CARLTON has pulled off one of the upsets of the season and kept its wildcard chances well and truly alive after a rousing 76-point win over Brisbane. 

It was the young Blues who led the way at Marvel Stadium, giving Carlton fans a glimpse of what is to come in an eye-catching 24.10 (154) to 11.12 (78) victory.

Attack was the name of the game in the first quarter, as both sides went goal for goal in an entertaining blitz. 

Carlton managed six goals in the opening stanza, the second-highest first-quarter score against the Lions all season.

The Blues controlled the play throughout the second term too, before some individual brilliance from Will Ashcroft in the dying minutes of the first half sparked life into the two-time reigning premiers. 

A pair of goals and an inspiring chasedown tackle meant the Lions went into the main change trailing by just 18 points. 

But from there, the Blues dug deep, piling on six goals to two in a pressure-filled third term to extend the margin to 42 points at the final change. 

Carlton was good enough to get the job done from there, kicking six unanswered goals as it put together arguably its most impressive victory of 2026.

Young gun Jagga Smith was immense at the coalface, racking up 28 disposals, 12 score involvements, six clearances and two goals to win the Robert Walls Medal as best on ground.

His poise and composure with ball in hand was impressive, especially for a youngster playing just his 20th AFL match. 

Veteran onballer George Hewett was also enormous around stoppage with a game-high 33 touches, 11 marks, 11 score involvements and eight clearances, while midfielder Sam Walsh worked hard all day with 26 disposals and a goal.

In the front half, it was tall forwards Brodie Kemp and Harry McKay who did the bulk of the damage, booting eight goals between them. 

The duo ruled the airways in the front half, regularly outmarking their opponents or bringing the ball to ground for Carlton's smalls to go to work. 

Ex-Sydney pair Will Hayward and Oliver Florent were also solid contributors, amassing 25 and 22 touches, respectively.

But it was the fact that the Blues had a whopping 16 individual goalkickers that would have pleased the coaching staff the most. 

It takes the Blues' win-loss record under Fraser to 9-2 as he ponders whether to throw his hat into the ring for the permanent job.

Father-son bleeds Navy Blue
Marvel Stadium went into raptures when Harry Dean snapped his first ever AFL goal. The 18-year-old, who is the son of premiership Blue Peter, snuck forward and got on the end of a handball chain, kicking truly before celebrating the goal in style with his teammates and the Carlton faithful. Dean, who was taken with pick No.3 in last year's draft, played an outstanding match in defence for the Blues, regularly repelling Brisbane's forays forward. The star youngster finished with 15 disposals and four marks. Despite the absence of star defender Jacob Weitering, Dean and the inexperienced Wade Derksen held the key defensive posts incredibly well against an experienced Brisbane attack.

CARLTON        6.3    12.7    18.9    24.10 (154)
BRISBANE    5.5    9.7    11.9    11.12 (78)

GOALS
Carlton: Kemp 5, McKay 3, Smith 2, Byrne 2, Pittonet, Young, Evans, Cottrell, Hayward, Dean, Ainsworth, Florent, Hewett, McGovern, Acres, Walsh

Crowd: 40,988 at the Marvel Stadium