A happy 60th birthday to Rod Austin.

 

——-

From the Blueseum:

 
Career : 1972 – 1985
Debut : Round 6, 1972 vs Geelong, aged 19 years, 100 days
Carlton Player No. 835
Games : 220
Goals : 20
Last Game : Round 12, 1985 vs Footscray, aged 32 years, 140 days
Guernsey Nos. 45 (1972) and 21 (1973–85)
Height : 180 cm (5 ft. 11 in.)
Weight : 80 kg (12 stone, 8 lbs.)
DOB : January 26, 1953
Premiership Player: 1979
Carlton Hall of Fame (1997)

Rodney Austin was born on Australia Day in 1953, and recruited by Carlton from the vaunted local college team Holy Child / St Dominic’s. With his thick mop of hair and an awkward kicking style, he was quickly dubbed ‘Curly’ by his team-mates – some of whom saw a resemblance to one of the Three Stooges. But there was nothing slapstick about the way ‘Curly’ went about his football. In time, he developed into a versatile, consistent defender who was rarely beaten for an entire game. One of the most popular players of his era, he won Premiership glory with the Blues in 1979, and was cruelly denied a place in both the 1981and ’82 flag sides by injury.

Austin wrote his name into Australian Football folklore in July, 1977 at Princes Park. Standing in for Geoff Southby at full-back against Hawthorn, he kept the Hawks’ champion full-forward Peter Hudson goalless on one of just two occasions in Hudson’s brilliant 129-game, 727-goal VFL career. Although he gave away eight centimetres in height and at least two kilograms in weight that day, Curly’s steely concentration proved too much for Hudson, setting up one of the great individual rivalries of the decade.

Two years later, Austin returned from injury on the eve of the finals, and was named as a reserve for the Grand Final against Collingwood. On a sodden MCG, in front of more than 112,000 fans, the Blues beat their fiercest rivals by five points, thanks to some desperate late brilliance by Wayne Harmes. With just a minute or so on the clock, Harmes’ committed chase, dive and swipe at the ball in the right forward pocket delivered the ball to Ken Sheldon, who goaled to seal Carlton’s twelfth Premiership. Curly was in a back pocket on the siren, having come off the bench early to allow Harmes to push forward.

The Blues finished the home and away rounds of season 1980 second on the ladder by percentage, only to crash out of the finals after successive defeats. Coach ‘Percy’ Jones was promptly sacked, and former Hawthorn captain and Premiership coach David Parkin appointed in his place. Austin blossomed further under Parkin’s coaching, playing solid, dependable football throughout 1981, in a rock-hard Blues defence.

After topping the ladder in ‘81, Carlton crushed Geelong by 40 points in the second semi-final. Curly was as solid as always in a back-pocket that day, before a groin muscle tear sent him limping off late in the game. That blow ruled him out of the Grand Final side, and he was watching from the stands the following week as his relentless team rebounded from 21 points down in the third quarter to skittle Collingwood for the second time in three years.

Carlton’s superb 1982 back-to-back Grand Final victory over Richmond came after one of the toughest finals campaigns in this clubs’ long and proud history. Ending the home and away rounds as the third of five finalists, Carlton beat Hawthorn in the Qualifying Final, lost to Richmond in the Second Semi, then faced the Hawks again in the Preliminary Final for a the right to play Richmond for the flag.

David Parkin knew the key to victory over Hawthorn was to limit the influence of their champion Leigh Matthews, and the man he turned to was Curly Austin. Barely five minutes into the game, however, Matthews hit Austin with a classic shirtfront, and knocked him senseless. After being revived on the field, Curly refused to be taken off. He ran back to his position, chested Matthews with an attitude that said; ‘is that the best you can do?’ then proceeded to cut the Hawks’ gun forward out of the rest of the game. Carlton won by five goals, Austin won the Blues’ Best Player award, and looked forward confidently to his Grand Final appearance – at least until midway through the next morning’s training run.

During one of the drills that Sunday, Curly was accidentally kicked in the thigh by team-mate Frank Marchesani. Deep bruising appeared and by Tuesday afternoon it was obvious that Austin wouldn’t be playing. On Grand Final day he was laid up in a hospital bed, as Carlton – led magnificently by captain Mike Fitzpatrick and ‘The Dominator;’ Wayne Johnston – upset the Tigers to win the Blues’ fourteenth Premiership. As a testament to the club’s regard for Curly, coach Parkin and a group of senior players made his hospital ward one of their first destinations that night, taking the Premiership Cup along with them.

That was to be Austin’s last chance at further Premiership glory. Nevertheless, he continued playing consistent and reliable football for three more seasons before retiring as a player after Carlton’s early exit from the 1985 Finals. Never one to take anything for granted, disappointment or regret over those two missed Premierships was never an issue with him. He has always maintained his gratitude at being a Carlton Premiership player, saying that only a comparative few experience winning a flag, and he treasures the achievement.

After hanging up his boots, Curly accepted an offer to be on the match committee in 1986 under Mick Malthouse, and later he would coach the Reserves team at Footscray, this included coaching the reserves to a premiership in 1988. In 1989 he was appointed senior coach at Fitzroy for two years, and in 1994 and ’95 he was in charge of the Victorian State of Origin team. Always a popular figure at Princes Park, Curly was elected to the Carlton Hall of Fame in 1997.

