Carlton coach Michael Voss described it as another “signature moment.”
On Thursday night, the Blues broke a decade-long losing streak with an impressive six-goal away victory against Port Adelaide.
This win marked Carlton’s first triumph at Adelaide Oval against a South Australian team, having lost their previous seven attempts by an average margin of 64 points.
While the Blues had defeated Fremantle at the venue during this year’s Gather Round, Voss emphasized that beating the Power on their home ground and overcoming a significant hurdle for the club was particularly meaningful.
“It’s part of our transformation as a team,” Voss said after the Blues’ 16.11 (107) to 10.11 (71) win.
“Over the past two or three years, it feels like we’ve had to change numerous records.
Clearly, the results haven’t favored us as a club for a while, so there are several areas where the balance isn’t right.
But in the last two or three years, we’ve been gradually transforming and creating the consistency we aim for, not just as a football team but as a club.
Wins like tonight’s fit into that effort.
It’s a satisfying milestone, if you want to call it that, where a longstanding record or history no longer holds us back.”
Carlton’s win against Port was not only significant but also stylish, as they scored eight goals to three in the final quarter.
With eight wins and four losses, Voss noted they have already faced a series of strong teams, including Collingwood, Brisbane, Sydney, Geelong, Melbourne, and Port.
“We’ve been playing against some very good teams recently – it feels like we’re facing every team in the top eight or close to the top four,” Voss said.
“We’ve been challenged in many areas, but as a result, we’ve learned more about ourselves.”
The next challenge is a major Victorian clash: Carlton versus a resurgent Essendon at the MCG next Saturday night.
“What we’ve done well recently is focus on the next opponent,” Voss said.
“It has been risky to think otherwise.”