Tom Bell celebrates Carlton’s upset win over Port Adelaide. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

It was an unrecognisable Blues outfit that harassed, bullied and eventually outstayed the Power to win by four points in a thriller at the MCG.

Carlton led from early in the second quarter and stretched the margin to 29 points with a Troy Menzel goal in the opening minute of the last quarter.

But the Power, realising their season was on the line, hit back with four goals in nine minutes and threatened to overrun the Blues.

Instead dig in and fight became the Blues’ mantra. This Carlton team under interim coach John Barker wasn’t going to let this one slip.

AFL: Port Adelaide's Hamish Hartlett kicks the footy straight into the umpire during the Power's match with Carlton.

Lachie Henderson converted from a diving mark for a crucial goal to check Port Adelaide’s momentum and weary players ran themselves to exhaustion in an arm wrestle in the last five minutes.

“Our two key focuses each week are our tackling and hardball gets. A few of the boys, when they had to go today, really went and in the end that’s what got us the points,’’ young midfielder Nick Graham said.

“Lachie’s goal was a big goal to steady us. They’re a very fit side and we knew they were going to come back at us pretty hard. We tried to lock it down, get stoppage after stoppage to get the momentum back, which I think we did to get success.’’

One of the Power’s prime movers Robbie Gray, who fought tirelessly to keep his team afloat, could only watch the entire second half from the bench after being concussed when his hands were pinned in a tackle by Carlton midfielder Bryce Gibbs late in the second quarter.

Aside from a stirring, overdue win, Carlton fans could see satisfaction in the future. Not simply the short-term with their team rediscovering the hunger, but the skills and commitment of young players like Patrick Cripps, Graham and Dylan Buckley.

The Blues skipped to leads of 23 points in the second quarter, 24 in the third and 29 early in the last term and still had to withstand challenges from a Power team desperate to keep alive their season.

Cripps, in just his 12th game, was inspirational with his skills and strength, particularly in close. Aside from 31 possessions, he led the way with 11 tackles and 10 clearances.

Gray was pivotal in Port Adelaide’s second quarter fightback before Gibbs’ crunching tackle ended his day.

Pat Cripps was one of Carlton’s best in an upset win over Port Adelaide. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Corp Australia

The Power on-baller had seven possessions, four clearances and contributed a goal in the time-on surge that slashed what seemed to be a sizeable half-time lead for the Blues.

Both teams played with far more dare than previous weeks — Carlton’s tackling intent was urgent, as if players had rediscovered the verve to fight and Port Adelaide tried to reclaim the centre corridor with quick hands to release a running teammate.

The lead swapped five times early in the second quarter until Carlton broke open the contest for the first time.

Goals from Troy Menzel, Cameron Wood, Tom Bell and Andrejs Everitt set up a 23 points lead that threatened to balloon to a matchwinning buffer by half-time.

But the Power hit back hard, led by skipper Travis Boak, Ollie Wines, Chad Wingard and the busy Gray. It was those onball leaders who realised the Power’s season was on the line.

Gray’s unfortunate injury and the couple of minutes break while he was treated and removed on the motorised stretcher cart stopped the frenetic contest in which players hurled themselves at the ball and the ball carrier with little regard for anyone’s safety, including their own.

The half-time siren two minutes later was welcomed to defuse a potentially explosive situation, allowing agitated players to cool down and refocus for the second half.

CARLTON 17.8 (110)

PORT ADELAIDE 16.10 (106)

BEST

Carlton: Cripps, Carrazzo, Murphy, Rowe, Bell, Graham, Curnow.

Port Adelaide: Boak, Wines, Wingard, Hartlett, Lobbe, Impey, Broadbent.

GOALS

Carlton: A Everitt 3 L Henderson 3 D Armfield 2 L Casboult 2 N Graham 2 T Menzel 2 C Wood M Murphy T Bell.

Port Adelaide: C Wingard 5 J Westhoff 2 R Gray 2 T Boak 2 A Monfries B Ebert N Krakouer O Wines S Colquhoun.

Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Brendan Hosking, Brent Wallace.

Official Crowd: 27,693 at MCG.

VOTES

3. Patrick Cripps (CARL)

2. Travis Boak (PORT)

1. Ollie Wines (PORT)