Carlton Football Club
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| Full name | Carlton Football Club |
| Nickname | The Blues |
| Strip | Navy blue guernsey with white monogram, navy blue shorts and socks |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| League | Australian Football League |
| First season | 1897 |
| Ground | Telstra Dome/MCG |
| Club song | We Are The Navy Blues |
| President/Chair | Richard Pratt |
| Coach | Denis Pagan |
| Captain | Lance Whitnall |
| 2006 | 16th of 16 |
The Carlton Football Club is the sixth oldest Australian rules football club and the third oldest club in the Australian Football League. They were the first premiers of any Australian rules competition in 1877, and share the most premierships of any VFL/AFL club. Representing the Melbourne inner city area of Carlton, the club is nicknamed The Blues for their navy blue playing colours, and has an insignia of the club consisting of three alphabetical letters - CFC superimposed on each other.
[edit] Club history
[edit] Early history
Formed in A.D.1864, it originally played in the Victorian Football Association competition, and was one of the formation members of the breakaway Victorian Football League in 1897. It became part of the Australian Football League in the 1980s.
An excellent detailed coverage of Carlton's early history can be found at: Carlton's early history
[edit] The First of Many
Carlton got into its first VFL grand final in the year of 1904. Two years later in 1906, it was to be the first of five consecutive grand finals. The first three were all premierships and Carlton became the first team in the history of the VFL/AFL to win three-in-a-row. These glory years became famously known as 'The First of Many'. The fourth grand final made Carlton the closest team to attempt to win four-in-a-row, as it was narrowly beaten by just 2 points to South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans) in 1909. Had it not been for the political trouble that plagued the club early in the season, the result could well have been different. However, this remarkable feat was subsequently surpassed during the 1920's Depression by the club's greatest rival - Collingwood (which became famous as 'The Machine') in 1927-30. In Carlton's fifth grand final in 1910, they contested unsuccessfully against Collingwood, and this was the beginning of something that would endure for more than one hundred years and became famous as 'The Rivalry'.
Collingwood's working-class supporter base, close geographic proximity, and many historic on-field (and occasional off-field) tussles mark the rivalry as the strongest in the game. Carlton has traditionally been the most powerful on-field club (until recently), boasting winning records over virtually every other club in the competition, including notable rivals such as Collingwood and Essendon. Another fierce rival is the other member of the inner-suburban "big four" - Richmond.
Many memorable battles have been contested against them, most notably in a thriller in the 1968 Grand Final when Carlton pipped Essendon to win by 3 points. In the Grand Final of 1972, Carlton defeated Richmond in a goal kicking spree that saw fifty goals kicked - the highest number of goals ever kicked in a Grand Final.
In 1995, the year of its' last premiership, the club lost only two matches in the premiership season, against the Sydney Swans (a match which saw Paul Kelly gain three Brownlow Medal votes) and St. Kilda, both consecutively (rounds 8 and 9). But this effort was bettered by rivals Essendon, who lost only one game all year in 2000 (incl. trials, premiership season, pre-season cup), against the Western Bulldogs.
[edit] Recent history
In recent times the club has not had on-field success and has also experienced difficulties in its management board.
The development of the game becoming a national league has impacted on Victorian based clubs and the consequential success of interstate clubs such as West Coast Eagles, Adelaide Crows, Sydney Swans, Port Adelaide and Brisbane Lions (having collectively won ten premierships since 1992) have had an impact on Carlton's previous success record.
Changes within the rules of the national has meant that Carlton and other Victorian teams can not as easily recruit the best players from across Australia because these players are as likely to be picked up by interstate clubs. The recruiting mechanism of all such players is now part of the draft pick process. In addition all teams are confronted by the rules of the salary cap which is designed to limit the funds spent of players in any given season, in an attempt to create a level playing field. There are proponents for and against these two issues.
In 2002 the club underwent both off-field and on-field turmoil. Mounting losses and accounting irregularities pursued the then club under president John Elliott.
The team went through the entire season without winning a game on its home ground - Optus Oval and this culminated in the club claiming for the first time in its entire history, the ignominious title of winning the wooden spoon (a trophy given to the team that comes last on the league ladder every season).
Coach Wayne Brittan who had taken over the coaching duties in 2001 had his contract terminated and was replaced by Denis Pagan for the 2003 season.
Additionally the club's new administration discovered that its previous administration had been making extra, secret payments to certain players which breached the AFL salary cap. This resulted in the club receiving heavy fines and being stripped of top picks in the annual player draft, hampering attempts to rebuild the club's player group.
