Happy 40th birthday to Ben Nelson.

——-
Career: 1997-2001
Debut: Round 3, 1997 vs Adelaide, aged 20 years, 80 days
1016th Carlton Player
Games: 40
Goals: 6
Last Game: Round 19, 2001 vs Adelaide, aged 24 years, 200 days
Guernsey No. 15
Height: 184cm
Weight: 92kg
DOB: 23 January, 1977

Ben Nelson was recruited from Sturt. The wearer of the #15, Nelson first came across to the Blues from the forming Port Power, joined by single-gamer Andrew Balkwill in a trade for Blue forward pocket Brent Heaver. Nelson looked impressive enough, the guy was a ball of muscle, had good pace and could kick it a mile. Tried mainly as a half back flanker or tagger, Nelson was solid but to be fair, at times, loose as a defender. His natural attributes kept him in or around the Carlton seniors for a number of years, playing a total of 40 games.

He played just the one game in 1997 (in light Blue), while Glandular Fever and hamstring problems would restrict him to just 7 games in 1998. A knee injury would delay his start to 1999 but he would go on to play every game from Round 6 onward, including the Grand Final. After playing 7 of the first 9 games of 2000, he would fail to gain further senior selection that year and only manage 4 games in 2001- all but one as a late replacement – before being traded to Adelaide (who he had played his first and last game for Carlton against) at the end of 2001 for David Gallagher. He went on to play another 12 games for the Crows in 2002, bringing him to a creditable 52 AFL games in total.

In 2007, at 30 years of age, Nelson came equal second in SA’s Magarey Medal, behind North Adelaide’s James Allan. Nelson would be equal second with two other Sturt representatives, Brant Chambers and Luke Crane.

In basketball such a player would be called a tweener and as such Ben Nelson was unable to acquire a regular ‘spot’ during his time with Carlton. Built like a rock Nelson was often excluded from weight work to prevent him from getting physically bigger as his motor already strained carrying such defined bulk about the field. A fine clubman Ben Nelson always placed team success ahead of his own gain. After leaving Carlton Nelson has enjoyed a fine career in the SANFL where his experience and leadership have been coveted by his team.

Career Highlights

1999 – The Past Players’ Association Encouragement Award

Our latest video covers Stephen Gumley who played reserves footy for the Blues in the early 1980s/

Remember all our past player videos can be found here –> http://spiritofcarlton.com.au/blog/player-videos/

Happy 70th Birthday to Chris Mitchell.

—————–
Playing Career: 1971
Debut: Round 15, 1971 Vs Geelong, aged 24 years, 190 days
Carlton Player No.: 830
Games: 5
Goals: 6
Last Game: Round 19, 1971 Vs Richmond, aged 24 years, 218 days
Guernsey No.: 9
Height: 193cm
Weight: 87 kgs
DOB: January 1, 1947

The former Cat Mitchell played 5 games and kicked 6 goals for Carlton, ironically 5 of those goals came in his first game which was against his old club Geelong in Round 15 of 1971.

Geelong recruited Mitchell from Old Geelong Grammerians.

Milestones

50 VFL Games: Round 18, 1971 Vs Footscray

Happy 70th birthday to Bryan Quirk.

————–

Bryan Quirk

Career : 1965 – 1975
Debut : Round 3, 1965 vs South Melbourne, aged 18 years, 126 days
Carlton Player No. 771
Games : 167
Goals : 112
Last Game : Qualifying Final, 1975 vs North Melbourne, aged 28 years, 254 days
Guernsey No. 32
Height : 185 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 82.5 kg (13 stone, 0 lbs.)
DOB : December 26, 1946
Premiership Player: 1968
Leading Goalkicker: 1965
Carlton Hall of Fame 2006

One of Carlton’s greats, Bryan Quirk was the football equivalent of a champion greyhound. A tall, beautifully balanced, long-kicking winger or half-forward, he arrived at Carlton at the dawn of the Barassi era, and carved out a celebrated, if unlucky career. He was one of the stars of Carlton’s 1968 Premiership campaign, and would surely have played in at least two more flag sides had he not suffered injuries at precisely the wrong time.

