Carlton coach Brett Ratten praised the return of Nick Stevens after the veteran midfielder played a key role in the Blues' 10-point win over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Stevens had a team-high 25 disposals, kicked two goals and laid four tackles in a breakthrough performance after spending the past month with VFL affiliate Northern Knights because of weight problems and sluggish running.
The Blues had missed his accurate kicking which was a highlight of his return performance against the Kangaroos.
"He has been a great runner for such a long time," Ratten said.
"We know his skills when he is up and going are first-class. Just to have that combination back in the team in really good spirits and the way he went about it, I think it was a great result."
The Blues' 10th win of the season was crucial for it maintains a hold on seventh spot as they press for their first finals campaign since 2001.
Ratten was also delighted with the efforts of Bret Thornton, who required pain-killing injections in his shoulder after being crunched in the first term.
Thornton, who had only managed two goals in a 144-game career to that point, was then thrown forward and kicked two goals, including the sealer.
"For him to get up and play and do what he did was a great result for him and the team," Ratten said.
"It takes courage and maturity."
While Chris Judd was restricted to a relatively modest 21 touches, including just seven to half-time, Bryce Gibbs (24 possessions) and Marc Murphy (23 and a career-high four goals) helped guide the Blues home.
Ratten said eking out a win in such a gritty encounter highlighted the growing maturity of his team.
"To have games like that, maybe in the past, we might have slipped up so to have that performance, take the four points … there is a lot of growth in our group in all aspects of the game," he said.
The Blues must now prepare for a major test against Geelong on Friday night, knowing they need to win at least two of their final four home-and-away matches to reach September.