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THE FOUR premiership points were handy, but Carlton's Jordan Russell says the fact they came at Collingwood's expense makes Sunday's win even sweeter.

"We really needed the win, and it was great to get it against the arch-enemy in Collingwood," Russell said after the 51-point victory.

"I think it's three in a row against them now, which is a good thing to have. Every time they play us, they're going to be worrying about that streak. Hopefully we're going to be able to build on that.

"Obviously they had a depleted team, but it was just good from our perspective to finish off the game well and play four quarters the way we did, because that hasn't (always) been the case."

Brendan Fevola was goalless on the day, and Russell said the Blues had worked hard on making sure they didn't need 'Fev' to kick a bag for the side to win.

"What we've been focusing on all pre-season is trying to find other scoring options," he said

"Eddie Betts kicked four which is a great day for him, and for the midfielders to chip in as well – it was a good even spread.

"Everything just seemed to click. We were kicking long to one-on-one targets and finishing off our work up forward. It's what we've been trying to do for the last month, but it was good to see it come together."

Russell is called upon to do plenty of different jobs for the Blues each week, and while he concedes that it can be tricky for him to prepare for games, he's happy to be able to provide coach Brett Ratten with options.

"My role changes from minute to minute almost. You've got to be prepared to play just about anywhere, but I like that," he said.

"It's a good weapon to have to be able to play forward, midfield or back. You do have to work a bit harder to understand all the structures for each part of the ground, but it keeps me on my toes."