Nicknamed “Quirky” or “Irk,” Bryan was recruited from Morwell in the LaTrobe Valley on the recommendation of his coach; ex-Blues captain and ruckman, Graham Donaldson. Donaldson played a big role in recruiting for Carlton at that time, and was directly responsible for also signing up the likes of Garry Crane, Bill Bennett, Ted Hopkins, Vin Waite and Bob Edmond.

“I could see the kid had League football written all over his face,” said Donaldson. “He was a beautiful kick, easy to handle, enthusiastic – made to order.” Bryan had five or six other clubs chasing him, and was a keen Collingwood supporter, but Carlton showed the most interest. Although he was still a teenager, Quirk was Morwell’s centre half-forward. When he turned up at Princes Park for pre-season training in 1965 however, Carlton’s captain-coach Ron Barassi knew the club had found a promising flanker.

After years of mediocrity, the 1965 season began with renewed hopes for every Blues supporter. Fresh from accepting the number 32 guernsey previously worn by rugged defender Vasil Varlamos, Quirk spent the first two games of the year in the Reserves, before experiencing the nervous delight of senior selection for the first time in round 3. Playing on a half-forward flank against South Melbourne on a cool windy day at the Lake Oval, he made an eye-catching debut and kicked three goals, although the Blues lost by 16 points.

From then on, Bryan stayed in the senior team throughout the year as the rookie coach and his players got to know each other. Carlton finished sixth on the ladder, while a number of newcomers were very impressive – including Quirk, who kicked 29 goals in his first 16 games, to win the club’s Leading Goal-kicker award, as well as Best First Year Player.

Looking to match Richmond’s ploy of playing tall, strong-marking wingmen on the wide expanses of the MCG, Barassi shifted Quirk to the centreline in 1966 to combat the Tigers’ stars Francis Bourke and Dick Clay. It set the scene for some classic confrontations in coming years, as the long-striding Carlton speedster (and his tenacious fellow winger, Garry Crane) took on the Richmond guns. At 185 cm and just 82 kg, Quirk could be out-muscled by either of his Richmond opponents, but when the ball hit the ground or spilled into space, his acceleration left them floundering. And his accurate, long kicks to position made him a real weapon for the Blues.

Barassi’s methods bore fruit, and he and Quirk shared their first final series together at Carlton, when the Blues finished second on the ladder to Richmond in 1967. Although straight-sets losses to Richmond and Geelong in successive weeks quickly tipped the team out of contention, the finals experience those games gave the Blues would soon prove invaluable.

By early 1968, Bryan had notched 70 consecutive games before Carlton met South Melbourne in round 6, in another match at the Lake Oval that soon turned ugly. During a clash with South’s Eric Sarich, Quirk suffered a broken jaw that sidelined him for seven weeks. After such a charmed run with injury, it was a portent of things to come.

He returned for the run to the finals, and played consistently well as Carlton leapt to flag favouritism by finishing second on the ladder to Essendon, then demolished the Bombers by six goals in the second Semi Final. A fortnight later, Barassi’s Blues ended a 21-year flag drought for the Carlton Football Club with a dogged three-point Grand Final victory over Essendon. Back on a half-forward flank, Quirk had an enthralling duel with Bomber star Barry Davis in a match ruined as a spectacle by a strong, swirling wind. The Blues won a see-sawing contest with grit and determination, thanks largely to the ruck dominance of captain John Nicholls, and the tenacity of wingman Garry Crane.

Precisely twelve months later, Carlton started warm favourites in the 1969 Grand Final, after beating ladder-leaders Collingwood in the second Semi. Our opponents were fourth-placed Richmond, who had ominously struck top form at the right time, and ended Collingwood’s season in the Preliminary Final. On a day of bitter disappointment for every Bluebagger, almost 120,000 people packed into the MCG to see Richmond prove too good in a hard, skilful contest. As usual, the centrelines of both sides were prominent all match, with Carlton’s wingmen Quirk (who collected 25 kicks) and Crane outstanding in a beaten team.

Every Blues fan knows that Carlton made their third Grand Final appearance in a row in 1970, but this time there was no Bryan Quirk in the line-up. The previous week, while playing one of his best games of the year against St Kilda in the Preliminary Final, Bryan had collided heavily with his team-mate Barry Mulcair. That hit dislocated his shoulder, and ruled him out of Carlton’s most famous victory of all; over Collingwood in that year’s epic Grand Final.

