CARLTON has staged a magnificent second-half comeback to defeat the Kangaroos by 15 points and book a place in the NAB Cup Grand Final.
Brendan Fevola was the Blues hero, booting eight goals including one supergoal and five in a second-half blitz.
The Blues ran all over the Roos after trailing by as much as 37 points in the third term to win 1.13.13 (100) to 1.12.4 (85).
Denis Pagan's team will now face the Brisbane Lions at Telstra Dome next Saturday night.
Fevola told radio SEN after the siren the Carlton team of 2007 has more backbone than in previous seasons.
"A year or two ago we would have just given up when we got behind by that much," he said.
"But to the boys' credit we've just come so far in the past four months of pre-season training."
Fevola was cautious about reading too much into the win so early in the season, but believes the Blues have shown enough for the supporters to have high hopes for the regular season.
"We've got some new kids, and a new belief," he said.
"We're going to give it a real crack this year."
Fevola said when he looked up at the scoreboard midway through the third quarter, he thought the Blues would live to regret allowing the Roos to run amok either side of half-time. In those brief periods of dominance, the Roos slammed on eight goals in a row.
"We were stuffing around with the ball and going too wide," said the power forward. "Going more direct in the last part of the game really paid dividends and showed how our fitness has really improved."
Fevola believes the grand final experience next week will hold the young Blues players in good stead for the regular season.
"There'll be a really good buzz there and it will be great for the kids and the supporters as well," he said.
In a first half in which the lead changed seven times, Kangaroos goalsneak Shannon Grant broke the shackles to boot three consecutive goals and send his side in at the main break leading by six points.
Carlton had led by five points at the end of a scrappy first term in which Kangaroos opportunist Lindsay Thomas nailed the first goal of the game, which was followed shortly after by Fevola's supergoal.
The Kangaroos kicked the first five goals of the second half, before Carlton wrenched back momentum with the next four. The difference at the last break was just 13 points.
CARLTON 1.0.4 1.3.7 1.7.9 1.13.13.(100)
KANGAROOS 0.1.2 0.6.4 1.10.4 1.12.4 (85)
GOALS: Carlton: Nine-points goals: B Fevola. Six-point goals: B Fevola 7 M Murphy 2 E Betts 2 B Fisher N Stevens. Kangaroos: Nine-point goals: N Thompson. Six-point goals: S Grant 3 G Archer 3 L Thomas 2 M Campbell 2 B Harvey.
BEST: Carlton: B Fevola M Murphy E Betts R Houlihan N Stevens. Kangaroos: S Grant G Archer L Thomas, L Thomas, M Thompson.
INJURIES: Kangaroos: Nil. Carlton: Nil
REPORTS: Nil.
UMPIRES: M Vozzo M Stevic S Grun R Chamberlain.
CROWD: 7,228 at Gold Coast Stadium.