The debacle surrounding president John Elliott resulted him being voted off the board by club members to be replaced by new president Ian Collins.
With his impressive long run of premierships with several clubs at several levels, the appointment of Denis Pagan as senior coach in 2003 was an attempt to turn the club around. However Carlton's predicament was clearly underestimated as even Pagan with a history of being one of the best coaches in VFL/AFL history was unable to reverse Carlton's football plight in the short term.
It has become apparent that the existing team simply had to be replaced with a more youthful lineup and this has developed over the past 3 years as the club's policy. Recruitment has centred on Carlton atempting to recruit players under 24 years old who are likely to have the capability to play at least 100 games.
At the beginning of 2005, this attempt at turning around the club's fortune seemed to have realised some goals with the success in the pre-season Wizard Cup. However that success was short-lived as the club failed to maintain its form for the home-and-away season and it again finished on the bottom of the ladder for just the second time in its history. Perhaps even more tragically it became the second club to win the pre-season/night series competition and the wooden spoon in the same year, with Footscray (now the Western Bulldogs) having done so in 1967.
In 2005 the club also became the last of the former VFL clubs to move away from its original home ground when it played its last match at Optus Oval against Melbourne in Round 9 of the 2005 season. Carlton had played at Princes Park for 108 years.
The season 2006 saw Carlton win back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time in its history. At season's end, this led to widespread unrest within the club whose board had initially voted to terminate Denis Pagan's contract, but subsequently overturned the vote on a second ballot. A group of out-spoken and disgruntled former players who were part of the clean-out a few years earlier, lead by Fraser Brown and Barry Mitchell, wanted to have Pagan replaced by Mitchell (an untried coach of humble standing) as coach for the 2007 season. Brett Ratten was mooted as a replacement coach as well. The board decided to allow Pagan to coach for the next two seasons through to season 2008, as by then the club's growing list of talented young footballers should have matured into seasoned players tasked with returning Carlton to previous days of glory.
2007 however has begun on several bright notes for Carlton- the appointments of Richard Pratt as President, Stephen Icke as Football Manager and Greg Swann as CEO have calmed the off-field controversy. These events have also been reflected in growing membership numbers, with the club almost reaching a previously hopeful target of 30,000 members before the start of the season.
Carlton has also made a healthy on-field start to the year, defeating Essendon, Hawthorn and the Kangaroos on their way to the NAB Cup Grand Final. On March 17th, 2007 Carlton was too strong for the Brisbane Lions and they won the NAB Cup by 25 points in front of over 46,000 fans at the Telstra Dome.
[edit] Princes Park
The club is based at Princes Park oval (officially known now as MC Labour Park in a sponsorship deal) in northern Carlton. The suburb combines the academic air of the nearby University of Melbourne with a large quotient of immigrants from Southern Europe, and both groups still leave their mark on the Carlton supporter base. In 2004, then Carlton President Ian Collins began the process with Vice-President Graham Smorgon of reviewing Carlton's continued presence at MC Labour Park. It was decided that six home games be played at Telstra Dome (Docklands Stadium) and five at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A "farewell" game was played at Princes Park on Saturday 21 May in 2005. Despite an overwhelming majority of members voting for the home ground move, it was not altogether popular with all club supporters. Training and social club facilities at Princes Park remain. Carlton became the final suburban club to move away from it's original suburban home ground. It also ended the only unbroken playing venue link throughout the entire 108 year history of the VFL/AFL. There are proposals to redevelop the ground to make it into an elite training facility for the players.
[edit] Notable Grand Finals
[edit] 1945: The Bloodbath
An infamous battle between Carlton and South Melbourne (now Sydney Swans), in which the game became footbrawl rather than football. It is the most bloodiest and toughest grand final of all time with the reporting and suspension of ten footballers from both teams. Fights went on all day with several players being knocked out, involving umpires, police, trainers, and spectators, all fighting on the field. Princes Park in Melbourne had 63,000 spectators screaming for blood. Carlton won by 28 points with the following ten players being reported:
— Ted Whitfield (South), found guilty and suspended for the entire 1946 season.
— Jack Williams (South), found guilty and suspended for twelve weeks.
— Captain Herbie Matthews (South), found guilty and severely reprimanded.
— Keith Smith (South), found not guilty.
— Don Grossman (South), found guilty and suspended for eight weeks.
— Jim Cleary (South), found guilty and suspended for eight weeks.