While no doubt there were mixed emotions as he watched his team’s incredible resurgence from 44 points down at half time to snatch their glorious 10-point triumph over the Magpies, it was later revealed that Quirk had also been playing with a broken bone in his wrist for a number of weeks. Furthermore, way back in March, he had hurt a knee in a practice match, but had nursed it at first to try to avoid surgery. He soon realised that that was futile however, and had an operation that cost him 10 matches. It was in his comeback game in round 18 that he broke the bone in his wrist – followed by the collision with Mulcair that put the chop on his year. This was certainly a season in which he couldn’t do anything right!

Lingering problems with that shoulder and a Carlton player roster brimming with talent restricted Bryan to only a handful of games in 1971, but he was back to near his best by mid-season in 1972, as Carlton’s centreline of Garry Crane, Ian Robertson and Quirk propelled the confident Blues towards another finals campaign. Then in round 16, while Carlton were on the way to another clinical win over Essendon at Princes Park, Bryan copped a knock on a knee that all but ended his season.

He eventually returned to the side and sat on the bench for the first of Carlton’s finals, but wasn’t risked from then on. Capping off surely the hardest Premiership campaign in club history, the Mighty Blues then fought their way through four successive cut-throat finals to rout Richmond by 27 points in the highest-scoring Grand Final ever played.

In 1973, Collingwood waved their cheque book at Quirky in a determined bid to lure him to Victoria Park, but he refused them and stayed on with the Blues. Although still plagued by shoulder problems, he managed 12 games, and his late-season form was good enough to win him a place on the bench in yet another final series. In their fifth Grand Final in six years, Carlton met a Richmond team whipped into a frenzy by their coach Tom Hafey and President Graham Richmond, and the Tigers’ attack on the man and the ball proved decisive. Bryan got only the briefest of runs on the ground in the last quarter, when the game was well and truly over, and Richmond were already celebrating their 5-goal win.

Although his opportunities began to decline from then on, Bryan Quirk’s character shone through as he continued as a loyal, reliable and highly-respected member of the Carlton family. In 1974, after another 19 games at senior level, he was awarded Carlton’s Best Clubman award, while in 1975 – his final season – he won the Reserves Best and Fairest; in addition to making another 10 appearances at senior level.

His last game was as a reserve in the 1975 Qualifying Final against North Melbourne, on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon at the MCG. Bryan took to the field in the last quarter to replace his captain Alex Jesaulenko, with the game safely in North’s keeping. His VFL career was over, but he still had much to contribute to the game.

In 1976, Quirky headed to central Victoria to start a new era in his sporting life as captain-coach of Maryborough. After two seasons with the Magpies, he was lured back to Princes Park to take charge of the Under 19 squad and had immediate success, guiding the Blues’ youngsters to back to back Premierships in 1978-79. One of his charges at that time was a young David Glascott, who later credited Quirk with having a big impact on his development. When he made the Carlton senior squad in 1981, Glascott requested the vacant No.32 as a mark of respect for a man he much admired, and went on to wear it in Grand Final victories for the Blues in 1981, 1982 and 1987.

In 1982, Quirky stepped up a grade and took charge of Carlton’s Reserves team for two seasons. He later said that he was content at that level, and never harboured any ambitions to take on the senior job. But he obviously had a gift, because in 1987 he stepped into the role of caretaker coach at VFA club Oakleigh, and took them to a second division flag in his second season.

To the legion of Blues fans who watched Carlton’s mop-haired blonde number 32 throughout his career – gathering the ball in space, streaming into attack with a couple of bounces, then launching a long torpedo punt for goal – Bryan Quirk will always be an icon of the times. Already a Life Member of the club, he was elected to the Carlton Hall of Fame in 2006.

Milestones

50 Games : Round 16, 1967 vs St Kilda
100 Games : Round 2, 1971 vs Essendon
150 Games : Round 12, 1974 vs Melbourne

100 Goals : Round 3, 1972 vs South Melbourne

Career Highlights
1965 – Terry Ogden Memorial Trophy: Best First Year Player Award
1968 – Premiership Player
1969 – Perc Bentley Trophy: 3rd Best & Fairest
1974 – 10th Best & Fairest
1974 – B. J. Deacon Memorial Trophy: Best Clubman Award
1975 – Reserves Best & Fairest Award
1975 – Carlton Supporters Reserves Best & Fairest Award

Three time premiership rover, Alex Marcou is inviting all Carlton supporters to a big sale at his shop in Collingwood this weekend. Many fashion labels available.

https://marcouagencies.com.au/

Sale is on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th.

