WHAT HAS so far proven to be the toughest test in football awaits the Blues this Sunday.

Carlton will head to the Gabba this weekend when it ‘hosts’ the ladder-leading Port Adelaide, which enters the contest with a 5-1 record.

It will be the first time in over a year where the two sides meet, having last played in Round 2 last year.

The Power have been the most impressive team in the competition so far, embracing their time in the Queensland hub to get their season off to the best possible start.

Port is playing a sustainable brand of football, striking perfect balance between their forward line (No.2 for points scored), back line (No.2 for points conceded) and midfield (No.1 for clearances).

However, as the Blues showed on the weekend, their best footy can match it with any team — and they’ve got the attacking firepower to make a game of it.

Carlton currently ranks fourth in the competition for points scored, while - thanks to their three talls in attack - the team is placed No.1 in the AFL for marks inside 50.

Getting first use out of the midfield will be crucial on the weekend, and two in-form leaders of their respective clubs will have pivotal roles to play.

Ed Curnow has got his job done against Joel Selwood, Dylan Shiel and Marcus Bontempelli in the last month, negating their influence and winning his fair share of contested ball.

However, there are few midfielders in the competition in better form than Travis Boak, who will be waiting for his fellow former Geelong Falcon on the other side.

Also likely to play a role in the middle is Matthew Kennedy, who made an instant impact in last week’s return to senior football.

Available as a forward in AFL Fantasy, the moderately-priced Kennedy ($376,000) looms as a unique choice: he attended the third most centre bounces of any Carlton midfielder last weekend.