A spirited Carlton have stunned Greater Western Sydney, handing the Giants just their third loss of the AFL season in a nailbiting one-point win at Etihad Stadium.
The Blues led at every break, fell behind early in the final quarter and then bounced back to claim a 10.11 (71) to 9.16 (70) victory on Sunday.
Giants midfielder Dylan Shiel's goal at the 17-minute mark of the fourth term was the last of the match, with Zac Fisher's late behind just enough to seal Carlton's fourth win of the season.
The second-placed Giants had dominated the midfield battle but paid for woeful inaccuracy in front of goal, with Toby Greene booting four behinds in the final term to finish with 0.5.
Down by four points at three-quarter time, the Giants drew first blood in the final term through Shiel.
The Blues wrestled back the lead when Liam Sumner and Jed Lamb - two of eight ex-Giants on Carlton's list - combined for a quick response before Matthew Wright added another.
Shiel (32 disposals, eight clearances) capped a superb game with his second goal to cut the deficit to two points but it was too little, too late.
It was an impressive finish for the young Blues after coming tantalisingly close to stealing wins over St Kilda and North Melbourne.
"I'm really happy for them because they've been trying so hard," coach Brendon Bolton said.
"Our supporters should see that and appreciate it - that we've been in game late in quarters but haven't got a result, and it was just great reward for effort to finally get one."
The Giants finished the game well ahead in clearances, inside-50s and tackles but couldn't make it count on the scoreboard.
Coach Leon Cameron was disappointed with their defensive efforts, saying they had struggled in key moments.
"We let them out the back on a couple of crucial times and they scored from that," he said.
"There were some key indicators that pointed to us winning the game but at the end of the day, at the real crucial moments, they played a little bit better than what we did."
Milestone man Matthew Kreuzer (33 hitouts, six marks) starred for Carlton in his 150th game, taking over the ruck battle against Shane Mumford during a dominant third quarter.
Liam Jones (eight marks, 14 disposals) was an unlikely hero for the Blues in his first game for the season, racking up intercept marks while also minimising Jonathon Patton's influence.
The one-time key forward is off-contract but did his chances of a new deal no harm.
Carlton went a man down in the first quarter when veteran Alex Silvagni injured himself while diving for a tackle.
The 29-year-old will undergo scans on a twisted left knee early this week.
GWS had injury issues of their own, with co-captain Phil Davis visibly struggling after rolling his ankle in the second quarter.
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