After the disappointment of a Grand Final loss in 1999 to North Melbourne, the 2000 AFL season was seen as one of redemption for the Blues and one in which they were destined to build towards an unprecedented 17th VFL/AFL flag.

Leading into Round 11, Carlton had enjoyed a relatively successful start, sitting in second position behind the Essendon, while North Melbourne sat in third. The proximity of the Blues and Kangaroos on the ladder created a "finals like" encounter in the Grand Final rematch at Princes Park.

Former Carlton Captain and Premiership player Anthony Koutoufides looks back on the game with fond memories and views the performance as a turning point for the Blues.

"Since '95 they had really beaten us up and bullied us, so we really wanted to prove that we were a different team and come of age."

Not only would Season 2000 be a year of improvement for the Blues, it would also mark the rise of Anthony Koutoufides as an elite force. He played 20 games, averaging 26 disposals, and was destined for the game's highest individual honour before a knee injury curtailed his season prematurely.

If the final quarter of the 1999 Preliminary final against Essendon is seen as Kouta's greatest ever quarter, then the Round 11 game at Princes Park against the Kangaroos would surely be Kouta's greatest game of his career.

When Koutoufides went to line up in the middle of the ground for the first bounce, he was surprisingly met by North Melbourne Captain and champion Wayne Carey.

"David Parkin and the coaches were not really sure about Silvagni running with Carey in the midfield, so it was really up to me to mind the great man." Koutoufides said of the match-up.

After a close first half in which the Blues led by 7 points, the Blues hammered home six goals in the third term to set up a match-winning lead. Aided by the performances of Aaron Hamill, Matthew Allan and Brett Ratten in his 200th game, Koutoufides dominated, racking up 17 kicks and 21 handballs and booted 5 goals to lead the Blues home by 30 points and, importantly, help cement the team's spot in the top 2 by the halfway mark of the season.

Many may argue that his performances against West Coast in 1996 and Essendon in the 1999 preliminary final were superior, though the man himself disagrees. "When people ask me which was my best game I ever played, it would have to be the one against North Melbourne."

Kouta also looked back on a game against Sydney where he amassed 39 disposals, kicked 2 goals and took 13 marks in round 8 of season 2000 as a "close second" to the North Melbourne game.  

As memorable a win as it was for the club at the time against the Kangaroos, the enduring memory that will live on from the game will always be the de-throning of "King" Carey by Carlton's "King Kouta."

Carlton v North Melbourne
Round 11, 2000
Carlton 20.9 (129) defeated North Melbourne 15.9 (99)