By Tony De Bolfo

“My Dad always said to me ‘I always knew you were going to be a footballer’, because from the time you’d get up in the morning you’d get that ball and go out in the back whether it was summer or winter, cold, in your bare feet just kicking this ball around.”

The speaker is Alex Marcou, Carlton’s three-time premiership player and a key component of football’s fabled “Mosquito Fleet”.

That the little man in the No.34 guernsey managed to play the game at all, let alone at League level, is something of a minor miracle given the incredible challenges he faced as the son of new Australians who settled in Thomastown.

And yet it was “right place, right time” for the 134-game member of the 1979, ’81 and ’82 Grand Finals and Carlton Hall of Famer, whose talent was identified by the Grand Old Man of Princes Park, the late Newton Chandler.

In this podcast, exclusively for carltonfc.com.au, Marcou talks candidly about a whole range of issues including;

•         his Greek Macedonian heritage and the harsh realities of war for his father and mother;

•         difficulties with language in his early years;

•         Sergio Silvagni’s intervention to thwart his transfer to Essendon

•         his hand in each of Carlton’s three Grand Final triumphs;

•         his hilarious take on what was happening to him when the streaker invaded the MCG turf on that one day in September 1982;

•         which member of the ‘Mosquito Fleet’ he’d first name in his team – Ashman, Buckley, Harmes, Johnston or Sheldon;

•         his greatest regret in football; and

•         what Carlton means to him.

To listen to Alex Marcou, click here.

By Tony De Bolfo

Don McIntyre, Carlton’s oldest surviving club best and fairest, the last existing member of its victorious 1938 Grand Final team over Collingwood, and, as such, the Blues’ only surviving pre-World War II premiership player and club champion, is today celebrating his 98th birthday.

McIntyre, who still follows the fortunes of his team from afar, lives a quieter existence thesedays. His last foray into the old Carlton ground came three years ago when he generously donated four precious personal items of memorabilia for future display at the club – the Terry Ogden Memorial Medal for Most improved Player in 1936; the Angus Travill Medal and Robert Reynolds Trophy for best and fairest in 1937; and the 1938 VFL Premiership Medal.

Born in Geelong on March 5, 1915, Daniel Gordon McIntyre, as a young boy, followed the local football outfit with unbridled enthusiasm.

“I used to go with my grandfather and hardly missed a game down there through the early teen years,” McIntyre remembered in an interview back in 2008.

“Being a very enthusiastic young supporter I thought it was the best thing that could happen to you, to get down to Corio Oval and see them play on a Saturday afternoon. I can still remember the first Brownlow Medallist, “Carji” Greeves, number 20, playing in the centre, Jocka Todd, Cliff Rankin and so on.

Ultimately recruited to Carlton from Packenham, McIntyre represented Carlton in 100 matches between 1935 and ’42. A quick flick through Carlton’s annual reports of the day go some way to telling the tale of his personal achievements. In the 1936 report, the then secretary Newton Chandler declared McIntyre a worthy recipient of the memorial medal struck the previous year to mark the untimely death on March 2 “of that manly and brilliant little player, Terry Ogden”.

“The Terry Ogden Memorial Medal for the ‘Most improved’ player, was awarded to Mr. Don McIntyre. Don, in his first season, proved one of the best ‘Back Pocket’ players in the League. His success proved very popular,” Chandler wrote.

Then in late 1937, Chandler wrote in glowing terms of McIntyre’s taking of the Robert Reynolds Trophy (a forerunner to the John Nicholls Medal) for club best and fairest.

“As predicted in the previous Season, Don developed into the finest Back Pocket Player in the League. He was most consistent and the honor was richly deserved,” Chandler wrote.

The Carlton Football Club extends its best wishes to its oldest living player, Don McIntyre, on the occasion of his 98^th birthday.

Follow Tony De Bolfo on Twitter: @CFC_DeBolfo

By Tony De Bolfo

“Ron Barassi was the best thing that happened to Carlton in 150 years . . . other than Chris Judd coming.”

The speaker is Adrian Gallagher – Carlton’s Team of the 2oth Century’s No.1 rover – and with John Nicholls and Sergio Silvagni a member of what was, and perhaps still remains, football’s greatest following division.

Wearing the No.10 made famous by the late John James and now donned by Matthew Watson, Adrian Gallagher is the only man in this club’s history to have represented Carlton at all levels – Under 15s, Under 16s, Under 17s, Under 19s, reserves and seniors. His 165 games over nine seasons also took in the Premierships of 1968, ’70 and ’72 . . . but don’t bother asking ‘Gags’ to name a favourite.

As he said: “Premierships are like children – you can’t pick your favourite”.

Adrian Gallagher recently gave up his time for what was the first of a series of podcasts exclusively for www.carltonfc.com.au. To hear Adrian talk of the great Ronald Dale, the Premierships and today’s Carlton team, click here.

Follow Tony De Bolfo on Twitter: @CFC_DeBolfo