WHEN clubs have pause to construct sides that seek to win flags and not just places in the eight — as Hawthorn has done and as Carlton is doing — there are certain fundamentals adhered to.

The first is to find a genuine key forward. The Blues tick that off. The second, collect a clutch of midfielders. Another tick. Third, blend that midfield with insiders and outsiders. Tick. Make sure one of those midfielders is a star. Another tick. Finally you need match winners. Two ticks here, possibly more.

Carlton has, as Mark Williams uncharitably pointed out last week, compiled a side of first round draft picks that is readying to be a side to be reckoned with. When it traded for Chris Judd over the summer it expedited that development.

Carlton remains a side with holes in its construction as does Collingwood.

In many respects Collingwood is further advanced, but the two games this year have highlighted that Carlton's assets are in Collingwood's weaknesses.

The Magpies lack what Carlton has — class inside midfielders and ball carriers, a big goal kicker and a defender capable of stopping that big, quick leading goal kicker in the absence of Anthony Rocca and Simon Prestigiacomo.

The Blues look thin in defence, their bottom six players weak, they want for a second key forward and goal kicking options.

But when they have a forward in the form Fevola was yesterday and a midfield, harassing for the ball then delivering with such precision that they can exploit a side such as the Pies.

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse said the difference was that he no longer had a Nathan Buckley and the opposition had match winners in Judd and Fevola.

This was perhaps uncharitable to Alan Didak and other potentials but his point was well made. It is not the only hole for the Magpies — inside midfielders who can clear the ball is a regular thorn.

Judd has delivered a maturity and balance to the Blues. Yesterday he was adequate for a half, indeed he looked troubled by injury fluffing kicks and being unable to stop Rhyce Shaw running away from him.

But in the final term with the game in dispute, Judd imposed himself on the contest in no less a capacity than the irrepressible Fevola.

Shane Warne said he would have loved to make a career of bowling to Darryll Cullinan, Fevola would be as happy meeting Collingwood weekly. He averaged four goals a game against it entering this match and from two games this year has 15 goals.

Carlton played the hunter early. It harassed, chased and pressured, ensuring the first term was played in its half. Fevola had two goals four to quarter-time and should have kicked six goals.

In the quarter. That inaccuracy alone accounted for the misleading quarter-time score which held Collingwood to within nine points.

The Magpies were sorely hurting from the blanketing of Heath Shaw. With Dane Swan, Shaw is Collingwood's most important runner governing play off half-back. Yesterday Bryce Gibbs tagged him and dragged him anywhere the ball was not.

Both had one kick for the first half. This was a huge win for Carlton. Shaw finished with six touches and no sympathy from the coach who flagged no intention of shifting him to make life easier.

Carlton won the battles that mattered. Not only in the midfield and forward but in the ruck where a discard and a rookie humbled the more heralded and experienced Collingwood duo.

Collingwood was poised to break the game open in the third when it kicked out to a four goal lead. The Blues stirred interest with two goals but the matter should have been settled when Travis Cloke booted a steadier.

Malthouse said that the players had been sapped of momentum after a couple of incidents. He pointedly said AFL rules prevented him talking about those incidents as he could not discuss umpiring decisions. Evidently he was perplexed how Brad Fisher was pushed in the back in a marking contest in the goal-square without a player touching him.

He was probably wondering how Paul Medhurst pushed in the back an opponent who was facing him, again in the goal-square.

Those moments might have changed things by two goals, possibly staunching momentum but Carlton played the better game and as Brett Ratten said was the better side for three of four quarters.

CARLTON 2.7 3.10 9.13 17.17 (119)
COLLINGWOOD 1.4 5.8 9.13 12.17 (89)

GOALS Carlton: Fevola 8, Scotland 2, Waite 2, Thornton, Armfield, Fisher, Stevens, Wiggins. Collingwood: Medhurst 4, Swan 2, T Cloke, Burns, O'Bree, Thomas, Lockyer, Davis.

BEST Carlton: Fevola, Murphy, Judd, Scotland, Waite, Kreuzer, C Cloke. Collingwood: Swan, Medhurst, R Shaw, T Cloke, Johnson, Maxwell.

INJURIES Nil.

REPORTS Nil.

UMPIRES Farmer, Kennedy, Schmitt.

CROWD 80,310 at the MCG.

THE UPSHOT The sixth win of the Blues' season was a watershed moment for the club, which hasn't figured in the top eight since it held fifth position after the opening round of 2007. Now that Carlton is back where it thinks it belongs — even if temporarily — coach Brett Ratten and his players aren't shying away from talking up the return to the upper half of the ladder.

THE TALKING POINT The greatest discrepancy on the stats sheet was contested possession. Mick Malthouse said after the match that he thought Carlton had "far more dynamic-type players" on its list, and the members of his famously even team had not pulled their collective weight.

HOT AND COLD Brendan Fevola was inaccurate in front of goal early — at one stage on 1.4 — and started going through his familiar forlorn hands-on-hips routine. He might once have lost it, but yesterday, the spearhead persisted, his form turned and he walked away with eight majors.