Five members of Carlton’s drought-breaking 1968 Premiership team were amongst the Blues luminaries in attendance for the recent annual Life Members Luncheon at Kew Golf Club.

By Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media

Five members of Carlton’s drought-breaking 1968 Premiership team were amongst the Blues luminaries in attendance for the recent annual Life Members Luncheon at Kew Golf Club.

In the house were Bill Bennett, Adrian Gallagher, John Nicholls, Bryan Quirk and Peter Jones – the latter recently elevated to legend status in the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame.

Also in attendance were six members of the Robert Walls-coached 1987 Premiership team – Ian Aitken, Wayne Johnston, Warren McKenzie, Mick Kennedy, David Rhys-Jones and Shane Robertson. 

The recently-elected Carlton President Rob Priestley and his wife Alex were also present, as was former President Mark LoGiudice – on an afternoon in which past players, officials and staff members gathered in an informal setting to reminisce, and later pose for a team photograph.

First-time attendees also included Carlton cult figure Vin Catoggio, a guest of Life Member Vince Loccisano.

The contributions to Carlton of recently-deceased Life Members Berkley Cox, John Goold and Harold Mitchell were also acknowledged at the Luncheon.

The Carlton Life Members Luncheon was first convened in 2019 – an initiative driven by a committee comprising the club’s former Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gough, Frank Brosnan, Sharon McColl and Shane O’Sullivan.

Gough noted that 100 Carlton Life Members – around half of the Life Members still living – were present at the Luncheon.

“The spread of Life Members covered the past 60 years, from John Nicholls in 1964 to Andrew Mansour in 2023,” Gough said.

“So many Life Members regard the luncheon as one of the great days on the Carlton social calendar, everyone enjoys eachother’s company and the spirit is exceptional.”

An historic photograph of the game’s first father-son recruit has surfaced after almost 75 years.

By Tony De Bolfo

AS CARLTON’S latest father-son draftee Lucas Camporeale readies for his much-anticipated first senior appearance at the MCG on Thursday night, an historic photograph of the game’s first father-son recruit has surfaced after almost 75 years.

The image, captured by the noted photographer Charle Boyles of Inverness Street, Brunswick, features the Carlton senior 20 (plus one) in front of the since-demolished Robert Heatley Stand, moments before the first bounce of the Round 8 match with Collingwood on Saturday, June 16, 1951. It was one of four Boyles photos and a catalogue of club periodicals recently donated to by Ballarat resident Richard Carthew, who insisted “It’s my pleasure to add a little more to Carlton’s rich history”.

Pictured standing in his club dressing to the far left in the back row of the ’51 team photograph is 20 year-old Harvey Laurence Dunn – the 20th man in the Carlton team captained by Ern Henfry and featuring the vice captain Ken Hands and 1947 Brownlow Medallist Bert Deacon.

Dunn and the 19th man Don Calder were promoted to the seniors at the expense of Doug Guy and the injured Arthur Hodgson, who nevertheless appears in the back row of the pre-match photo, sixth from the left, with a guernsey draped over his business shirt.

Dunn, who died in 2013 at the age of 81, had originally been residentially tied to North Melbourne, but the new rule allowed him to further the Carlton tradition set by his father Harvey Louis Dunn in 71 senior appearances between 1924 and 1929.

Dunn the younger was officially cleared to play for Carlton’s senior team in accordance with the newly-introduced father-son rule (eligibility was then 50 games-plus) on May 11, 1951. Next came Melbourne’s Ronald Dale Barassi (March 15, 1953); South Melbourne’s Hugh McLaughlin and Bob Pratt junior (April 15, 1953); Carlton’s NW Huxtable (April 17, 1953); and Fitzroy’s James Chapman (March 31, 1954), whose fathers all represented their respective clubs with great distinction.

In an interview with this reporter back in 2008, Dunn set the record straight on his unique place in football history.

“Many years ago there was an article in the paper that Ron Barassi was the first player recruited under the rule, but I was in fact the first. I also dispute the above date my clearance came through and I’ll tell you why,” Harvey said at the time.

“When the under 19s were up and running I was residentially bound to North because I lived in Flemington. I wanted to go to Carlton because of Dad so I applied for a clearance from North, but they wouldn’t give me one. Instead they asked me to train and I trained there for one night in 1949, but I didn’t want to go to North because I was Carlton-mad.“Now my father knew there was a father-son ruling being considered at the League, so he advised that instead of me going to North in ’49 that I play for Box Hill, then in the Eastern District Football League.

