CARLTON midfielder Andrew Carrazzo says the Blues are determined to keep their finals destiny in their own hands following their dramatic come-from-behind win against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

Following an embarrassing 69-point loss to Essendon in round 13, the Blues appeared headed for another heavy defeat as a rampant Fremantle surged to a 36-point lead early in the second quarter.

Carrazzo was part of the midfield set-up which was systematically taken to pieces by Fremantle early in the game but fought back to be one his side’s best as the Blues kicked seven final quarter goals to seal their 15-point victory.

“After last week we knew that we had to make a statement to everyone – both to the footy world and even to ourselves – that the performance against Essendon was a one-off and was not a sign of how we play footy,” Carrazzo said.

“We were very reactive early against Fremantle and it’s pretty fair to say our first quarter was just terrible. They were simply harder at it and they beat us to the ball time after time.

“It’s hard to make a switch mentally in a game like that but we were able to do it and get back and win the game.”

After an injury-delayed start to his season, Carrazzo used the wide expanses of Subiaco Oval to bounce back to his best form with 33 possessions, including two crucial goals in Carlton’s stunning final-quarter blitz.

With Fremantle holding a comfortable 18-point advantage at the last break, Carrazzo said the Blues decided to throw everything at the final quarter.

“We had to do something. Our season was on the line and this was definitely an eight point game considering what happened last week,” Carrazzo said.

“We knew we couldn’t afford to go into our shells or play within ourselves. So we just decided to back ourselves and take some chances and it certainly paid off.

“Footy’s a funny game when it comes to momentum. Once your team gets some momentum you’ve really got to cash in and that’s what we did. We really made it count on the scoreboard.”

Carrazzo said the win means Carlton has now got its season back on track but the Blues would not be getting ahead of themselves.

“It could go both ways. If we go back to the way we played last week against the Bombers then we’re not going to play finals, it’s as simple as that,” he said.

“But if we play the way we did in the last three quarters today then we’re placing our destiny in our own hands in relation to finals footy.”

Carlton has a chance to consolidate its spot in the top eight when it faces Richmond at the MCG next Saturday.