CARLTON has kept its post-season chances alive with a 44-point win over St Kilda in a crucial match on Sunday evening.

Making it a club double following on from the Blues' AFLW win to kickstart the double-header, Carlton ran out 16.10 (106) to 8.14 (62) winners under the Marvel Stadium roof for the sixth annual Spud's Game.

Amidst St Kilda's injury issues, the Blues just did their thing.

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AFL R22 | Match Highlights

Watch all the highlights from our win against the Saints.

They found moments of time and space through the middle of the ground, able to clean up fumbles or errors with seconds to spare and continue the transition downfield. There was a genuine composure about how they operated and it allowed them to do damage in attack.

That first-half control was evident in the uncontested possession count, which Carlton won 143-89, and the uncontested mark count of 60-30. Those metrics both finished well in the Blues' favour, winning the uncontested possession by 65 and uncontested marks by 48.

It was Harry McKay who offered the highlight of the match. Known for his snap set shots from directly in front, when tight up against the boundary in the third, he threaded the needle with a drop punt from the impossible angle.

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AFL R22 | ‘Where have you pulled that from?’: McKay nails absurd drop punt

Harry McKay defies the odds with a stunning set-shot finish from a seemingly impossible angle for a left-footer

Interestingly, the ebbs and flows of the game somewhat reflected the earlier AFLW match. An early Carlton lead, a St Kilda fight back after the main break, but ultimately a Blues win.

Will Hayward's capacity to mark anything in his vicinity was immense, resulting in 19 disposals and two goals for the evening, and Francis Evans (22 disposals, 10 score involvements) was a clean conduit going forward.

Sam Walsh (26 disposals, seven clearances, one goal) powered through stoppage to create opportunities ahead of the play, causing problems for St Kilda's defence as it became disorganised and unable to contain the number of free players Carlton was getting ahead of the play.

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AFL R22 | Saint feels Frankie’s fury as Walsh whizzes through

Frankie Evans produces a ferocious tackle before Sam Walsh swoops on the loose footy and finishes the job

Harry Dean
It's not often a team's best kick inside 50 comes from a first-year key defender, but that's exactly what Carlton has in Harry Dean. Loved internally for his aggression and competitive nature, Dean's silky skills to hit up teammates close to goal were game changing amongst a flurry of rushed entries. Establishing a balance between his deep defensive duties and his neat ball use will be Carlton's biggest asset as it presses to an unlikely wildcard spot.

ST KILDA          1.6     6.4      5.9      8.14 (62)
CARLTON          3.3    9.12    11.8   16.10 (106)

GOALS 
Carlton: McKay 3, Pittonet 2, Hayward 2, McGovern 2, Kemp 2, Ainsworth 2, Evans, Walsh, Byrne