“During that year the League brought in the father-son rule, so in 1950 I transferred to Carlton and won the best and fairest in the thirds. I also played in the 1951 and ’53 reserve grade Grand Finals and we won them both.

“When I first went there Perc Bentley was coach of the seniors, Mick Price the reserves and Jim Francis the thirds. My Dad coached Box Hill in ’49 when I was there waiting for this clearance and he later got an offer to coach the Carlton thirds, which he did from 1953 to ’55. I know the thirds got beaten by a point in a Grand Final one year and I also know that Dick Pratt was playing when Dad coached.”

Dunn’s links with Carlton were territorial, as his father settled within the shadows of the old Princes Park on his return from The Great War. As he said: “Dad was a butcher who lived at 361 Pigdon Street North Carlton, near Bowen Crescent, about a three-iron from the ground, and I was actually born in the front room of that house”.

“My family was in Carlton for the first 18 months of my life, but these were Depression days and, unlike today, there wasn’t much welfare,” he said. “So families who couldn’t buy a house were faced with an opportunity to rent a property in Flemington, because things were pretty tough.”

Though the Dunn clan later relocated to Flemington, Harvey maintained the historic connection established by the old man almost 30 years before.

“As a young kid, I used to hear the roar of the crowd, and when I went to Flemington I still walked up past the zoo to go to the Carlton ground,” Harvey said.

It is truly hoped that Lucas Camporeale’s on-field career at Carlton will transcend Dunn’s return of nine senior matches through four seasons – but Harvey Laurence Dunn will be forever remembered as the first League footballer acquired under a much admired football law.

A recap of a special night for the Carlton Football Club.

By Carlton Media

THE Carlton Football Club have tonight inducted Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson into the Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame.  

Murphy and Simpson – both members of Carlton’s six-man 300 Club – become the respective 107th and 108th Inductees to the Hall since its establishment in the premiership year of 1987.  

Alongside them, four-time premiership ruckman Peter (‘Percy’) Jones, together with the three-time Carlton premiership coach David Parkin, have also been elevated to Legend status in the Carlton Football Club’s Hall of Fame.  

Marc Murphy (Hall of Fame inductee) 

Murphy’s name was called by Carlton with the first selection of the 2005 AFL National Draft, after the player, to the delight of all connected with the Club, opted against joining Brisbane under the father-son rule. An uncompromising “head-over-the-ball” player immediately earned him the unconditional respect of his peers, and not surprisingly led to his elevation to the captaincy for what would be a six-year term, spanning from 2013-2018. Murphy’s 16 seasons at the highest level would see him secure the John Nicholls Medal in 2011 and ’17, plus All-Australian selection in 2011.  

03:55

Mar 6 2025

2025 Hall of Fame | Marc Murphy

Chris Judd and Patrick Cripps pay tribute to inductee Marc Murphy.

Kade Simpson (Hall of Fame inductee) 

A gifted, heroic Carlton contributor, Simpson would emerge a durable, pint-sized warrior through 342 senior appearances from 2003-2020 – and with John Nicholls, Bruce Doull, Craig Bradley, Stephen Silvagni and Marc Murphy a feted member of Carlton’s 300-club. In giving the game away after 18 seasons at the highest level, ‘Simmo’ could safely say that he had wrung the cloth dry – an inspired and much-loved John Nicholls Medal winner who wore as a badge the No.6 made famous by Chitty, Henfry and Crane before him. 

04:32

Mar 6 2025

2025 Hall of Fame | Kade Simpson

Brett Ratten and Sam Docherty pay tribute to Hall of Fame inductee Kade Simpson.

Peter ‘Percy’ Jones (elevated to Legend status) 

One of Carlton’s most capable and loyal of servants, ‘Percy’ produced on-field histrionics that earned him cult status amongst the Carlton faithful with the Grand Final of 1972 his finest hour, for it was in this match – the 50-goal shootout with Richmond – that he effectively rucked unchanged. Jones’ preparedness to put his hand up as Carlton Senior Coach in late 1979 yet again reflected the man’s loyalty to the Club he loved – and beyond his brief coaching stint, he furthered his off-field involvement with Carlton’s Board of Directors.  