Austin’s son, Nick Austin played a reserves game for Carlton in 2002. Nick’s sporting prowess was with the Carlton Cricket Club in the Premier League as a left-arm opening bowler. Nick made history in November 2012 when he played his 200th game of cricket for Carlton. Nick and Rod became the first father-son combination to play 200 games of League football and 200 games of Premier Cricket.

Attention all Past Players!

 

All past players are invited to attend a Pleasant Sunday Morning  event organised by the Spirit of Carlton Past and Present.

The idea of the event is to bring as many people who were once involved with the club back to the club.

Let’s face it, for players in particular, the final memory of the club for most is not a pleasant one as very few players get to choose the timing of the end of their association with a club.

What we want is for as many people as possible to remember the good times that the club provided, to re-engage and get together at the club to share the good memories together. Whether you played one game or one hundred in the U19s, Reserves or Seniors we all share the connection to the Carlton Football Club. So bring your family and enjoy a special day.

The event is free, drinks will be available as well as a free BBQ.

We would love to see you there. If you have a team-mate who you think would be interested please tell them about this, a flyer for distribution is available through THIS LINK.

Current players will be attending the early part of the event after a recovery session so take the opportunity to come along and see the present as well as the past.

 

Place: Visy Park

Date: Sunday 3rd March, 2013

Time: 9:30am-1:30pm

 

Please Register your attendance either via email at:

mandy.hunter@carltonfc.com.au

OR

Phone Mandy Hunter on 9389 6256

 

 

 

A very happy 87th birthday to Allan Greenshields. Allan is a great supporter of the Spirit of Carlton and attends many of our functions.

 

————–

From the Blueseum:

Playing Career : 1947 – 1949
Debut : Round 1, 1947 vs Melbourne, aged 21 years 86 days
Carlton Player No. 614
Games : 16
Goals : 2
Last Game : Round 6, 1949 vs Geelong, aged 23 years 119 days
Guernsey Nos. 29 (1947-48) and 19 (1949)
Height : 178 cm (5 ft. 10 in.)
Weight : 74 kgs (11 stone, 9 lbs.)
DOB : January 22, 1926
Premiership Player : 1947

A capable utility who was a reserve in Carlton’s 1947 Premiership team, Allan Greenshields spent three seasons at Princes Park without managing to establish himself in a strong Carlton line-up. He earned the wry nickname of ‘Splinters’ in his debut year, by being named on the bench in ten of his thirteen senior games.

Two of those matches were memorable finals victories over Essendon; the 1947 second Semi Final, and two weeks later, the famous last-minute triumph over the Bombers in the Grand Final. Yet despite that promising start to his career, Greenshields played only three more times for the Blues over the next two seasons, and in 1949 decided that perhaps there were more opportunities elsewhere. He played his last match in navy blue against Melbourne at Princes Park in round 6, 1949, and went out on a high note when he slotted both of his Carlton career goals in a solid 39-point win over the Demons.

Later that same year, he turned out for St Kilda, in the first of 57 appearances he would make as a defender for the Saints in a six-year stay at the Junction Oval.

Greenshields played at various clubs, that included; Rainbow, Pascoe Vale and Coburg.

Latest past player videos to be uploaded to our youtube channel, SpiritofCarltonTV.

 

Bob Crowe

 

Murray Kick

 

Jim Pleydell

 

Bruce Williams

Notice of Annual General Meeting Notice is given that the 2012 Annual General Meeting of the Spirit Of Carlton Past And Present Inc Will be held on: Date:              Monday, 4 February, 2013 Time:             6.00pm Address:        George Harris Function Room,Visy Park, Royal Parade, Carlton North

A very happy 40th to Kouta!

 

————————

From the Blueseum:

 

Anthony Koutoufides

Career: 1992 – 2007
Debut : Round 13, 1992 vs Adelaide, aged 19 years, 147 days
Carlton Player No. 985
Games : 278
Goals : 226
Last Game : Round 17, 2007 vs St Kilda, aged 34 years, 191 days
Guernsey No. 43
Height : 190 cm (6 ft. 2 in.)
Weight : 95 kg (15 stone, 0 lbs.)
DOB : 18 January, 1973
Premiership Player: 1995
Leigh Matthews Trophy (AFLPA MVP) : 2000
Best and Fairest: 2001, 2005
All Australian: 1995, 2000
Leading Goalkicker : 1997
Club Captain: 2004 – 2006

Throughout the history of VFL/AFL football, few individual players have actually changed the game. However, such was the impact of Anthony Koutoufides – “Kouta” to the masses of Blues supporters he thrilled during his celebrated 15-season career at Princes Park between 1992 and 2007 – that today he is recognised as the prototype of the 21st century footballer.

A 191 cm powerhouse with pace, endurance and sensational all-round skills, Koutoufides starred in Carlton’s 1995 Premiership victory over Geelong, won two club Best and Fairest awards, and was twice selected as an All Australian. In 1997 he was Carlton’s leading goal-kicker, and in 2000, was voted the AFL Players Association’s Most Valuable Player. Late in his career, amid his club’s darkest hours, he stepped up to the captain the Blues for three seasons, before retiring one year later as one of the most respected and admired men ever to have played the game.