— Ken Hands (Carlton), found not guilty.
— Captain Bob Chitty (Carlton), found guilty and suspended for eight weeks.
— Ron Savage (Carlton), found guilty and suspended for eight weeks.
— Fred Fitzgibbon (Carlton), an already suspended player, found guilty and suspended for a further four weeks for running onto the field and joining in numerous brawls.
[edit] 1970: The Great Comeback
The most famous Grand Final of all time took place in 1970 before a record crowd of 121,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) who watched Carlton take on Collingwood. At half-time, the Blues were 44 points behind (nearly 8 goals) and the game seemed all but over, with a victory seeming a certainty for mighty Collingwood. At the half-time break, legendary Carlton coach Ron Barassi blasted his players with a frightening tirade of verbal abuse, pushing and motivating his team to concentrate on handpassing and short kicks - a strategy that worked wonders. In the second half of the game...the tide had turned...and the Blues came storming home. At the time-on stage in the last quarter with the final siren about to go off at any second, the Blues were still two points behind, then suddenly two quick goals - one from Jesaulenko and another from Crosswell - saw Carlton in front by ten points. The clock was ticking...suddenly...the siren sounded...the game was over...Carlton...had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. There was nothing...absolutely nothing...but euphoria for the Carltonians...the MCG was shaking...the whole world and the skies were painted Navy Blue.
During the game, the football world was inspired by one of the most famous marks in VFL/AFL history. Towards the end of the second quarter David McKay kicked it to the wing and Alex Jesaulenko soared high into the sky on the shoulders of Collingwood's ruckman Graeme "Jerker" Jenkins, a giant of a man at 6'6", and took the heaven-high-grab with his hands out in front of his face. The commentator, Mike Williamson, spoke the infamous words "McKay, to the wing positon on the member's stand side, OH JESAULENKO! YOU BEAUTY!". The mark symbolises Carlton famous victory over Collingwood in this Grand Final. Video of Jezza's Mark
[edit] Current playing list
As of February 21, 2007 [1]:
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[edit] Club jumper
The current jumper design consists of a navy blue backing, CFC monogram and AFL logo on front, and bold white numbers on back. The club's current major sponsors are Optus, Dan Murphy's and Nike. For home games, the Dan Murphys sponsoring is displayed on the front, while Yes Optus sponsoring is beneath the player numbers on the back. The sponsors change positions when the club is playing away.
In April 2006, the club announced a "clash" jumper in accordance to the AFL's request that each club have an alternative jumper to be worn against other clubs in similar design. The jumper, although not yet deemed official, consists of inverted colours from the regular home season outfit, complemented by blue stripes on the sides.
[edit] Club mascot
The club mascot is known as 'Captain Carlton' and appears as a superhero dressed in blue.
[edit] Corporate/Administration
[edit] Membership base
In 2005, the Carlton Football Club had a record membership of 33,534.
| Year | Members | Ladder after Round 22 | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 25,402 | 11th | 11th |
| 1999 | 25,719 | 6th | 2nd |
| 2000 | 27,571 | 2nd | 3rd |
| 2001 | 27,735 | 5th | 5th |
| 2002 | 26,385 | 16th | 16th |
| 2003 | 33,525 | 15th | 15th |
| 2004 | 32,445 | 11th | 11th |
| 2005 | 33,534 | 16th | 16th |
| 2006 | 28,756 | 16th | 16th |
| 2007 | 26,256 |
¹as of 26th March, 2007
[edit] Presidents
| Incumbent | Term |
|---|---|
| R. McFarland | 1864-1865 |
| Jas. Linacre | 1866 |
| G. Coppin | 1867-1872 |
| J. Walls | 1873 |
| R.Robertson | 1874-1885 |
| A.Gillepie | 1886-1894 |
| F.B.Bromley | 1895 |
| A.H.Shaw | 1896-1900 |
| R.Heatley | 1901-1903 |
| H.B. Higgins | 1904 |
| W.F.Evans | 1905-1906 |
| J.Urquhart | 1907-1909 |
| J.McInerney | 1910-1911 |
| D.Bell | 1912-1913 |
| J.Gardiner | 1914-1924 |
| D.Young | 1925-1928 |
| D.H.Crone | 1929-1937 |
| Sir Kenneth G.Luke | 1938 1955 |
| H.R.Clover | 1956-1957 |
| L.J.M.Holmes | 1958-1964 |
| George Harris | 1965-1974 |
