Only three weeks ago, Carlton was on the receiving end of a 56-point hiding to Adelaide before losing to St Kilda. The latter stands out most for the side's lack of midfield-to-forward connection. Numerous questions would be raised about whether the club could fix this worrying issue.
For the first time last Saturday night, the Blues got their connection working with Charlie Curnow feasting on a depleted West Coast backline, booting a career-high nine goals.
The question is can Carlton continue to replicate this in the next five weeks against top-calibre teams, all with premiership aspirations in Brisbane, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, Sydney, and Melbourne?
Last season, Carlton found themselves in the same position, albeit in the final month of the home and away season, ultimately falling agonisingly short of finals by the narrowest of margins to Collingwood.
Certain stages of a club's season define its resolve, whether at the bottom of the table, inside the top eight or being taken as a legitimate premiership threat. But when there is minimal success, it's often harder to break through and start believing as a club.
In April 2021, Carlton great Mark Maclure vented his frustrations about the club's mediocrity, stating it had a "too nice" label to them on on AFL 360. This label is often difficult to shrug off. The appointment of Brisbane Lions legend and former Port Adelaide assistant Michael Voss was a changing of the guard in establishing a culture aiming to replicate success within the four walls of Ikon Park.
Voss didn't shy away about galvanising a club together during his first official presser as Carlton coach two Septembers ago.
"From the outside looking in, I think everyone can see the undeniable talent on the playing list, which I'm really looking forward to getting to work with. To go with that, there's a massive, loyal supporter base that has stood by this football club for a long time," Voss said.
"We all now have the ability to embrace this reset stage and look forward together. A united football club is a high-performing football club, and I want every Carlton member and supporter to know that myself, the staff and the players will leave no stone unturned to make that happen."
Last Saturday night's encounter against West Coast had to be an absolute shellacking. Heading into the game, the Eagles had the lengthiest injury list of any team, with 18 players on the sidelines, including Jeremy McGovern, Luke Shuey, Jamie Cripps, Tom Cole, Nic Naitanui, Liam Ryan, and Elliot Yeo. Anything less than a ten-goal victory would be a disappointment, but registering a 108-point annihilation gave the Blues a significant boost, bumping their percentage from 92.4 to 113.3.
It was only the third time the Blues won by triple figures in the last 15 years - the other two times coming in 2011 against Gold Coast by 119 points and Richmond by 103 points.
All night, Carlton didn't relent in their pursuit for an even four-quarter display, with skipper Patrick Cripps leading the way, alongside Adam Cerra, Sam Docherty, George Hewett, Blake Acres, Sam Walsh, and Nic Newman.
In stark contrast to losses to the Crows and Saints, the Blues' ball use was far more clinical, mixing a combination of fast and methodical movement. The returns of Adam Saad (hamstring) and Docherty (meniscus) certainly made a difference in the team's overall approach.
As Voss described during his post-game presser: "We have to use this as a launching pad for the season."
That launching pad starts under the roof of Marvel Stadium against an electric Brisbane outfit who have been stellar since their nine-goal hiding to Port Adelaide in the opening round. The Lions' well-renowned scoring has been firing on all cylinders, averaging 101.3 points - only behind Geelong and Melbourne. When you have multiple avenues to goal with Charlie Cameron, Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood, Cam Rayner, and Jack Gunston, it's a difficult proposition to contend with.
Facing a tricky month brings the best out of teams and players when there is no margin for error, especially how even the ladder is in 2023.
In 2010, Carlton had an identical situation early that season going up against Adelaide, Geelong, Collingwood, and St Kilda, coming away with three wins from four contests.
As the legend Leigh Matthews described on Melbourne radio before Brisbane's encounter against a juggernaut Essendon outfit in 2001, "If it bleeds we can kill it" - a line from Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1987 film โPredator'. Although the next five weeks for Carlton seem daunting on paper, results from last season against these teams prove they can match it with the best - beating the Western Bulldogs, narrowly losing twice to Collingwood, toppling Sydney, and losing to Melbourne in the final 15 seconds.
Through thick and thin, loyal, passionate, and dedicated Carlton supporters have heard the same slogans reconstructed differently from. "They know we're coming", "No Passengers", and "Can you smell what we are cooking."
This five-week block of pivotal games before the bye will show how far the Blues can elevate amongst the competition's best.
There is no better time to relish and seize the moment.
