CARLTON has hung on with a sweet victory against the arch rival, prevailing by eight points against arch rival Essendon.

The Blues led from start to finish after a blistering opening term, but were forced to hold on in a tense final term to ultimately come away with an 11.12 (78) to 11.4 (70) win.

There couldn’t have been a more apt player to open proceedings for the Blues, when former Bomber Adam Saad pushed forward to kick the first goal of the game - in similar fashion to his first ever goal for the Bluest also against the same opponent.

Adam Cerra was a tone setter in the first term, hunting ball and man to end with four clearances and three tackles in the opening term as the Blues burst out of the blocks.

00:21

AFL R13 | WOOF! Saad's perfect start against Essendon

Adam Saad produced the opening goal of the game in typical fashion against his old side Essendon.

With debutant Hudson O’Keeffe and swingman Mitch McGovern alongside him in a new-look forward line, Charlie Curnow got off the chain with two goals in the opening term, while Jesse Motlop and Zac Williams combined for two goals and three goal assists in a dangerous start to the game.

Ollie Hollands had important moments at ground level as the Blues’ pressure at the source was well and truly on - the Blues had 22 more disposals in the opening term than the Bombers, who came into the game as the No.1 possession side in the competition.

After the frustration of the early weeks, the Blues were ruthless going forward in the opening term, registering 10 scoring shots from 13 inside 50s.

It was a much more even second term, with the disposal count dead level for the quarter after the Blues’ hot start.

Orazio Fantasia marked his return to AFL action with a goal against his former side as the beneficiary of good work from Motlop and McGovern higher up the ground.

After an outstanding first quarter, Cerra spent extended time on the bench following a bump from Sam Durham, as the Bombers started to get on top around the ball and responding in kind with back-to-back goals.

George Hewett and Tom De Koning got to work with nine disposals each, before De Koning also kicked a goal in the dying stages of the term - however, what looked to be a breakeven quarter on the scoreboard saw Peter Wright goal on the siren.

That provided the Bombers with the momentum heading into the third term, who were well on top to start the second half - they kicked three goals inside 10 minutes to bring the margin back to single digits.

Docherty (nine) and Haynes (seven) were busy behind the ball as the Blues attempted to take the sting out of the contest, before an incredible juggling mark from Motlop saw the Blues re-instate their 16-point buffer.

A Jade Gresham goal once again brought the margin back, and the Blues’ margin could’ve been even less if not for a huge defensive tackle from Adam Saad on Gresham.

Hudson O’Keeffe (five contested marks) continued to compete in the air and at ground level, creating a late chance for McGovern - only for his shot to bounce through for a behind, making it an 11-point Carlton lead.

The Blues still had winners over the park, with tagger Alex Cincotta returning with aplomb, keeping Essendon captain Zach Merrett to just 14 disposals

The Dons had the momentum heading into the last and the Blues’ experienced heads needed to stand up - Blake Acres did exactly that, producing an incredible running goal from the boundary to bring the MCG to life.

00:42

AFL R13 | Boundary-riding Acres owns major moment

Blake Acres laps up a clutch goal with Blues fans sitting in the front row

Carlton began to once again win crucial contests around the ground, with Jack Silvagni - who was once again excellent - typically determined in defence and Sam Walsh willing himself to ever contest with 11 final-quarter disposals.

A big one-on-one win in the middle of the ground for De Koning ended in Cerra finding Zac Williams for his second, opening up what looked like a very handy 23-point lead.

However, as is always the case with these two teams, there would be a late twist: opportunities went begging for the Blues and the Bombers took theirs, with three consecutive goals bringing the margin back to six points - the closest it had been since the opening minutes.

But after leading for the entirety of the night, the Blues were able to see the game out, producing their fifth win of the season against the arch rival in front of over 74,000 people.

CARLTON        6.4    8.6     9.8       11.12 (78)
ESSENDON     1.1     4.2     8.3       11.4 (70)

GOALS
Carlton: Curnow 2, Motlop 2, Williams 2, Acres, De Koning, Fantasia, McGovern, Saad