Kouta’s heritage spanned four cultures. His father; Dimitrios (‘Jim’ to his friends and family) was born in Egypt to Greek-Cypriot parents, while his mother Anna came from northern Italy and met her future husband while on holiday down under. As part of the vast post-World War II migration from Europe to Australia, the couple settled in Melbourne’s northern suburbs at Lalor, and Anna produced three sons. The two eldest, Paul and Anthony, became keen schoolboy track athletes from their early teens, while they also embraced the Australian code of football. Before long therefore, a choice had to be made.

Anthony was an outstanding junior prospect who represented his state in three disciplines; the 100/110 metre hurdles, high jump and decathlon. From the age of 15 he was being talked about as a potential Olympian, although he and Paul were also enjoying success on the football field with Lalor Juniors. The crunch came in 1989, when the brothers were approached by Carlton scout Wayne Gilbert with an invitation join the Blues’ Under-19 squad. Despite the fact that both were keen Collingwood fans at the time, there was no hesitation. Paul and Anthony couldn’t wait to get to Princes Park.

Paul went on to play a couple of seasons of Under-19 football and one Reserves match for Carlton, without progressing to senior level. Anthony followed the same pathway, but from his earliest games his mature physique, outstanding agility and appetite for the contest marked him as something special. At first he was seen as a key defender, especially when he moved up to Reserve grade in 1992 to take on the full-back role, and won the Carlton Reserves Best and Fairest. Considering that he also made his senior debut the same year and played six first-grade matches, it was an outstanding achievement.

Having played through the lower grades in guernsey number 46, Anthony requested a change to his favourite number 43 when he was promoted to Carlton’s senior squad, and made an eye-catching debut against the Adelaide Crows at Princes Park in round 13, 1992. Sitting on the interchange bench until just before half-time, he ran onto the field and became involved in the play straight away with a clever shepherd that allowed Ron De Iulio an easy goal. Shortly afterwards, he kicked a smart goal himself from deep in a pocket with the second kick of his career, after his first attempt had been smothered. The Blues won by 23 points, and Anthony’s career was up and away.

Later in the year, in round 23 against Collingwood at VFL Park, Waverley, spectators got a glimpse of the future when Koutoufides shrugged off an opponent, swooped on the ball and picked it up with one hand. A gob-smacked Carlton coach David Parkin later said to him; “I’ve been waiting twenty years to see what you just did.” A few weeks later, Anthony finished off an impressive first season by collecting 19 possessions, four marks and his first Brownlow Medal vote as Carlton lost to West Coast at Subiaco in the last round of the year. He carried the ball in one hand that day too, and it rapidly became his trademark.

Koutoufides’ second season in 1993 started full of promise, only to be derailed by the first in a long series of injuries. After playing the first five games in defence, he damaged ankle ligaments in round 6 against Collingwood, and spent 10 weeks on the sidelines. Back to match fitness late in the year as the Blues tuned up for the finals, he was running into form again on the eve of the Grand Final against Essendon, but on selection night was overlooked in favour of Mark Athorn. Two days later, Anthony could only watch in despair as Essendon’s ‘Baby Bombers’ demolished Carlton by 44 points to win the flag.

Carlton’s fan base began to really embrace Koutoufides in 1994, especially when coach Parkin decided to play him on a wing and see if the opposition had anyone with the size and speed to match him. Invariably, they didn’t, and by mid-year the first cries of “Kout-ta, Kou-ta!” were echoing from the stands. Against Richmond at Princes Park in round 23, he provided a constant avenue to goal for the Blues, picking up 27 effective possessions as the home side destroyed the Tigers by 113 points. A few weeks later, his blossoming career reached a new level when he experienced his first two senior finals. Carlton lost both however, going down in successive weeks to Melbourne and Geelong.

Anthony’s fourth season in 1995 was simply sensational. In 25 games he kicked 22 goals, and collected 25 possessions (or more) on six occasions. He took more marks, earned more Brownlow Medal votes (12) than any other Blue, and was selected as an All Australian, before he almost single-handedly demolished Geelong in the Grand Final. Playing on a wing, but ranging far and wide through the midfield, Kouta racked up 31 possessions and eight telling marks on that unforgettable afternoon, as a remorseless Carlton ground the Cats into the dust and claimed the Blues’ 16th Premiership. Among a host of Navy Blue stars, Greg Williams was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as best on ground – but Koutoufides too, would have been worthy winner.

Kouta’s form in 1996 mirrored that of his team – occasional lapses, indispersed with regular successes. He didn’t miss a match all season, and kicked 24 goals while averaging 21 effective disposals and six marks per game. He produced an absolutely stunning performance against the West Coast Eagles in round 5 at Subiaco, hauling down 18 big marks (amid 35 possessions) as Carlton won a thriller by one point. At the end of the home and away season, he finished equal with Fraser Brown as the club’s top vote-catcher in the Brownlow Medal with 12 votes, before being one of his team’s best in a disappointing final series that saw the Blues eliminated by straight-sets losses to West Coast and Brisbane.

In 1997, after four consecutive finals campaigns, Carlton crashed to eleventh place on the ladder. Kouta played his 100th game in round 15 against Melbourne, as a raft of stars including long-serving captain Stephen Kernahan,Greg Williams, Justin Madden, Earl Spalding and Mil Hanna all reached the end of their careers. While the next generation of leaders – including Koutoufides – continued their progress, coach Parkin sometimes asked his star mid-fielder to play up forward, and Anthony generally delivered.

