WITH Marc Murphy and Andrew Carrazzo sitting injured in the stands, Carlton needed a midfielder to stand up against Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

Challenged by his coach to be that man, Mitch Robinson responded with a best on ground performance in the Blues' 58-point win.

The fiery Blues hardnut collected 33 disposals, including seven clearances, and booted three goals.

He also drove the ball inside forward 50 on eight occasions, his bursts of speed out of traffic a highlight of the commanding display.

Robinson told carltonfc.com.au after the match that he enjoyed the chance to spend more time in the middle of the ground.

"I've tried to be hard at the ball all year, and with a bit more midfield time I could put my head over the ball a bit more in there," he said.

"Hopefully I can stay there for the next few weeks until 'Murph' comes back."

Robinson said a physical week at training following two straight losses had been the catalyst for an improved effort by the Blues in the clinches, an area they'd struggled in recent matches.

"We had a big week on the track, so that was a plus," the Tasmanian said.

"We might have been a bit less physical the last few weeks and teams have been putting it to us.

"We wanted to be physical today and we were.

"It's what we've been lacking for the last couple of weeks."

In the lead-up to the Demons clash, coach Brett Ratten nominated Robinson as a player capable of lifting the team.

"I think he's one that could really add a bit of grunt for us in there all the time," he said.

"We've used him spasmodically, but it's a great opportunity for him to get in there and really get going."

Having answered Ratten's call, the 22-year-old capped his outstanding afternoon's work with a last quarter goal, after which he ran 30 metres to celebrate with the Carlton cheersquad.

"It's always good to put the icing on the cake," he said.

"We all worked very hard today and we got the win, which we're very happy with."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.