See Alex and other past players on the day.

Raffle Prizes

• Signed Carlton jumper

• Suit shirt tie to value of $600

• Casual outfit to value of $400

Phone: (03) 9417 1158

 

 

Happy 80th birthday to Don Nicholls.

————–

Don Nicholls

Career: 1956 – 1961
Debut : Round 2, 1956 vs Melbourne, aged 19 years, 150 days
Carlton Player No. 701
Games : 77
Goals : 32
Guernsey No. 12
Last Game: Round 12, 1961 vs St Kilda, aged 24 years, 227 days
Height : 178 cm (5 ft. 10 in.)
Weight : 80 kg (12 stone, 8 lbs.)
DOB : November 23, 1936
Best First Year Player 1956

Although his career was largely overshadowed by the exploits of his champion brother John Nicholls, Don Nicholls was himself a stylish centreman who played a creditable 77 games for the Blues in six seasons at Princes Park.

Nicholls first attracted interest from VFL clubs when he starred for his home side Maryborough in 1955. Eventually, he was faced with the choice of joining either Geelong or Carlton, and to the everlasting gratitude of every Blues’ supporter, Don chose Carlton. He arrived at Princes Park in early 1956, and wore guernsey number 12 in his senior debut (as nineteenth man) in a heavy defeat by Melbourne in round 2 of that year.

The following week, against St Kilda at the Junction Oval, Nicholls started the match in the middle of the ground and did well, as the Blues beat the Saints by 22 points. From then on he was a regular in a Carlton side that was in finals contention mid-season, but stumbled through the last few games and missed the finals by just two points. Nevertheless, one of the real positives to come out of that disappointing year was the steady emergence of Nicholls, who played 15 solid games, kicked five goals and collected Carlton’s Best First Year Player award.

Don’s bright start to his VFL career soon focussed the recruiting spotlight on his younger, taller and heavier brother, John – who had moved to Melbourne to live with Don, but was still travelling home to play senior football with Maryborough each weekend. After inviting the youngster to training, Blues’ captain Ken Hands was convinced that the ‘other’ Nicholls had a bright future in VFL football – all he needed was confidence in his own ability.

History has since proven that Hands’ assessment was spot-on. The Nicholls boys teamed up in Carlton’s senior team for the first time against Hawthorn at Princes Park in round one of 1957, and, although the Hawks handed out a football lesson, John Nicholls began a magnificent career that would ultimately include 328 games, three Premierships, and just about every team and individual honour that the game could bestow.

Both brothers had good individual seasons in 1957. Playing in the centre, on a wing or a half-forward flank, Don didn’t miss a game all season. Carlton made the finals in fourth place, but fell to Hawthorn by 24 points in a remarkable first semi-final that saw the MCG covered in a blanket of hailstones after a storm during the half-time break.

Some judicious recruiting in 1958 lifted the Blues, as talented newcomers like Berkley Cox, Chris Pavlou, Peter Barry and John Heathcote established themselves in Carlton’s senior team. Meanwhile, Don Nicholls’ good luck with injury ran out in round 16 of 1959, when he tore a muscle against Melbourne. That setback cost him three games while Carlton battled through to a Preliminary Final meeting with Essendon. He came back to the team as 20th man for that match, but wasn’t called onto the field as his valiant team went down by seven points in a thriller.

Throughout the next two seasons, Nicholls increasingly found himself squeezed out of his favourite centre position by Berkley Cox, and under added competition for a place on the wing or flank. He was tried in defence, but never really settled there and became a regular bench warmer. Eventually, Don decided that he would leave the future on-field exploits of the Nicholls family at Carlton in the large and capable hands of his champion brother. He played his last game for the Blues at full-back in round 12 of 1961, signing off with a five-goal victory over St Kilda at Princes Park.

Later, he joined VFA Division 2 club Box Hill and gave the struggling Mustangs loyal service over a number of barren seasons.

