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CARLTON coach Brett Ratten has praised the work rate and determination of his players as they reeled in a 10-point deficit late in the game and finish over the top of Fremantle on Saturday.  

Just three points separated the teams at the last change, but the Blues’ strong play over three quarters coupled with Fremantle’s well-documented final term fragility meant Ratten’s side entered the last quarter full of confidence in their Indigenous Round clash at Telstra Dome.

“I didn’t miss when you’re going into the last quarter [against Fremantle], we sort of made it a highlight as well,” Ratten said.

“I think when it’s nearly even at three-quarter time you think you’re a massive chance. When you’ve dominated a game or controlled it for most of it, you think you can go on with the job.

“It would have been a disappointing factor if we had fell off … they hit the front and that was good at 10 points down, we fight our way back and we find a way to win.

“We squashed another record along the way. I think round 16, 2001, was the last time we beat Fremantle and that’s another record we tick off to say ‘it’s a new beginning for this team and the players that are involved’.”    

Skipper Chris Judd battled to shake a hard tag from Ryan Crowley and returned 19 possessions, but Ratten was happy with the superstar’s contribution and felt his decision to switch the play across the half-back line late in the match was telling.

“I thought that was the one that changed the momentum,” he said of the play that ended in an Andrew Carrazzo goal.

“We scored a goal from that and that gave us the belief to go on with the job.”

Carlton went inside forward 50 on 58 occasions, but Ratten wasn’t entirely happy with the efficiency of that ball movement or how his forwards presented once it entered the attacking zone.

“I thought we just stuck to our tasks and what we had to do. Sometimes you don’t kick so straight and we didn’t today so we didn’t get the reward for what we did,” he said.

“I thought we dominated most of the play, there were a few aspects where Fremantle exposed us at times, but I thought we should have been further in front. Poor kicking is poor football, at the end of the day we’ve had 27 shots to 18 so we’re sort of all over them, but couldn’t [quite] put it away.”

Matthew Pavlich and Chris Tarrant contributed four and three goals respectively, but Ratten was pleased with the way Setanta O’hAilpin, Jarryd Waite and Paul Bower battled it out with the Freo talls in a back line he felt acquitted itself well.

“We knew that we had to stop their forwards and I thought they stuck to their task all day,” he said.

“Carrazzo down there has really strengthened us up because he’s in the leadership group and he’s one of the leaders of our club.

“I think we’ve put a lot of kids through there at times – Bryce Gibbs has been down there, Jordan Russell has been down there, Shaun Grigg has been down there – and I think they’re developing really well.

“Everyone is taking that responsibility while they’re down there and doing a reasonable job.”