Happy 92nd birthday to Dan Beavais!

From the Blueseum:

Career : 1945
Debut: Round 8, 1945 vs Geelong, aged 24 years, 232 days
Carlton Player No. 607
Games : 4
Goals : 5
Last Game : Round 12, 1945 vs Melbourne, aged 24 years, 260 days
Guernsey No. 17
Height : 187 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 86 kg ( 13 stone, 8 lbs.)
DOB: 20 October, 1920

Dan Beauvais had a brief 4-game career at Princes Park in 1945 – one of the most tumultuous years in history. It was the year when World War II finally ended with the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities, and when the Carlton football club won a famous, controversial seventh VFL flag in the ‘Bloodbath’ Grand Final victory over South Melbourne.

One of ten young men to wear the Old Dark Navy Blue for the first time in 1945 was Dan Beauvais, a 24 year-old from Jeparit who did well when he came off the bench and kicked two goals in Carlton’s good win over Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 8.

Beauvais was rewarded with a place in one forward pocket the following week (alongside Lance Collins and Ron Hines) and put through another three majors during Carlton’s 9-point loss to Footscray at Princes Park. After this sixth loss of the year, the Blues were languishing in ninth place on the ladder, well out of finals contention.

However, a shock win over second -placed North Melbourne at Arden Street in round 10 revived the Blues spirit, especially when Collins returned to form at full-forward and kicked six terrific goals. Beauvais didn’t trouble the scorers that afternoon, but was still a little unlucky to lose his place in the side when the versatile Ken Baxter returned from injury the next week, and Carlton at home beat South Melbourne by six points.

Beauvais spent just that one week in the seconds before he was recalled as 19th man for round 12 against Melbourne. He sat on the pine throughout the game, even as Melbourne rattled home, kicking 4.1 to Carlton’s 2.1 in the last quarter at Punt Road. The Blues held on to win by 1 point, and moved to within 8 points of the top four.

Even so, Beauvais was apparently dissatisfied with his progress at Carlton, and soon afterward decided to switch clubs to Hawthorn. Carlton wanted him to stay, and the matter dragged on for some weeks until Dan was eventually released. Thereafter, while the Blues continued climbing the mountain toward the finals and eventually succeeded, Beauvais joined the Hawks, and played another seven matches before retiring in 1946.

He stood just five feet three, but there was a lot of dirt in Tommy Downs . . . and while his time at Carlton only took in 56 games, few before or since can lay claim to causing greater controversy.

Born in inner city Fitzroy in 1901, Tommy cut his teeth – quite literally we suspect – at Preston in the rough and tumble of the VFA. These were the immediate years post-World War I, and took Tommy through to 1921 when he joined neighbouring club Northcote.

At Northcote, Tommy won a handsome reputation as a footballer, earning what was then known as the Recorder Cup for competition Best and Fairest player in 1925. In time, Tommy attracted the interest of Carlton’s talent scouts and by early 1927, when the first market tremors hit the United States’ financial markets, he resolved to make a go of it at Princes Park.

At Carlton, Tommy followed in the footsteps of his late cousin Lyle Downs, a more tragic figure there never was. In July 1921, Lyle, then 24, had collapsed and died of a heart attack in the change rooms after being party to an innocuous Thursday evening training session at the old Carlton ground.

It’s fair and reasonable to assume that Tommy’s time at Carlton through the 1927-’29, ’31 and ’33 would have landed him more than his game quota of 56 had he not been suspended for a total of 60 games in all (which is precisely 38 more than our very own David Rhys-Jones).

In all, Tommy had his number taken three times on a total of four charges, and clearly he reserved much of his fire and brimstone for Richmond. On the first occasion, in the 1928 semi-final against the Tigers, he was booked and duly rubbed out for 12 games for striking Jack Fincher (and Richmond’s Allan Geddes copped eight for biffing Tommy).

In the wake of the 1929 Preliminary Final, Tommy was also found guilty on two charges; one of striking, and the other of elbowing Richmond’s Don Harris. With the VFL judiciary under intense pressure to clean up the game, Tommy was used as the scapegoat and copped a whopping 19-game suspension for his troubles.

Then came the ill-fated return match against Richmond at Punt Road Oval in July, when Richmond’s captain Maurie Hunter reeled out a pack, and the field umpire reached for his book.

Found guilty of the worst crime in football – kicking – Tommy was suspended for 29 games, which ruled him out of the remainder of 1931, and all of 1932. But both player and club were united in their belief that Tommy was innocent of the charge, and that he had been convicted on his record rather than the evidence.