| Ivan Rohrt | 1975-1977 |
| George Harris | 1978-1979 |
| Ian Rice | 1980-1983 |
| John Elliott | 1983-2002 |
| Ian Collins | 2002-2006 |
| Graham Smorgon | 2006-2007 |
| Stephen Kernahan | 2007 |
| Richard Pratt | 2007- |
[edit] Chief Executive Officers (since 1980)
| Incumbent | Term |
|---|---|
| Jim Allison | 1980-1981 |
| Ian Collins | 1981-1993 |
| Stephen Gough | 1994-1999 |
| John Gurrieri | 2000 |
| Don Hanly | 2001-2002 |
| Michael Malouf | 2003-2007 |
| Greg Swann | 2007- |
[edit] Sponsors
[edit] Current sponsors
- Dan Murphy's
- Optus
- K&S Freighters
- MC Labour Services (2006-)
- Nike
- Visy
- Indesit
- Bertocchi Hams
- Subaru
- JNC
[edit] Former sponsors
[edit] Famous Identities at Carlton
- Tina Arena: International Rock star
- Don Chipp: Founder of the Australian Democrats
- Manning Clark: Historian
- General Peter Cosgrove: Chief of the Australian Defence Force
- John Elliott: Businessman
- Mike Fitzpatrick:Businessman, Rhodes Scholar, & Carlton Captain
- Malcolm Fraser: Australian Prime Minister
- Adam Gilchrist: International Cricketer
- H.B. Higgins: Justice of the High Court and Politician
- Dave Hughes: Comedian
- Solomon Lew: Businessman
- Sir Kenneth Luke: Businessman, President of Carlton Football Club and President of the VFL
- Sir Robert Menzies: Australian Prime Minister
- Richard Pratt: Businessman
- B.A. Santamaria: Political Activist
- Virginia Trioli: Author, Journalist and Television Personality
[edit] Individual records
[edit] Most career goals
| Player | Career Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Kernahan | 1986-1997 | 738 |
| Harry "Soapy" Vallence | 722 | |
| Alex Jesaulenko | 444 | |
| Robert Walls | 444 |
[edit] Most career games
| Player | Career Years | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Bradley | 375 | |
| Bruce Doull | 356 | |
| John Nicholls | 331 | |
| Stephen Silvagni | 312 |
[edit] Coaches
| Incumbent | Term |
|---|---|
| David Parkin | 1991-2000 |
| Wayne Brittain | 2001-2002 |
| Denis Pagan | 2003 - present |
[edit] Captains
| Incumbent | Term |
|---|---|
| Stephen Kernahan | 1987-1997 |
| Craig Bradley | 1998-2001 |
| Anthony Koutoufides | 2002-2006 |
| Lance Whitnall | 2007 - present |
[edit] Individual awards
[edit] Carlton Team of the Century
| Carlton's Team of the Century: The Chosen ones...the True Blue Boys who gave to Carlton to build its pre-eminence | |||
| B: | Bruce Comben | Stephen Silvagni* | Geoff Southby |
| HB: | John James | Bert Deacon | Bruce Doull* |
| C: | Garry Crane | Greg Williams* | Craig Bradley |
| HF: | Wayne Johnston | Stephen Kernahan (Captain) | Alex Jesaulenko* |
| F: | Ken Hands | Harry Vallence | Rod Ashman |
| Foll: | John Nicholls* | Sergio Silvagni | Adrian Gallagher |
| Int: | Robert Walls | Mike Fitzpatrick | Ken Hunter |
| Trevor Keogh | Four Emergencies: (1) Laurie Kerr, (2) Bob Chitty, | (3) Horrie Clover and (4) Rod McGregor | |
| Coach: | David Parkin. | ||
The 5 players with an asterisk(*) are also members of the AFL Team of the Century, the largest number of any AFL Club, with Richmond close behind with 4 players. Collingwood has none!
[edit] AFL Team of the Cenury: 'The Fortunate Five'
Five former Carlton players qualified for a place in the AFL Team of the Century. They were the 'Fortunate Five', each one a true champion as reflected by their nomination as a selection in the greatest team of the twentieth century. Whether they were in the air rucking all day like John Nicholls, or in the thick of things in the centre like Greg Williams, or kicking goals or flying high in a graceful manner like Alex Jesaulenko, or valiantly defending against high quality opposition like Bruce Doull or Stephen Silvagni, they were there...week after week...game after game...it went on for years. It is no surprise that every member of this group was instrumental in guiding Carlton towards victory in the most important game of the football year...the Grand Final to win the premiership. In the 1972 premiership, Jesaulenko and Nicholls kicked 7 and 6 goals respectively. In the 1981 premiership, Doull won the Norm Smith Medal for a sensational game. In the 1995 premiership, Silvagni kept Geelong great Gary Ablett goaless while Williams won the Norm Smith Medal for a sensational performance as the best player in the game.
