in round three, which is the fruit born of a summer Ratten spent giving his team a harder edge.

Robinson, at 21 years of age and 35 games into his career, is still a baby in football terms, but the coach was keen to utilise the tough-as-nails Tasmanian where he could do more damage after being used predominantly as a half-forward flanker in the past.  

"I trained with the midfield group all through the pre-season and Ratts told me I'd be in the team to get in there and get the hard ball, so Juddy can get outside a bit more," he says.

"Hopefully I'm filling that role.

"I was the sub last week, so I tried to pick it up a notch this week. That's my natural game anyway, but I really focussed on that and hopefully I was able to have a bit of an impact.

"I'm a bit sore now, but it was certainly worth it."