Playing on a wing against Collingwood at the MCG in round 4, 1997, Kouta racked up 32 possessions in a solid win. Later in the year, during the return game in round 19, Parkin sent him to full-forward, where he took a couple of screamers and kicked 6.4 from 22 possessions and 7 marks. Carlton came out on top again by 16 points, and that big haul helped him reach a total of 28 goals for the season. It was a modest return, but good enough to win him Carlton’s Leading Goalkicker Award, ahead of Justin Murphy (26 goals) and Stephen Silvagni (25).

Under a new captain in Craig Bradley, the Blues aimed for real improvement in 1998 – until the awful news broke that Jim Koutoufides had been diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of just 58. His death in March devastated his close-knit family, and by association, everyone involved at the Carlton Football Club. A stricken Anthony still played 21 games for the year, although he and the team as a whole were never really in finals contention, and once again finished eleventh.

Eventually, with the support of his many friends, colleagues and team-mates, Kouta returned to something near his brilliant best in 1999, averaging 20 possessions and 6 marks per game to finish runner-up to Matthew Allan as Carlton’s Best and Fairest. Standout games included 27 possessions and 7 marks against St Kilda in round 6; 25 disposals and 12 marks against Brisbane in round 11, and 23 possessions and 10 marks against Hawthorn in round 14. But those numbers were all but forgotten after the Blues qualified for the finals in sixth place, and fought their way through to a Preliminary Final showdown against minor premiers and hot flag favourites Essendon. The Bombers were gunning for their 16th flag to equal Carlton’s record, and the Blues had set themselves to stop them. What transpired that day produced one of the greatest finals matches of all time.

In front of 80,000 at the MCG, an under-manned, bloody-minded Carlton simply refused to be beaten. Trailing by 11 points at three-quarter time, the Blues kicked 6.2 to Essendon’s 4.2 in a frantic last quarter, to win by a point – largely due to 30 minutes of football from Koutoufides that was described by a stunned Stephen Kernahan as “the greatest quarter of football ever played.” Running hard to all parts of the field, Kouta had ten kicks, four clearances, three defensive rebounds, six marks and kicked two great goals in an epic quarter that brought a truly famous victory. Such was the euphoria around Princes Park in the days after that sensational game, that the following Saturday’s Grand Final loss to North Melbourne was almost an anti-climax. Sure, Carlton hadn’t won another flag – but neither had Essendon!

Kouta played his 150th game in round 2, 2000 in a 42-point win over Hawthorn at Princes Park, and was enjoying another prolific season when he picked up a career-best total of 39 disposals, 13 marks, 4 hit-outs and 2 goals in Carlton’s big win over Sydney in round 8. Demonstrably at the peak of his form, he was a clear favourite for the Brownlow Medal, before the Blues hosted North Melbourne at Princes Park in round 11. When that game began, Kouta was stunned to be manned up in the midfield by the Kangaroos’ champion centre half-forward and captain Wayne Carey.

It was a match-up for every football lover to savour, but Koutoufides rose to the challenge and turned it into a non-event. Leading the Roo captain a merry dance, Kouta kept Carey under a tight wrap and won the football himself 38 times – earning 17 kicks, 21 handpasses, 8 marks and kicking five terrific goals in a vital win that cemented a top-two ladder position the Blues. Kouta later conceded that this was in fact, his best-ever individual effort. “When people ask me which was the best game I ever played,” he said some time afterward, ”It would have to be the one against North Melbourne.”

By round 20, 2000, Carlton was comfortably sitting second on the ladder when disaster struck in the form of a posterior cruciate ligament strain to Kouta’s left knee. The surgery required ended his season, but he had been so good during the previous five months that he was still named as an All Australian, as well as the AFL Players Association Most Valuable Player (now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy). Carlton responded by offering him an unprecedented 5-year contract (rumoured to be worth one million dollars) which was quickly accepted. From then on, Kouta would be a Blue for life.

After a busy day we managed to upload five new youtube videos highlighting Carlton past players. We are still going through the 1960s archives which are quite scarce and as a consequence for some players we only have a total of one minute of footage that exists. As we move into the 1970s we will see some more extensive highlights packages.

 

Bruce Williams

 

Jim Pleydell

 

Murray Kick

 

Bob Crowe

 

Peter Falconer

 

By Tony De Bolfo

 

Sixty years ago, after he had forged his own handsome reputation as a Carlton footballer, the late Bert Deacon saw fit to take on the comparatively less frenetic sport of golf.

It happened in or around 1952, at a time when the club’s dual premiership player and inaugural Brownlow Medallist turned his hand to coaching at Preston, the VFA outfit from which he was originally recruited.

Bert’s son Bob can’t be crystal, but he knows the idea came in the summer when the Deacons holidayed at Rosebud.

“I know that Dad and a couple of others got the golf game going when they were down the beach. Together with Bob Foley and Kevin Chard who both played under him at Preston, they decided to take part in a golf game at Portsea and invite their partners down for lunch.

“The next year they did it again, a few more got involved and it’s been a ‘who’s who’ ever since. In fact, it’s become a bit of a tradition – everyone wants to play and four generations have played it.”

From humble beginnings, the fully-fledged tournament, which has been held at a variety of courses from Balnarring to Flinders, has traditionally been open to footballers of any allegiance – from the great John Nicholls through to Collingwood’s Neil Mann (a regular for 30 years), the Richardson brothers Wayne and Max, and Graeme “Jerker” Jenkin, a two-time tournament winner.