02:26

Mar 6 2025

2025 Hall of Fame Legend | Percy Jones

Mike Fitzpatrick and Adrian Gallagher pay tribute to Percy Jones as he is elevated to legend status.

David Parkin (elevated to Legend status) 

Named Senior Coach of this Club’s Team of the Century, Parkin is universally respected as one of the League’s great analysts and innovators. Parkin’s professionalism impacted significantly on the remarkable group of prodigiously talented young players he inherited – Carlton’s famed ‘Mosquito Fleet’ that earned the Blues’ back-to-back premierships of 1981 and ’82 under his watch. On his return to the Club, Parkin rebuilt a team which ultimately morphed into the all-conquering ‘Record Breakers’ – and earned Carlton an unprecedented 16th premiership to round out a stellar season in 1995. 

04:12

Mar 6 2025

2025 Hall of Fame Legend | David Parkin

Stephan Kernahan and Ken Hunter pay tribute to David Parkin as he is elevated to legend status.

“On behalf of every Carlton person, it is with great pride that we see four great individuals of our Club receive individual honours,” Carlton President Rob Priestley said.

“All four of their careers are carved into the Navy-Blue history books and their names continue to be held in such high esteem amongst every Carlton person. 

“It gives me immense pride to be able to properly recognise their contributions to our Club and their individual stories of resilience and determination.  

“Kade, Marc, David and Peter will continue to be a source of inspiration for our younger generation and even our current-day players.   

“The Carlton Football Club has an incredible history, and we all understand the importance of honouring and sharing it. To be able to recognise them all is a significant moment and one that we are proud to celebrate together as one club.”   

Peter ‘Percy’ Jones and David Parkin have been elevated to Legend status ahead of the Club’s Spirit of Carlton events.

By Tony De Bolfo

FOUR-TIME premiership ruckman Peter  (‘Percy’) Jones, together with the three-time Carlton premiership coach David Parkin have been elevated to Legend status in the Carlton Football Club’s Hall of Fame.

Key figures in a glory era through four decades of Carlton history, Jones and Parkin were recommended for Legend status by the Club’s Heritage and Tradition Committee and subsequently endorsed by the Board of Directors.

Both men will be formally honoured at the Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame event in the Grand Hall, Centrepiece, Melbourne Park, on Thursday 6 March. It was announced last week that Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson would also be acknowledged on the night after being announced as the Club’s Hall of Fame inductees

Jones’ and Parkin’s elevations extend the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame’s Legends quota to 18. They join Craig Bradley, Bert Deacon, Alex Jesaulenko, Bruce Doull, Wayne Johnston, Stephen Kernahan, John Nicholls, Stephen Silvagni and Harry ‘Soapy’ Vallence (elevated 1997), Ken Hands (2006), Robert Walls (2011), Geoff Southby (2013), Sergio Silvagni (2016), David McKay (2021), ‘Horrie’ Clover and Ian Collins (both 2023).

Peter (‘Percy’) Jones

Remembered as one of the game’s most endearing characters, Peter Jones also commands an exalted place in history as one of Carlton’s most capable and loyal servants.

Recruited to the Club from North Hobart in what was Ron Barassi’s second season as captain-coach, the gangly Tasmanian ruckman gloriously complemented John Nicholls as ‘Big Nick’s’ understudy through the premiership seasons of 1968 and ’70.

The Grand Final of 1972 would be Jones’s finest hour, for it was in this match – the 50-goal shootout with Richmond – that he effectively rucked unchanged. The following year he earned Carlton’s Best and Fairest award and in ’74 emerged as the pre-eminent ruckman in the wake of Nicholls’ on-field retirement.

‘Percy’ produced on-field histrionics that earned him cult status amongst the Carlton faithful – but to remember him merely as a football figure of fun would be to grossly underplay a magnificent on-field career – 249 games for 307 goals (all of which he clapped through) across 14 seasons, and ending with a fourth Premiership earned in September 1979.

Jones’ preparedness to put his hand up as Carlton Senior Coach in late 1979 yet again reflected the man’s loyalty to the Club he loved – and beyond his brief coaching stint he furthered his off-field involvement with Carlton’s Board of Directors.

The elevation of Peter Jones to Legend status of the Hall truly reflects the mark of respect this football club holds for a man whose love affair with Carlton spans almost 60 years.