Support for Tommy in Carlton town was vociferous. In September of ’31, more than 1000 supporters converged on Princes Park to debate the case and lend morale backing to their beloved Blue. It was reported that at times the then President Dave Crone had difficulty controlling the mob, as devotees criticised the then VFL for failing to quash the verdict and contributed funds to support Downs’

A meeting of Carlton members was also called to protest the decision, and a crowd of around 2000 packed Brunswick Town Hall. Tommy’s case was taken up by Robert Menzies, QC (later Sir Robert, Prime Minister of Australia and Carlton’s No.1 ticketholder). Regrettably there was no avenue of appeal in place at that time, so Tommy and the club were forced to pay a very high price for what turned out to be an umpire’s mistake.

Tommy Downs and his golfing friends enjoy a well-deserved drink.

Some years later, The Sporting Globe published a photograph taken by a Richmond spectator at the match, which clearly showed that it was not Downs who had made contact with Hunter, but a teammate who had accidentally laid boot on the Tigers’ front man.

Despite the massive backlash, Tommy quietly served out his suspension, and came back to play again at Carlton in 1933. By then 32, he managed six games and six goals before retiring for good.

Tommy Downs died at the age of 80 in the Carlton premiership year of 1981. Recently a relative, Anne Downs, came forward with some wonderful images and documents relating to Tommy’s colourful career, including a poem drafted on the eve of his comeback in the ’33 season.

The following poem, entitled Our Hero and penned by a supporter unknown, is an 80-year throwback to Carlton in the days of coach Dan Minogue.

We’re waiting for the coming of our nippy little Rover,
They say that Carlton’s not a team without our Horrie Clover,
True he keeps them firm and steady, helps them take a stand,
But to even things up nicely, needs Downsie there on hand.
He waits his opportunities, and whenever there’s a chance,
He’s got the ball before them, his opponents lend a dance.
We hope he’s feeling fit and fine, before the Tigers he toes the line,
And when he hears the Tigers roar, remember twas them he did penance for,
And show them how to play the game, on him for lameness there’ll be no blame.

Cheers for our Hero, to welcome him back,
For Carlton had yet another trump in their pack.
The Magpies may warble, the Tigers loud roar,
Or any of the others that’s left in the four.
We’ve got what we wanted, our weakness made strong,
We’ll show to each team as we journey along.
Hats off! Cheer again, for premiers to be,
With the help we’ll receive from our Rover Downsie.

Max Howell, the 12-game Carlton centreman who joined the Blues on the end of their premiership season of 1947, has died at the age of 84.

Howell, the Benalla boy who appears in the club’s official portrait of the ’47 Premiership squad, first broke into the Blues’ senior line-up in the seventh round of ’48.

Named on a wing, he got his chance against Melbourne on the MCG after the ’47 Premiership player Fred Fitzgibbon was ruled out with injury. This was Norm Smith’s 200th senior appearance for the Redlegs who duly won by 51 points despite the best efforts of Carlton’s Ollie Grieve on the last line.

Howell managed to hold his place for another week, before Fitzgibbon was declared fit again for round nine. He returned to the reserves, but won a recall to play in the back pocket in three more games mid-season.

Howell managed just three senior appearances in 1949, each as 20th man, then was assigned the roving role by Senior Coach Perc Bentley in the opening round of 1950, once again against Melbourne. He kicked his one and only goal for the Blues that afternoon.

At Princes Park the following Saturday he was part of the winner’s circle after Ray Garby and Ken Baxter each booted five goals in a high-scoring mid-table clash against North Melbourne. Howell lined up at half-forward in that one, but didn’t trouble the scorers.

That would prove to be Howell’s last match for Carlton, and he promptly pursued his career with VFA outfit Oakleigh.

The former Carlton Premiership ruckman and coach Ken Hands, a lifelong friend of Howell’s, conceded that Max was “an in an out one” in his seasons as a player at Princes Park.

“I couldn’t tell you much about Max’s time at Carlton, because he was there all too briefly in the late 1940s,” Hands said. “I know that he went to Oakleigh after he couldn’t cut it at Carlton and was a premiership player there. For a time he also worked at KG Luke’s as a metal spinner before going door-to-door and for many years he was a keen golfer.

“Max was a terrific bloke. He was always spot on – he was never any different. Over the past two years he was in hospital more than anywhere else, but he never gave up and he fought all the way.”

Max is survived by Mavis, his wife of 61 years; sons John and Peter, daughters-in-law Karen and Dianne; and seven grandchildren whom, according to a death notice placed by son John, he brainwashed into barracking for the mighty Blues.