Milestones

50 Games: Round 1, 1959 vs Essendon

Footnote

Don Nicholls’ father Alex was one of four brothers; Charlie, Alex, Percy and Roy, all of whom were prominent players for the Castlemaine Magpies during the 1920s. Charlie Nicholls was the Bendigo Football League’s top goal-kicker in 1925 with 58 majors, and all the Nicholls boys were part of Castlemaine’s first BFL Premiership team in 1926.

Paul Starbuck

Rod Austin

Rohan Burke

Happy 50th birthday to Gerard Butts.

————

Gerard Butts

Career: 1988-1989
Debut: Round 6, 1988 vs St Kilda, aged 21 years, 170 days
950th Carlton Player
Games: 3
Goals: 0
Last game: Round 7, 1989 vs Melbourne, aged 22 years, 175 days
Guernsey No. 51 (1 game, 1988), 40 (2 games, 1989)
Height: 190cm
Weight: 88kg
DOB: 19 November, 1966

Butts played 3 games over 2 years for Carlton after debuting in 1988. He was recruited from North Albury via North Melbourne Reserves and U/19’s. He was also selected in the All-Australian Team for the 1983 Teal Cup after representing NSW in the carnival. He made his debut in the same game as Michael Garvey and Phil Poursanidis.

During the 1990 season, Butts was cleared to Tasmanian club North Hobart.

Career Highlights

1987 – Reserves Premiership Player
1989 – 3rd Reserves Best & Fairest

Happy 60th birthday to Denis Lenaghan.

—————

Denis Lenaghan

Playing Career : 1981 – 1982
Carlton Player No. 890
Debut: Round 1, 1981 v Richmond, aged 24 years, 130 days
Games : 9
Goals : 9
Last game : Round 14, 1982 v Hawthorn, aged 25 years, 220 days
Guernsey No. 35
Height : 174cm
Weight : 71 kgs
DOB: November 18, 1956

Wearing guernsey #35, the 174cm Leneghan was recruited from Sandhurst (Bendigo League), he also played at Pennant Hills NSW and Bendigo YCW. In 1979 and played his first senior game at the start of 1981 and was doing well until an ankle injury put him out for a few weeks. An unlucky setback for a young player whose pre season form had been impressive. He has been described as the fittest player that coach David Parkin has ever trained.

Lenaghan left the Blues for the Cats as a swap for David Honybun who was zoned to Geelong. Denis’ younger brother Michael Lenaghan played with Carlton reserves, but also joined Denis at Geelong where he tasted senior football. Denis would played a further 16 games and boot 19 goals over the next two seasons with the Cats.

Carlton rover Jim Buckley would have been an interested spectator at the match against Hawthorn on Saturday (Rd 2 1981). Buckley, who had been in dispute with the Blues and even sought a release to Essendon, would have been impressed with the form of 22-year old rover Denis Lenaghan. The newcomer’s form was further proof that no-one’s place in a team can be taken for granted. Lenaghan had a few minutes run in the match against Richmond the previous week, but really grabbed his chance when Alex Marcou pulled out of Saturday’s game because of a hamstring strain. Lenaghan showed great pace and fine skills, his shooting for goal letting him down a couple of times. However, coach David Parkin was full of praise for his newcomer. Parkin described Lenaghan as the best track worker at the club. In fact, Parkin said Lenaghan’s dedication was about the best he had seen from a footballer. Parkin has a points system for pre-season work and Lenaghan defeated an old Parkin mark, set by former Hawk and current Tiger Barry Rowlings several years ago. Patience and hard work certainly paid handsome dividends for the dedicated Lenaghan, who originally came from Sandhurst in the Bendigo League. – Jim Main Inside Football April 9, 1981.

Lenaghan wore No.51 in 1979 whilst playing with Carlton’s reserves team.

Career Highlights

1980 – 3rd Reserves Best & Fairest won on countback

Happy 80th birthday to John O’Keefe.

——-

John O’Keefe

Career: 1959 – 1960
Debut: Round 13, 1959 vs Footscray, aged 22 years, 250 days
Carlton Player No. 727
Games: 10
Goals: 3
Last Game: Round 13, 1960 vs Fitzroy, aged 23 years, 249 days
Guernsey No. 39 (1959 – 1960).
Height: 180cm
Weight: 73 kg
DOB: November 17, 1936

Wearing guernsey #39, O’Keefe played 10 games and kicked 3 goals for the Blues after debuting in Season 1959. He was recruited from Mildura Imperials.