David Parkin

Named Senior Coach of this Club’s feted Team of the 20th century, David Parkin’s place in Carlton history was assured a long time ago. Universally respected as one of the League’s great analysts and innovators, Parkin’s lofty reputation had already precedented him when he accepted the role as Carlton Coach, replacing Peter Jones on the cusp of the 1981 season – and from the outset, the former Hawthorn Premiership Captain and Coach raised the bar.

Parkin’s professionalism impacted significantly on the remarkable group of prodigiously talented young players he inherited – Carlton’s famed ‘Mosquito Fleet’ that earned the Blues’ back-to-back Premierships of 1981 and ’82 under his watch.

On his return to the club for his second coaching stint in 1991, Parkin rebuilt a team which ultimately morphed into the all-conquering ‘Record Breakers’ – and earned Carlton an unprecedented 16th Premiership to round out a stellar season 1995.

Parkin was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2002, the Hawthorn Hall twelve months later and the Carlton Hall in 2011. He is one of just seven men to have coached more than 500 senior VFL/AFL games, together with Michael Malthouse, ‘Jock’ McHale, Kevin Sheedy, Allan Jeans, Tom Hafey and Ron Barassi.

“On behalf of every Carlton person, it is with great pride that we see two of the greatest individuals to be associated with our club receive one of its highest individual honours,” Carlton President Rob Priestley said.

 “David Parkin has been a stalwart of the game over the past seven decades. His sacrifice and service to bettering our great club, as well as the game we all know and love, is second to none.

“David not only shaped champions on the field, but his care for the people beyond the jumper they wore has left a lasting legacy and was ahead of his time. His impact at Carlton goes way beyond the scoreboard. He was an incredible coach and mentor, and has had such a significant impact on so many here at the Club.

“Percy Jones was a charismatic player, his boundless energy brought a smile to all those around him and great joy to all of our fans.

“Percy truly understood the meaning of teamwork and resilience. Every challenge he faced was seen as an opportunity for growth. He was bullish on field, a true lionheart, often putting his body on the line for the advantage of his team.

“I am so pleased to be able to celebrate both extraordinary careers. Their achievements continue to be admired to this date, and David and Percy’s legacy’s will be celebrated at Carlton for many generations to come.”

On behalf of every Carlton person, it is with great pride that we see two of the greatest individuals to be associated with our club receive one of its highest individual honours.

– Carlton President, Rob Priestley

About the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame

Established in 1987, the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame recognises contributions made to the Club by individuals since 1864 and acknowledges each candidate’s outstanding service and overall contribution to the Club – as well as their individual record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character.

Members of the Club’s Heritage Committee consider a candidate’s outstanding service and overall contribution to Carlton in making its recommendation to the Board of Directors.

Committee persons may also consider a candidate’s individual record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character. The number of games played or coached or years of administration and years of service are only a guide and not a determining factor.

Make sure you’re there on a special night for the football club, with tickets still available to the Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame event on Thursday 6 March at Centrepiece, Melbourne Park!

Two of Carlton’s most loyal on-field servants, Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson will enter the Club’s Hall of Fame.

By Carlton Media

MARC Murphy and Kade Simpson – two of Carlton’s most loyal on-field servants of the 21st century to date – are to be recognised with induction into the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame.

Murphy and Simpson – both members of Carlton’s six-man 300 Club – become the respective 107th and 108th inductees to the Hall since its establishment in the premiership year of 1987. Collectively they gave the Blues 642 senior matches across 34 seasons, and a more committed pair of players you could not find.

The Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame event will be held on 6 March at Centrepiece, Melbourne Park, with tickets still available here.

The Hall of Fame recognises individual contributions to the Club’s cause in the form of records, ability, integrity, sportsmanship and character.

Marc Murphy

Marc Murphy’s name was called by Carlton with the first selection of the 2005 AFL National Draft, after the player – to the delight of all connected with the Club – opted against joining Brisbane under the father-son rule.

Equipped with an impeccable football pedigree, Murphy’s father John represented Fitzroy and South Melbourne through 246 senior matches and was a six-time club Best & Fairest winner, while his grandfather Leo turned out in 132 games and was twice club Best & Fairest.

But ‘Murph’ was his own man – and his uncompromising ‘head-over-the-ball’ approach immediately earned him the unconditional respect of his peers, and not surprisingly led to his elevation to the captaincy for what would be a six-year term, spanning from 2013-2018.

