AFTER being on the receiving end of post-siren heartbreak courtesy of Robbie Gray just four weeks ago, there was no greater feeling for Patrick Cripps than watching Jack Newnes snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

A relentless fourth quarter saw Carlton claw back a Fremantle lead to steal the four points on the back of a 45-metre Newnes set shot from against the boundary fence.

The scenes that followed were of sheer jubilation.

It was an emotion shared by Cripps, who was most pleased by the growth the playing group had shown over the course of their time in the hub.

“Results haven’t gone our way [previously] and we’re learning the hard way: but that’s half the fun of it,” Cripps said.

“Far out, I nearly fainted. I nearly lost it and ran out of breath.”

No strangers to a tight finish, the four-point win was the Blues’ fifth game (3-2 record) decided by less than a single kick this year, and its seventh decided by single digits (4-3 record).

“You learn the lessons along the way and then when it comes to the crunch, you can finish off,” he said.

He paid credit to the fast-starting Dockers but lauded the Blues’ ability to minimise damage on the scoreboard when Fremantle began to fire – a focal point highlighted by Senior Coach David Teague.

“In the past they probably would’ve kicked five or six goals,” he said of the high-pressure opening term.

“To our boys’ credit, we kept chipping away and we controlled a lot of the game in the second half.”

For Cripps, it’s now all about continuing to chip away.

“We pegged one back and we’re a step closer to the eight: we’ve got our sights set firmly on making a run for it.”