Lance Whitnall

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**Lance Whitnall**
Personal Info
Birth	August 23, 1979,
Recruited from	Lalor, Victoria/Northern U18
Height/Weight	190cm/100kg
Playing Career¹
Debut	Round 1, March 31, 1997, Carlton vs. Essendon, at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Team(s)	Carlton (1997-) 201 games, 329 goals
¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season
Career Highlights
AFL Rising Star award nominee 1997 All-Australian 2000 Carlton Best and Fairest 2006

Lance Whitnall (born August 23, 1979) is an Australian rules footballer.

Debuting in 1997 as a 17-year-old, the young Whitnall was recruited in the 1996 AFL Draft under the father-son rule, with his father Graeme having played 66 games for Carlton in the 1970s and 1980s.

The young red-head, freckled Whitnall, known as "Big Red", quickly established himself in Carlton's best 21, missing only a handful of games in 1997 and playing every game in 1998 and 1999. He became a vital part of Carlton's forward line, and in Round 17, 1998 against the Western Bulldogs, the then-19-year-old Whitnall became one of the youngest players to kick 8 goals in a game. It was in this match that he well and truly had established his presence. Whitnall finished with 46 goals for the 1998 season, followed by 55 goals in 1999.

In 2000 Whitnall had his best season to date when he kicked 70 goals and was named in the All-Australian Team.

However, from there, the talented Whitnall had suffered a number of setbacks in his career. He started becoming inconsistent and suffered a series of weight problems, at one stage being admitted to a fat farm. This weight problem was the onset of injury and has become the butt of some jokes among opposition supporters.

In 2005 during the Wizard Cup, Whitnall turned around his previous weight problems and came out looking as fit as ever. He performed very well during the pre-season series, which Carlton were the champions of. However, during the 2005 home and away season, Carlton finished last on the ladder, although Whitnall was one of the better players in a struggling team.

[edit] 2006 season

One of the leaders of the team, Whitnall took over the captaincy during Anthony Koutoufides' hand injury in 2006, and is expected to become the full-time captain in 2007, with Koutoufides set to relinquish the position. He has been played in the backline more frequently by coach Denis Pagan. He capped off a solid year with victory in the Blues' best and fairest (the John Nicholls Medal).