Denis Pagan vindicated his decision to leave the Kangaroos, coaching Carlton to an emotional win over his old side at Telstra Dome.

And in a twist, it was Brendan Fevola - hardly a player of the Pagan mould - who helped his new coach to a sweet victory, with a match-winning eight goals.

With his white boots, mop of hair and history of past off-field indiscretions, Fevola is an unlikely match for Pagan's disciplined, methodical approach.

But Fevola showed his full bag of tricks as Carlton won 18.14 (122) to 16.17 (113) to lead Pagan's men to a great win over his one-time player Dean Laidley.

Fevola kept the Blues in the game early and then grabbed them a half-time lead when his fourth goal sailed through as the siren sounded.

He then led a third-quarter charge with a mercurial snap to give Carlton a two-goal break at the final change.

And when it could not get any better, it did, as the 22-year-old steered through a banana kick from the boundary line to thwart a Kangaroos comeback in the last quarter.

Pagan would not have been surprised to see the Roos charge back, as their relentless running helped them thrice reel in a three-goal buffer.

Midfielder Shannon Grant, with 31 disposals for the game, and Leigh Harding (four goals) led the fightback, but Carlton was equally brave to hold on.

Both sides kicked six goals in the final term.

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