A ONE-GOAL second half from Melbourne has allowed Carlton to brush aside the Demons at the MCG on Sunday.

The Blues - who had lost their previous two games - trailed by a point at quarter-time but gradually took control of the contest as Melbourne dropped away.

The winless Demons could only manage one goal in the second half as they went down 15.17 (107) to 6.13 (49).

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld acknowledged that the Demons were never going to win by playing just three quarters of competitive football.
 
"We got in an arm-wrestle for three quarters and we could not go with Carlton in the last quarter," Neeld said. "[You] can't win games of AFL footy if your arm wrestle stops a quarter short."

Carlton coach Brett Ratten said his midfield's dominance in the stoppages gave the Blues the ascendancy.
 
"I thought the four players (Mitch Robinson, Brock McLean, David Ellard and Chris Judd) that played around the ball were outstanding all day. I thought their contested ball and their clearance work was really good," Ratten said.
  
In a week where everyone dwelled on both Carlton and Melbourne's negatives, the game was a battle of will rather than skill.
 
The contest was sometimes sloppy, stoppages plentiful and entries inside 50 scrappy.
 
Ratten was happy his side had prevailed in a game that was tight and tough in close.
 
"We concentrated on areas that we needed to improve on, and they were a physical part of the game. So we weren't shying away from it," Ratten said.
 
Carlton's Mitch Robinson showed his heart and pushed above the struggle to tilt the game the Blues' way. He kicked three goals and created many more.
 
But it was not easy because Melbourne was up for the fight, hanging in on the scoreboard for three quarters.
 
However, seven goals to nil in the final quarter blew the margin out to 58 points.
 
Eddie Betts kicked three in the last to finish with five goals.
 
Melbourne opened with passion and intent. It was hitting the contest hard and moving the ball quickly.
 
Carlton, weakened by the absence of late withdrawals of Chris Yarran and Lachie Henderson, was on the back foot.
 
Three players - Jack Grimes, Jordie McKenzie and Brad Green - put their head over the ball and goals resulted. Sam Blease was creating run and Mitch Clark was a target.
 
Unfortunately, Green was subbed out of the game after a brutal contest, coughing up blood in the rooms before being taken to hospital.
 
A couple of poor decisions from Melbourne players with two minutes of the quarter remaining led to two Carlton goals and narrowed the Demons' lead to just one point.
 
It was significant enough to lift Carlton's confidence and make it realise it was superior in skill if it could match the Demons in will.
 
When Robinson, who had provided a real spark, kicked a goal early in the second quarter, Carlton gained the lead and was not headed for the rest of the game.
 
For the Demons, Jared Rivers was outstanding and he had good support from Tom McDonald and Daniel Nicholson.
 
Melbourne hung in and threatened late in the third quarter to move within 10 points but could not make the most of its opportunities.
 
They left once again with a loss but with hope.
 
"I wasn't disappointed with our work rate," Neeld said. "I thought as a group we worked pretty hard and we were quite happy with the style of footy we played for the most part."
 
But once Betts, Andrew Walker and Jeff Garlett realised what they could do with hard running, the game was over.

CARLTON          3.3   7.8    8.14   15.17   (107)
MELBOURNE     3.4   5.7   6.10   6.13   (49)

GOALS
Carlton: Betts 5, Robinson 3, Hampson 2, Walker 2, Armfield, Kreuzer, Tuohy
Melbourne: Clark 3, Blease, Howe, Jones

BEST
Carlton: Robinson, Simpson, Gibbs, Jamison, Walker, McLean
Melbourne: Grimes, Rivers, Watts, McKenzie, McDonald

INJURIES
Carlton: Henderson (groin) and Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas and Bower, Collins (knee)
Melbourne: Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott, Green (lung)

SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Kane Lucas replaced Dennis Armfield in the third quarter
Melbourne: Jamie Bennell replaced Brad Green (lung) in the second quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Fleer, Nicholls, Ryan

Official crowd: 28,371 at the MCG

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.