Carlton coach Michael Voss admits his side's incredible comeback defeat of Brisbane could be one of those moments for the Blues, declaring "we'll remember this day" after their one-point Gabba thriller.

The Blues trailed by 46 points early in the second quarter before staging one of the great rallies on Friday.

Harry McKay (three goals) kicked the winning goal with 90 seconds to go before the Blues resisted the hosts in a mad goal-mouth scramble in the final seconds.

Carlton's 13.8 (86) to 12.13 (85) win was their first at the Gabba in more than a decade, and ended the Lions' 14-game home winning streak dating back to round 23 in 2022.

"Amazing win, like, amazing win ... we had to overcome a bit," Voss, who piloted Carlton to the first time in nine years last year, said.

"We'll remember this day, as a team.

"It certainly gives us a lot of belief ... there's things you look back in retrospect and say, 'That was a really significant moment'.

"He (McKay) took his moment and he wanted it."

The Lions were clinical with seven first-quarter goals and it looked an easy night for the hosts in the preliminary final replay.

But, after a perfect season at the Gabba in 2023, they stumbled.

A likely ACL tear for crucial Lions defender Keidean Coleman appeared to check the momentum of last year's losing grand finalists, and the Blues sensed their moment.

They kicked eight straight before the sides played out a tense, see-sawing final quarter broken open by McKay, who fought a torrid battle with Harris Andrews all night.

The visitors' run started when Zac Bailey didn't hear the whistle and was penalised for running into an open goal, with a 50-metre penalty leading to Charlie Curnow's second of four goal.

Curnow quickly added another before Jack Payne's risky exit kick backfired and Matthew Kennedy scored the Blues' fifth in a row.

After Curnow's third goal in seven minutes, basic Lions errors helped Carlton to two more majors and a surprise three-point lead.

In between, there were eight-straight behinds from the Lions, who lost their composure and their radar.

Joe Daniher's had head in hands when he ignored an open Lincoln McCarthy in front of goal and blazed wide and Charlie Cameron missed a simple set shot to give the Blues a one-point lead at the last break.

The lead changed three times in the last quarter, with Patrick Cripps pushing forward to cancel out Bailey's early goal.

Cameron picked up Adam Saad's bobbled mark and threaded the needle for a five-point lead with eight minutes to play.

Points then dried up, until McKay held his nerve from 40 metres on a slight angle to set up the win.

Brisbane coach Chris Fagan delivered the likely verdict for Coleman but was less certain about why his team let their big lead slip.

"Our pressure ... disappeared. I don't know where that third quarter came from, I'd be interested to talk to players about that," he said, lamenting some missed chances late in the half.

"I reckon they went into halftime thinking they had a bit of a sniff."

Blues veteran Sam Docherty was also substituted at halftime with a jarred knee.