Photo:

The Age, March 01 1960, back page.

Brendan Hartney

Mario Bortolotto

Phil Maylin

Happy 80th birthday to Leo Brereton.

—————–

Leo Brereton

Career : 1957 –62
Debut : Round 1, 1957 vs Hawthorn, aged 20 years, 170 days
Carlton Player No. 707
Games : 72
Goals : 129
Guernsey No. 6
Last Game: Preliminary Final, 1962 vs Geelong, aged 25 years, 318 days
Height : 174cm
Weight : 70kg
DOB : 1 November, 1936
Leading Goalkicker: 1960

Recruited from the Murray River town of Cohuna, Brereton was a small, nippy rover with excellent goal sense. He wore guernsey number 6 in his 72 games for the Blues in seasons 1957 to ’62, including finals appearances in 1957, 1959 and 1962.

Brereton would share his debut game in 1957 with Club Great John Nicholls.

A skilled crumber, he kicked 130 career goals, including 44 in 1960 to win Carlton’s goal kicking award.

The Age May 01 1963 reported that Leo had been cleared to Nagambie.
“Brereton, who is 26 and has played 70 games with the Blues, has been unable to force his way into the senior team this season. Nagambie club officials were at Princes Park last night and discussed the clearance with Carlton officials.
Brereton will continue to train with Carlton.
Carlton chairman of selectors, Mr. Percy Bentley, said last night Nagambie was getting a League player who had plenty of football ahead of him.
The Blues’ action in clearing him was a reminder to country clubs generally that League clubs were prepared to help them whenever possible.”

Leo Brereton

Another Melbourne import. Brereton came from Carlton to Manuka this season and struck great form. He was Manuka’s star in a dismal team effort last week and will lift the team today with his brilliance.
(Canberra Times September 05 1964)

Milestones

50 Games: Round 11, 1960 vs Melbourne
100 Goals: Round 4, 1961 vs South Melbourne

The birthday boy: Carlton great Ken Hands celebrates his 90th birthday.

More By Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media

Warren Jones

Ken Hunter

Peter McConville

Happy 70th birthday to Peter Jones.

——————

Peter Jones

Career : 1966 – 1979
Debut : Round 16, 1966 vs Melbourne, aged 19 years, 297 days
Carlton Player No. 790
Games : 249
Goals : 284
Last Game : Grand Final, 1979 vs Collingwood, aged 32 years, 344 days
Guernsey No. 28
Height : 198 cm (6 ft. 6 in.)
Weight : 109 kgs (17 stone, 2 lbs.)
DOB : October 20, 1946
Premiership Player 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979

Best and Fairest 1973
Victorian Representative 1977
Senior Coach 1980
Carlton Hall of Fame (1988)

Part actor, part comedian and an all-round quality footballer, Peter ‘Percy’ Jones stands as one of the truly unique characters in the long history of the Carlton Football Club. A four-time Premiership player, his unbounded enthusiasm on the field – and his legendary exploits off it – endeared the lanky Tasmanian to generations of Blues’ fans after he arrived from North Hobart in 1966 as a gangly 20 year-old. A serious car accident soon after his arrival injured both of his legs, but he recovered in time to play the last three games of the year, and showed enough for Carlton’s new coach Ron Barassi to persist with him.

By 1968 ‘Percy’ had settled into the senior team as understudy to John Nicholls in a forward pocket, where his strong marking and accurate kicking was a valuable to team morale as his mad-cap antics in the dressing room. Out on the field, his effusive joy at every Carlton goal – whether it was kicked by himself or a team-mate – began to create something of a rat-bag persona that bewildered supporters at first, but his Chaplinesque reaction whenever a free kick was awarded against him was always hilarious. All of this was just a sideshow however, because within four years Percy had proven himself a real asset in both the 1968 and 1970 Carlton Premiership teams, and from then on the Jones legend unfolded.

In August 1971 at the Junction Oval in St Kilda, Carlton were playing Fitzroy in a game crucial to the Blues’ finals chances. The match started in sunshine, but just after the half-time break a thick fog rolled over the ground from nearby Port Phillip Bay. It was so dense that players only a metre or so apart couldn’t see each other, while the time-keepers caught only glimpses of the players and had to rely on the emergency umpire to relay the occasional scores. Late in the last quarter, the Blues were deep in trouble on the scoreboard, when the ball came bouncing past Percy, who had dropped back into defence. ‘There it is!’ he shouted – and a Fitzroy opponent pounced on the ball and goaled. Carlton lost an extraordinary game, and missed that year’s finals by two points!