Fittingly, Fred Stafford junior recently got the chocolates “courtesy a generous handicap” when the tournament was held at Flinders over the 2012 Christmas/New Year period.

Fred’s father, who famously snapped the winning goal with seconds remaining in the ’47 Grand Final, said he was honoured to earn the trophy cast in Deacon’s name.

“I’ve been hacking away for the past five or six years, and this year I finally got home by one shot,” Stafford said.

“It’s an honour for me to win this because Dad was a teammate of Bert’s. I don’t recall ever meeting Bert Deacon, but I can remember being with Dad when he shared a beer with Ron Clegg at the Fenwick Inn after Bert’s funeral.”

Bert Deacon was only 51 when he died suddenly on Balnarring Beach just a few days after participating in the ’73 golf day. On his passing, old friends saw fit to cast a tournament trophy in his honour.

Son Bob has seen the tournament go from strength to strength, and he’s thrilled that his father’s name is perpetuated in this way.

“Up to 100 played when the old man was alive and in his day they’d get on at six in the morning and take over the joint,” Bob recalled. “Dad was a Brownlow Medallist, everyone wanted to be around him and he got away with murder really . . . and it’s always been a good fun day.

The Bert Deacon Trophy now remains with Fred Stafford junior for the next 12 months and hopefully for 12 months more if he can successfully defend the precious trinket.

Our deepest sympathy goes to Greg Lee, (Carlton Director & SOC Member) and his family with the recent loss of his wife Debbie after a long battle with cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spirit of Carlton offers sincere condolences to Alex Jesaulenko and his family following the recent passing of his wife Anne after a short illness.

The Spirit of Carlton would like to extend our deep sympathy to the family of Bernie Baxter who sadly passed away on the 28th December after a short illness .

Bernie played 28 games for the Blues from 1949 to the1951 before going on to kick 692 goals for the Port Fairy Football club where the local scoreboard is named in his honour .

http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Bernie+Baxter

http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Guernsey+34

http://www.standard.net.au/story/1207109/port-fairy-mourns-larger-than-life-premiership-great-bernie-baxter/?cs=74

 UNRAVELLING THE BIZARRE ESSAY Number 13 – Ted Hopkins

 

###Was Juddy tall enough for the Carlton Captaincy?

 

Whichever way, ‘pushed’ or ‘relinquished’ is immaterial. Chris Judd is no longer the Carlton Captain and not even a member of the team’s leadership group.

The move appears like the Prime Minister mysteriously announcing she is no longer interested in the job; instead of heading to Cabinet, she chooses to sit on the backbench.

How bizarre!

All teams thrive on good captaincy, and in Carlton’s case, premiership captains are revered.

In the modern era—at least from 1968 onwards—the typical profile of a Carlton premiership captain is a celebrated ‘big bloke’ who can play tall and fill a key position role; viz, John Nicholls (Big Nick) three times (1968, 70, 72), Mike Fitzpatrick twice (1981, 82), and Stephen Kernahan twice (1987, 95).

Although Alex Jesaulenko (1979), was a mere ‘six footer and a bit,’ overhead he was unstoppable and could dominate in the key positions of centre-half-forward or full-forward.

On face value, it appears there is a direct correlation between height and overhead ability and Carlton premiership captaincy success.

Judd does not fit the mould, prompting the question: Was he ever tall enough for the captaincy?

Oddly, he is a surprisingly tall 189cm—the same height as Big Nick—yet has played almost exclusively as a rover, an indication of the changing shape of our game. In his five seasons with Carlton and 105 games he has taken only 33 contested marks. His contested mark average of o.3 per game is #38 for all Blues players during this time.

Following this logic, he could never have succeeded as a Carlton premiership captain. His successor should be Matthew Kreuzer, not the current favourite candidates, all shorties, Marc Murphy, Kade Simpson, and Andrew Carrazzo.

However, beware!

Just because something correlates doesn’t means it’s true.

There are a myriad of reasons Judd has not become a premiership captain at Carlton and has now stepped aside; some obvious, some that can only be guessed at, some that will never be divulged, and plenty of pure bad luck.

He is a gold-plated player and individual serving the Blues and the role with great distinction. And he is a proven premiership captain at West Coast (2006, having assumed the role from the disgraced Ben Cousins).

As someone who is credited with igniting the modern day statistics revolution in Australian sport (The Stats Revolution published by Slattery Media), I am constantly bewildered by the selective use and misuse of data by coaches and commentators who are either statistically naive or pushing barrows.

Without the hint of a smile and headlined by major media outlets, newly appointed coach, Mick Malthouse, recently launched the Carlton Blueprint, including statistical benchmarks guaranteeing unprecedented success.

He claimed his superior game plan would improve the team by five to seven percent, “which I think is realistic. I won’t say 10 percent.”

He attributes another three to four percent improvement due to young players getting, “a year older, which is in my favour.”

His special understanding of the AFL fixture and preparation methods is expected to yield him “another two to three percent.”

And finally, better team selection policies and game day rotations will account for an additional, “two to three percent” improvement.

Based on these projections, it would appear Carlton is certain to win every game next season. The premierships cup is already in the cabinet.

How bizarre!

