Coach Michael Voss says he's never seen Harry McKay more confident after the spearhead powered Carlton to a thumping 56-point win over North Melbourne in the Kangaroos' marquee Good Friday match.
McKay (five goals) and fellow Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow (four) monstered the undersized Kangaroos defence in a powerful 21.11 (137) to 12.9 (81) win in front of 47,565 fans at Marvel Stadium.
Curnow left the ground midway through the final quarter with an ankle concern and stayed on the bench for the rest of the match, but Voss said the 27-year-old had escaped serious injury.
Voss heaped praise on McKay, who has overcome debilitating inaccuracy in front of goal to return to being one of the premier forwards in the AFL.
"(McKay) went through a journey, like all of us last year, and he found some challenges he had to work his way through," Voss said.
"He's as confident as I've seen him since I've been here (at Carlton).
"If anything, he's finally getting some reward for a couple of great pre-seasons that he's had."
Unlike previous Good Friday games when they were embarrassed by the Western Bulldogs in 2021 and 2022, North kept fighting and attacking the scoreboard.
Already undersized in defence, they suffered another major blow when key tall Callum Coleman-Jones went down with a suspected ruptured achilles tendon in the second quarter.
The former Richmond player was taken from the field on a medical cart and given immediate pain relief, replaced by sub Eddie Ford.
It was North's second serious achilles injury in three weeks after Josh Goater's season came to an abrupt end in the round one defeat to GWS.
"This time of the year, in particular, it's really demanding on the players," North coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"It's so disappointing for the lads who put in whole pre seasons and then in a lot of instances have season-ending injuries."
Carlton didn't come out of the match unscathed, with defender Caleb Marchbank concussed in a heavy collision with teammate Jordan Boyd in the final term.
Preliminary finalists last season, Carlton extended their start to 3-0, while the Kangaroos remain winless.
The Blues have an opportunity to go 4-0 for the first time since 1995 - the year of their last premiership - against Fremantle in Gather Round next Saturday.
North will play grand finalists Brisbane Lions, smarting off a disappointing 0-3 start to their season, next Friday at Norwood Oval.