Forgiveness didn’t take long however, because Percy atoned with a dominant display against a powerhouse Richmond in the 1972 Grand Final. The Tigers went in as hot favourites after drawing with, then beating Carlton in the second Semi Final. The Blues then had to fight through a tight Preliminary Final against St Kilda, while Richmond had a week off. John Nicholls had replaced Barassi as Carlton’s coach and decided on a bold strategy in the decider. He made eight positional changes, including placing himself at full-forward and handing Percy the daunting task of single-handedly taking on the Tigers’ ruck division. Then he told the Blues to attack at all times, and to ignore the inevitable defensive errors and turnovers.

The plan and the switches worked brilliantly, and Carlton won by 27 points in the highest-scoring Grand Final of them all. Jones was superb all afternoon, rucking unchanged to dominate the Tigers’ big men, while Nicholls himself bagged six goals. If there had been a Norm Smith medal available that day, Percy would surely have been a contender. Boosted by that performance, and on top of his game, Jones was consistently good throughout 1973 and deservedly won the Blues’ Best & Fairest award. On the field, his exuberance was at its height. The Carlton faithful loved his antics, while he drove the opposition to distraction.

On one famous occasion, he played on after a mark in the goal square. But as he tried to drop the ball on to his boot, he missed – and kicked the goal post! On another, he lit a firecracker in the Carlton Social Club while Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was watching a game, and created mayhem. Late in his career, he was struggling to keep up in a pre-season training run when a tram appeared, so Percy jumped on board to ease his aching legs. He might have gotten away with it, too – except that Carlton’s fitness adviser at the time was standing nearby when Percy hopped off!

Jones’ career culminated with the 1979 Premiership. By then aged almost 33 and somewhat in the shadow of Mike Fitzpatrick, Jones responded to his captain-coach Alex Jesaulenko, who challenged the big bloke to show his doubters that he wasn’t a spent force. Percy gave his all that day; more than holding his own in the ruck as the Blues knocked over Collingwood by five points, thanks some last-gasp brilliance by utility Wayne Harmes.

In the ructions that split Carlton over the summer of 1980, Jesaulenko resigned when George Harris lost the Presidency to Ian Rice, and Percy retired as a player to take over as senior coach. Unfortunately, although the Blues playing list was as strong as any in the VFL, Jones struggled to connect with his former team-mates. Carlton made the finals, only to lose twice in a row and bow out. In one of those games, against Richmond, Percy was leaving the field after the quarter-time break when he noticed sports psychologist Dr. Rudi Webster in the Tiger’s huddle. Webster had spent 1979 at Carlton, but wasn’t retained for 1980 and had joined the Tigers. Incensed at what he saw as betrayal, Perce let fly verbally at Webster. Richmond coach Tony Jewell then stepped in, and suddenly fists were flying. Cooler heads prevailed before anything more than pride was damaged, but Carlton lost and Richmond went on to win the flag. Jones was then shifted sideways. David Parkin became the new coach, and Percy was appointed to the club committee, where he served loyally and cheerfully in various positions for many years.

In his thirteen seasons at Princes Park, Percy wore his number 28 guernsey in 249 games. He kicked 294 goals – and let the world know all about every one of them. An influential member of four Premiership teams, he was a Best & Fairest winner, a state representative, vice-captain, board member and club legend. And he did it all with a kind of mischievous glee.

After football, Percy ran a couple of inner-Melbourne hotels in partnership with his former team-mate Adrian ‘Gags’ Gallagher. The best known of these was the Blush & Stutter in Carlton. At one time he also stood for election to the Victorian Lower House, using the wonderful slogan; ‘Point Percy at Parliament.‘

Adding to his long list of awards, Jones was elevated to legend status in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame on July 5, 2013.