Adjudged the AFLPA’s Best First-Year player in 2006, Murphy’s 16 seasons at the highest level would see him secure the John Nicholls Medal in 2011 and ’17, plus All Australian selection and AFLCA Champion Player of the Year award in 2011 – his exalted place in the Carlton pantheon is well and truly assured. 

03:23

Aug 11 2021

The Top 10 | Marc Murphy

Enjoy some of the most memorable moments from a beloved Blue as we countdown the 10 best plays of Marc Murphy’s career.

Kade Simpson

A gifted, heroic Carlton contributor, Simpson’s early years at Princes Park were overshadowed by some of the most tumultuous events in club history. But through it all, he emerged as both an elite midfielder and a capable on-field leader.

Simpson was drafted as a fourth-round selection (No.45 overall) in the 2002 AFL National Draft.

Simpson would emerge a durable, pint-sized warrior through 342 senior appearances from 2003-2020 – and with John Nicholls, Bruce Doull, Craig Bradley, Stephen Silvagni and Marc Murphy a feted member of Carlton’s 300-club.

In giving the game away after 18 seasons at the highest level, ‘Simmo’ could safely say that he had wrung the cloth dry – an inspired and much-loved Best & Fairest winner who wore as a badge the No.6 made famous by Chitty, Henfry and Crane before him.

04:01

Feb 13 2025

The Top 10 | Iconic moments from Hall of Fame ‘Simmo’

Kade Simpson was adored by all those who loved the Navy Blue: here are 10 of ‘Simmo’s’ iconic moments as he prepares to enter the Carlton Hall of Fame.

Carlton Football Club President Rob Priestley noted the immense legacy both Murphy and Simpson have left on the Club.

“Kade and Marc’s careers are carved into the Navy-Blue history books and their names continue to be held in such high esteem amongst every Carlton person,” Priestley said. 

“It gives me immense pride to be able to properly recognise Kade and Marc’s contribution to our club across their joint 642 games. Their individual stories of resilience and determination will continue to be a source of inspiration for our younger generation and our current-day players. 

“Marc and the Murphy family have been stalwarts of our game, and their legacy will remain for generations to come. For Marc to reach the milestone of 300 games, something only achieved by five other Carlton players, speaks volumes to his unwavering dedication, both on and off the field. Marc led as captain for six years, with unmatched dignity and a relentless drive to lift those around him. He helped build and shape a better culture within Carlton, inspiring others to pursue excellence and commit themselves to being their very best. 

“Kade bled Navy Blue, he was the epitome of loyalty, a true Carlton player through and through. His ability to maintain excellence at the highest level, year after year, is a testament to his unwavering commitment to both Carlton and the AFL game. He was a fierce competitor, a warrior on the field, who embodied bravery and selflessness, often putting his body on the line. He let his actions on-field do the talking.  

“The Carlton Football Club has an incredible history, and we all understand the importance of honouring and sharing it. To be able to recognise Marc and Kade’s respective journeys and to welcome them both into the Hall of Fame is a significant moment and one that we look forward to celebrating together as one club on the night.”

Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson will be formally inducted at the much-anticipated Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame ceremony at the Grand Hall, Centrepiece on the evening of Thursday 6 March.

Join us and all current players in welcoming Murph and Simmo into the Hall of Fame and watch Perc and Parko become Legends of the club. A great night to start the year!

Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2025 Add to calendar

Time

6:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Location

CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park, Olympic Blvd, Melbourne View map

Dress Code

Business Formal

Duration

4 hours

Witness the 2025 induction ceremony for the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame as you sit amongst legendary Carlton figures. 

The event will also feature the annual 2025 Guernsey Club and Carltonian’s season preview with the attendance of our current playing list as you hear valuable insights from Senior Coach Michael Voss. 

This will be a fantastic event experience featuring a 3-course meal and premium beverages in the plush surrounds of Grand Hall, CENTREPIECE.

• Enquire here: Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame
• Take a look back at last year’s Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame event!

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Fantastic conversation with Bendigo Football League legend and past Carlton player, Tony Southcombe.

https://twitter.com/CarltonFC/status/1863831098255667496

A genuine great of our football club celebrating 70 years in style!

Joining 1981 and 1982 premiership star Rod Ashman for his milestone birthday were a host of fellow Blues icons across four decades, sharing the moment at the Altona Sports Club with son Josh and daughter Danika. pic.twitter.com/Ago47mRjsv

— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) December 3, 2024

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