The wonder is the new coach and club is not officially pinged for false advertising.

More convincing than the Blueprint would have been a proper explanation as to why Judd is no longer captain.

So far, all that is offered are diplomatic niceties and weasel words.

The value of captaincy is one of those things that cannot be statistically verified. Only the views of the protagonists  can provide insight.

Game theory attributes two main attributes for captaincy.

Firstly, consistency mixed with bursts of inspiration. In this domain, Judd is supreme. He rates highly for the leader who declares “come and follow me into the heat of battle.”

If there is criticism of this form of leadership, it is because teammates can become too dependent upon the leader, or retreat because they cannot meet the high expectation he has shown.

It which case, it is not Judd’s problem. It is a sign others surrounding the captain fall short.

If this is how the new coach and club see it and they are now throwing down the gauntlet by disconnecting the captain, then it should be said.

Otherwise, unfair speculation falls upon the capability and contribution of Judd.

The other main attribute for captaincy is strategic thinking and organisation.

The past three premiership captaincies are rated high in this regard—Nick Maxwell (Collingwood) Cameron Ling (Geelong), and co-captains Adam Goodes and Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney).

How a captain or team leaders deploys this attribute is mostly experienced internally. External observers can gain some insights when the captain is demonstrative on and off the field.

However, reticence and subtle demeanour can also be just as effective (which may be the case with Judd). Unless you are involved intimately with the club and the individual, it is difficult to know the score.

At Carlton (29 games 1967 – 1971), I had the privilege of playing under our revered captain, John Nicholls. Privately, he appeared introverted. On the field, he loomed large.

In the dressing room before my first game, the experienced and debonair centre-half-back, John Goold, sat quietly beside me and said, “If Big Nick says something to you on the field, do it.”

As second rover, for the first centre bounce I attended, Big Nick said, “stand over there.”

The ball hit me on the chest and I was away.

The second time I attended, again Big Nick issued instructions where I should stand.

The ball never came to me.

Afterwards, I asked ‘Gooldy’ what happened.

‘Gooldy’ said, “You were the decoy.”

You can’t put a price or a stat on good captaincy and leadership, but you know when it happens.

 

 

 

The SOC past and present has given over $400,000 of donations to the Carlton Football Club over the last five years. The majority has benefited the current playing group who is striving for premiership number 17 for the old navy blues. This major goal is what motivates every past player and official when they are officially part of the club and it motivates every past player and official when they are no longer officially part of the club.

The following list is the amount that the past players and supporters have provided in the past five years. It is substantial and important and was raised by past and present players of the club as well as passionate supporters of the club. It should not be forgotten that the past players association has been donating funds to the club and past players and officials in need for several decades.

We are here to not only support the present and future but also the past and present.

We are all Carlton and every single person who bleeds Carlton should give in their own personal way whether it is by volunteer time, money, attendance or otherwise, we are all Navy Blues and all have a common bond.

Support the club you love in the way you feel most comfortable with and we can all grow the club and each other together.

 

ALLOCATION OF SOC FUNDS TO CFC SINCE JUNE 2007

 

• Players room furniture                             $5,200.00
• Body Flow Recovery Vests                      $22,000.00
• Ice spa bath – recovery chillers              $32,000.00
• Player Compendiums                                $3,000.00
• Players room stereo unit                         $6,000.00
• Player room  plasma TV                           Donated by Kevin Heath of Sony
• Development room                                   $28,000.00
• Hi- Tech Treadmill                                     $85,000.00
• Motorized Training Cart                           $12,000
• Cold Flow Icing Equipment                      $15,000
• History Management Program              $25,000
• Junior Academy Sponsorship                $15,000
• New Tech Weights

Management System (Ipad)                  $29,000

• Players GPS Units                                     $47,000
• 2 x Game Ready Recovery Units             $9,200
• Qatar Altitude Training Venture           $50,000

 

Altitude Room Equipment (Oct 2012)

• Touch Screen Player Pro

systems for gym x 2 @ $6k ea.                $12,000

• Watt Bikes x 6 @ $2,975ea.                     $17,850
• Grinders x 2 @ $4,000ea.                         $8,000
• Versa Climbers x 2 @ $4,500 ea              $9,000
• Rowing Machines x 2 @ $3,000 ea.        $6,000

                                    

Oct, 2012                              Total                          $436,050

By Ted Hopkins

 

Stemming initially from University research centres, IT houses, business conferences and webinars, the name Big Data has started bobbing up and is spreading fast.

Typical is a recently glossy business magazine, Momentum, produced by the University Of Queensland that is headlined: ‘Big Data, Get it and get it right.’

How bizarre!

Since much of it is huge, difficult to grasp, and then assess.

Getting it is one thing, unravelling it is another.

I should know.

As early as 1995 I saw some of this phenomenon coming.

Instead of Big Data I called it Champion Data, the name of the small sport statistics company specialising AFL that I found and directed, from back then until October 2009.

The enterprise and my involvement subsequently triggered The Stats Revolution, which is the title of the book I have written on the subject, published by Slattery Media.

So much has changed in that period of almost 20 years—the humble statistic is no longer the humble statistic.

A vast difference now exists between Bruce McAvaney quoting archival statistics as embellished punctuation; compared to how numbers are collected, read, interpreted, and presented today.

In many respects, the numbers gathered now by armies of well-trained statisticians, their numbers available in real time, have now become the game and its language.