[edit] Best and Fairest Award - John Nicholls Medalists
[edit] Brownlow Medallists
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Bert Deacon | 1947 |
| John James | 1961 |
| Gordon Collis | 1964 |
| Greg Williams | 1994 |
[edit] Norm Smith Medallists
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Wayne Harmes | 1979 |
| Bruce Doull | 1981 |
| David Rhys-Jones | 1987 |
| Greg Williams | 1995 |
[edit] Coleman Medallists
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Tom Carroll | 1961 |
| Brendan Fevola | 2006 |
[edit] Leigh Matthews Trophy winners
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Greg Williams | 1994 |
| Anthony Koutoufides | 2000 |
[edit] Michael Tuck Medalists
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Craig Bradley | 1997 |
| Brendan Fevola | 2005 |
| Nick Stevens | 2007 |
[edit] Mark of the Year winners
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Alex Jesaulenko | 1970 |
| Peter Bosustow | 1981 |
| Ken Hunter | 1983 |
| Stephen Silvagni | 1988 |
| Matthew Lappin | 1999 |
[edit] Goal of the Year winners
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Peter Bosustow | 1981 |
| Eddie Betts | 2006 |
[edit] National team representatives (since 2005)
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Matthew Lappin | 2005 & 2006 |
| Jarrad Waite | 2005 |
| Brendan Fevola | 2006 |
| Kade Simpson | 2006 |
[edit] Grand Final Sprint
| Player | Year Won |
|---|---|
| Brendan Fevola | 2006 |
[edit] Club records
[edit] Premierships
| Premiership Record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Level | Wins | Year Won |
| VFA |
Seniors | 2 | 1877, 1887 |
| VFL/AFL | Seniors | 16 | 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995 |
| VFL/AFL | Reserves | 8 | 1926, 1927, 1928, 1951, 1953, 1986, 1987, 1990 |
| VFL/AFL | Under 19s | 6 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1963, 1978, 1979 |
| VFL/AFL | Pre-Season Cup | 4 | 1983, 1997, 2005, 2007 |
| VFL/AFL | McClelland Trophy | 5 | 1969, 1979, 1985 (tied), 1987, 1995 |
| VFL/AFL | Wooden Spoons | 3 |
2002, 2005, 2006 |
[edit] Premiership teams
(C) = Captain, (NSM) = Norm Smith Medallist.
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[edit] Finishing positions (1897-2006)
| Ladder Position | Year (Finals in Bold) |
|---|---|
| 1st | 1906, 1907, 1908, 1914, 1915, 1938, 1945, 1947, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1995 |
| 2nd | 1904, 1909, 1910, 1916, 1921, 1949, 1962, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1993, 1999 |
| 3rd | 1903, 1905, 1912, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1941, 1959, 1967, 1976, 1988, 2000 |
| 4th | 1911, 1919, 1922, 1927, 1928, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1943, 1952, 1957, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1984 |
| 5th | 1934, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1953, 1956, 1971, 1983, 1985, 1994 |
| 6th | 1902, 1913, 1946, 1948, 1926, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1977,1996, 2001 |
| 7th | 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1923, 1924, 1951, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1974, 1992 |
| 8th | 1950, 1954, 1961, 1989, 1990 |
| 9th | 1925 |
| 10th | 1964 |
| 11th | 1991, 1997, 1998, 2004 |
| 12th | nil |
| 13th | nil |
| 14th | nil |
| 15th | 2003 |
| 16th | 2002, 2005, 2006 |
(*as of 30 June, 2006)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Website of the Carlton Football Club
- Full Points Footy History of the Carlton Football Club
- The Blue View
- TalkingCarlton (discussion forum)
- Canberra Carlton Blues
- Carlton Supporters Club
- Blueseum
- Carlton Community on LiveJournal
| Clubs in the Australian Football League |
| Adelaide | Brisbane | Carlton | Collingwood | Essendon | Fremantle | Geelong | Hawthorn Melbourne | North Melbourne | Port Adelaide | Richmond | St. Kilda | Sydney | West Coast | Western Bulldogs Former clubs: Brisbane Bears | Fitzroy | University |
