If anyone needed a reminder of how potent Carlton's twin towers can be, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay provided it in the hard-fought win over the Western Bulldogs.
The pair managed just one goal between them in round one but put on a show for the Blues' faithful at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
Curnow put several years of injury woes behind him with five goals - the 25-year-old's equal second-best haul in 64 career games - while McKay booted four majors in a strong return.
In doing so, the tall targets powered Carlton to a second consecutive score of 100-plus points for the first time in almost six years.
The biggest roars from the crowd were for Curnow's two crucial goals in the final term that kept the surging Bulldogs at bay.
"Charlie's loved because he has been through a fair bit over his footy journey," stand-in Blues coach Ash Hansen said.
"He's just such a loveable kid and you want to see him out there doing what he loves.
"I'm really pleased for Charlie and Harry to both get a bit of reward tonight."
McKay won the Coleman Medal with 58 goals last season but Carlton fans have been waiting for Curnow's return to full fitness to add another dimension to the forward line.
Few clubs boast two tall targets in attack as dangerous as the Blues' combination is threatening to become this year.
"Those two working together is a unique combination with their height and athleticism," Hansen said.
"As long as they support one another they can get to really dangerous areas and challenge most defences."
Carlton's 16.6 (102) to 13.12 (90) victory gave them a 2-0 start for the first time in a decade as they seek to end their finals drought under new coach Michael Voss.
"It's a mini milestone whenever you put back-to-back wins together," Hansen said.
"It's still so early in the season and we've got so much growth (to come) and we're certainly not getting carried away."
Voss had to temporarily hand the reins to senior assistant Hansen against the Bulldogs because of COVID-19 protocols.
He is expected to return to his usual role against Hawthorn next week.