Players and teams are subjected to constant measurement by coaches, commentators, policy makers, consumers, and more recently fantasy football enthusiasts and betting interests.

The story of how statistics have infiltrated and evolved in AFL, their usefulness and abuse, is similar to other fields of endeavour.

Big Data is going to get bigger, more persuasive, and will not go away. At times it can be fruitful, and often dangerous. In between, there is lots of superfluous and meaningless junk.

To get the picture, let’s start with coaching an AFL team.

There are around 200 full-time coaching professionals spread around the 19 clubs. Add sports scientists, recruiters, and other specialists and the count is in excess of 500 on football department payrolls.

Game day commitments, recovery sessions, RDO’s and ensuring players are not subject to repetitive strain injuries means the actual time spent on the training track is limited.

What happens during the rest of the week?

Play table tennis? Eat lots of toast and jam?

Perhaps!

Mostly, the in-between time is spent sitting in front of computer screens poring over an ever-expanding array of statistics and multiple vision sources, or attending meetings in which PowerPoint has taken over as the Head Coach.

Legions of football coaches, commentators and their respective support staff have now become ‘Professional Analysts’ searching spreadsheets for the ‘data nuggets’ that will confirm their particular point-of-view.

There are even desktop applications that can do it ‘easily’ for them. Suddenly, coaches, commentators and officials can claim the title of  ‘data savvy.’ Correlation and data mining are now lingua franca.

But this is just one way of looking at the Big Data question, albeit in its most obvious form.

Like an iceberg, there’s another thing happening under the surface.

It involves teams of highly skilled mathematicians, statisticians, code-cutters, visualisers, interpreters and their respective managers interrogating vast amounts of data.

Their collective priority is listening to what the data says.

Opinion is set aside because it can prove a distraction on the path of discovery. It is far too easy to mistake correlation with causation effects and to find misleading patterns in the data.

The sporting field and databases are rife with imperfections. Error and chance are also vital players.

In this alternative approach to Big Data, knowing the error rate is essential before any declaration of certainty is possible.

AFL season 2013 and the Grand Final provide a choice example of the differences between data used for spruiking or for knowledge.

From season start until the grand final a chorus of coaches and commentators declared ‘contested footy’ was the most critical factor for winning games.

Accordingly, it seemed players willing to use their heads as battering rams, became the way to ultimate success.

However, those who had been ‘listening to the data’ for discovery purposes knew otherwise.

Winning the contested footy count was obviously an advantage, but historically there were several other measures that rate significantly higher.

For example, kicking long to advantage proved consistently highest on the winning radar and poor kicking in the backline the worst thing.

As legendary coach Allan Jeans famously observed long before the advent of computers and Big Data, “there is no point winning the ball unless it is put it to good effect.”

In the grand final Sydney won the long kicks-to-advantage 78 to Hawthorn 53 and lost the contested footy count 140 to Hawthorn 170. They won the flag by 10 points.

How bizarre!

Big Data was right and wrong at the same time, depending on who was listening and who was spruiking.

 

Ted Hopkins is a Carlton premiership player and founder of Champion Data. His latest enterprize is TedSport, delving into the secrets of Big Data.

 

Over the next two years the Spirit of Carlton in conjunction with the Blueseum will be undertaking a mammoth project that will involve creating highlight videos for as many past players as possible. We are beginning from the 1960s and will gradually work through time. The great advantage of this project is that past players who may never have known there was vision of their playing days will rightly be honoured  with an individual video. This will not only be a great thrill for many past players who may never have seen vision of their playing days but also for their families and the greater Carlton supporting community. We hope you enjoy these videos as we regularly release them over the next year or two.

Our first batch of videos includes:

John James

John Benetti

Tom Carroll

Maurie Sankey

Vasil Varlamos

John Reilly

Roger Hoggett

We have now fully released the videos on our youtube channel SpiritofCarltonTV. So sit back and enjoy hearing from the past and the present.

Happy 80th birthday to Ron Rhodes today.

Ron played a single game for the blues in 1954, unfortunately we have no pictures, no contact details and very little information about Ron. If anyone out there can help us out we would love to be able to contact Ron and let the Carlton football community know more about Ron.

 

From the Blueseum:

 

——————-

Ron Rhodes

Career: 1954
Debut and Only Game: Round 11, 1954 v St Kilda, aged 21 years, 228 days
Carlton Player No. 682
Goals: 0
Height: 183cm
Weight: 86kg
DOB: 17 November, 1932

Ron Rhodes ran out in Navy Blue at VFL level for 1 game only, taking the field against the Saints in Round 11, 1954.

Rhodes was recruited from Princes Hill and graduated from the Blues U/19’s to the senior team.

Career : 1960 – 1970
Debut : Round 6, 1960 vs Geelong, aged 17 years, 194 days
Carlton Player No. 733
Games : 167
Goals : 65
Last Game : Round 22, 1970 vs Melbourne, aged 27 years, 287 days
Guernsey Nos. 47 (5 games) and 20 (162 games)
Height : 188 cm (6 ft. 2 in.)
Weight : 92 kg (14 stone, 7 lbs.)
DOB : November 15, 1942
Premiership Player 1968
Carlton Hall of Fame (1998)

A pivotal figure at the Carlton Football Club for forty years, Wesley Victor Lofts was a tough, uncompromising Premiership full-back, and later, one of the Blues’ most powerful and influential administrators. He first came under notice in 1959, as a seventeen year-old with Carlton’s Under 19 team. Big for his age, with a safe pair of hands and a long, accurate kick, he was fast-tracked through the Reserves, and made his senior debut at centre half-forward against Geelong in round 6, 1960.