Milestones

50 Games: Round 1, 1970 vs Essendon
100 Games: Semi Final Replay, 1972 vs Richmond
150 Games: Round 8, 1975 vs Melbourne
200 Games: Round 11, 1977 vs Footscray
100 Goals: Round 22, 1970 vs Melbourne
200 Goals: Round 13, 1975 vs Collingwood

Career Highlights

1968 – Premiership Player
1970 – Premiership Player
1972 – Premiership Player
1973 – Robert Reynolds Memorial Trophy: Best & Fairest Award
1974 – 5th Best & Fairest
1975 – Perc Bentley Trophy: 3rd Best & Fairest
1977 – State Representative
1978 – Equal 8th Best & Fairest
1978 – B. J. Deacon Memorial Trophy: Best Clubman Award
1979 – Premiership Player

Percy Jones feature Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dFXSUU1-Ao&list=UUBDbvpbtwAIj2Lmz_7jJXKg&feature=c4-overview

Paul Meldrum

Frank Marchesani

Spiro Kourkoumelis

Happy 40th birthday to Mark Porter.

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Mark Porter

Career : 1997 – 2001
Debut : Round 16, 1997 vs Essendon, aged 20 years, 281 days
Carlton Player No. 1019
Games : 55
Goals : 13
Last Game : Semi Final, 2001 vs Richmond, aged 24 years, 339 days
Guernsey Nos. 46 (1997) and 11 (1998-2001)
Height : 199 cm (6 ft. 7 in.)
Weight : 101 kg (15 stone, 12 lbs.)
DOB : 11 October, 1976

A wearer of the number 11 guernsey, Mark Porter was called up from the rookie list to replace the suspended Matthew Allan against Essendon in Round 16, 1997 and made a magnificent debut – routing his more experienced opponents from the very first bounce. The 199 cm Porter was an old-fashioned, blue collar ruckman who gave his all for the team. His running to create space and his hard work around the ground – he made 45 tackles in 2001 – provided an insight into the type of effort big Mark put in each and every game.

For most of 1998, he and Allan formed an excellent ruck combination – but from then on, it was rare for them to play together for any length of time. Usually, this was because one or the other was injured. After 19 games in 1998, Porter missed more than a season and a half due to an ongoing knee injury. In fact, he didn’t make it back into the senior team until Allan himself hurt a knee in round 16, 2000, and was sidelined for six matches. In his absence, Porter stepped up to the role of number one ruckman, until the Blues’ twin towers were reunited for the last four games of the year.

In 2001, Porter played all but two games, while Allan was restricted to just eight appearances by a nagging series of foot and groin problems. Overall, the pair only made it on to the field together on seven occasions. At the end of that year, Carlton – desperate for a marking forward – stunned virtually everyone by trading the reliable Porter for Corey McKernan from the Kangaroos. It wasn’t a popular deal with the fans. Porter had won wide appreciation for his work ethic, and had battled hard to overcome injury. On top of that, Matthew Allan would play just 10 more games before he broke down again with foot problems. He was then traded to Essendon, and this left the Blues with severley depleted ruck stocks.

Porter went on to play three more honest seasons with the Roos, adding 55 games – the same number he had played at Carlton – before being delisted.

Carlton recruited Porter from VFA club Coburg, he had originally played for Wangaratta and King Valley.

Porter would win the Fothergill / Round Medal in 1995 it is presented to the most promising young talent in the VFL competition.

Milestones

50 Games: Round 19, 2001 Vs Adelaide Crows

Career Highlights

1997 – The Past Players’ Association Encouragement Award
1997 – 2nd Reserves Best & Fairest

Happy 70th birthday to Ian Nicoll.

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Ian Nicoll

Career : 1967 – 1970
Debut : Round 12, 1967 vs Fitzroy, aged 20 years, 286 days
Carlton Player No. 801
Games : 41
Goals : 30
Last Game: Round 22, 1970 vs Melbourne, aged 23 years, 331 days
Guernsey No. 23
Height : 179 cm
Weight : 73 kg
DOB : October 2, 1946

Recruited from the Wangaratta Rovers club in northern Victoria (Ovens & Murray League), Ian Nicoll was a busy left-footer who contributed strongly in most of his 41 games for Carlton. He debuted for Carlton in Round 12, 1967 alongside Ken Jungwirth.

In 1969 he shared the roving duties with Adrian Gallagher in the Blues’ Grand Final loss to Richmond. Nicoll lined up for VFA Club Preston during the 1971 season.