Although he began his career in guernsey 47, Lofts was wearing number 20 on his back when Carlton met Essendon in the 1962 Grand Final. Playing at centre half-back, Lofts held the Bombers’ star Ken Fraser goalless, even though Essendon as a team proved too good for the Blues, and won by 32 points. Soon afterwards, when Carlton’s popular full-back Peter Barry announced his retirement, Lofts was pencilled-in as Barry’s replacement. The move was quickly justified by Lofts, who took to the key defensive post as though born to it. At 188 cm and 92 kg he was one of the biggest key defenders in the game, as well as being hard, aggressive, and a good user of the football when he got it.

By season’s end in 1963, he had announced his arrival as a VFL footballer, and capped a good year by being selected in the Victorian state team. The mid-sixties was a dry era for Carlton, when internal squabbles and poor on-field performance culminated in the overthrow of the committee. Then came the sensational defection of Melbourne legend Ron Barassi from the Demons to the Blues. Barassi’s arrival galvanised the club, and built the foundations of two decades of glory for the old Dark Navy Blues. Under Barassi, Carlton climbed back into the finals in 1967, only to tumble out again with two straight losses, yet the signs were good. Lofts continued to play tough, often ruthless football at full-back, and was rewarded with Victorian state selection for the second time.

The Blues sustained momentum throughout the ’68 season, finishing second behind Essendon after the home and away rounds. An impressive five-goal demolition of the Bombers in the second Semi Final then put the Blues straight into another Grand Final. A week later, Essendon comfortably beat Geelong to earn a rematch for the flag, with Carlton suddenly the market favourite. Then, when Lofts’ regular opponent Ken Fraser was ruled out of the decider by injury, the Bombers surprised everyone by naming a slim, spectacle-wearing teenager Geoff Blethyn to play only his third game in Fraser’s place.

It seemed like a mismatch against Lofts, but Blethyn played one of the great Grand Final games. In a dour, low-scoring match, the Essendon tyro kicked four goals in the Bombers’ score of 8.5 (53), although it wasn’t enough. Carlton claimed their ninth flag with a justified, but inaccurate scoreline of 7.14 (56) to scrape in by three points. After eight seasons and three attempts, Wes Lofts had finally achieved his dream of playing in a Premiership team for the Blues.

Two years later, his hopes of a second Premiership medal were dashed when he was left out of Carlton’s team on the eve of the 1970 finals. Blues coach Ron Barassi later explained that the selection committee made the decision to drop Lofts only because of the outstanding form of Collingwood’s star full-forward Peter McKenna, who had troubled Lofts with his pace off the mark in both of their meetings throughout the year, and kicked bags of eight and nine goals respectively. With no second prize on offer on Grand Final day, the Blues simply had to contain McKenna, and were looking for a more pacy opponent for Collingwood’s trump card.

Understandably, Big Wes was gutted, and no doubt wracked by very mixed emotions when McKenna booted another nine goals in the second Semi Final to lead the Magpies to a third straight victory over Carlton – this time by 77 points. Although the Baggers rebounded to thrash St Kilda in the Preliminary Final and earn one last crack at Collingwood, the Pies went into the 1970 Grand Final as overwhelming favourites. At half-time in that amazing game, McKenna had booted five goals and Collingwood led by 44 points. Then came one of the turning points in the history of the Carlton Football Club, and indeed the game as a whole. Barassi rang the changes, brought reserve Ted Hopkins on to field, and told his team to back themselves; to run and keep running – and to “handball, handball, handball”. Carlton came storming back to do the impossible, and snatched the greatest of all Grand Final wins.

The euphoria of the post-match celebrations in succeeding weeks understandably overshadowed Wes Lofts’ decision to retire. Without a lot of fanfare, he called it a day aged 27, after 167 games and 65 goals in ten seasons. His playing days had ended, but his most influential years at Princes Park were still in the future.

In 1978, Lofts was elected to the Carlton committee and appointed Chairman of Selectors. Over succeeding years, while building up a formidable private business profile of his own, he was a driving force in just about every important policy decision taken by the club. It was Lofts who convinced Ian Rice to stand for President in 1980, and it was he who brought business heavyweights John Elliott, Richard Pratt and others to the Carlton board. He retained a strong influence in the recruiting area and deserves a lot of credit for his work in laying the foundations for Carlton’s string of Premierships in 1981, 1982, 1987, and 1995.

When John Elliott was elected President of Carlton in the eighties, he and Lofts began a close working relationship spanning twenty years. For most of that time, it was a period of success and prosperity – until the new century dawned and Carlton’s financial dealings with its players were subjected to intense scrutiny by the AFL. Perhaps the biggest crisis in the long history of the Blues resulted, with the club fined almost one million dollars and denied access to the best young football talent in the country for a period of three years. That double blow resulted in the first two wooden spoons ever for the Blues, and plunged the club into deep financial crisis.

In 2002, John Elliott was voted out of office by the members. Wes Lofts resigned from his position on the Board of Directors shortly before the vote.