Lance Whitnall
Career : 1997 – 2007
Debut : Round 1, 1997 vs Essendon, aged 17 years, 220 days
Carlton Player No. 1013
Games : 216
Goals : 348
Guernsey No. 8
Last Game : Round 22, 2007 vs Melbourne, aged 28 years, 10 days
Height : 192 cm (6 ft. 2 in.)
Weight : 100 kg (15 stone, 10 lbs.)
DOB : 23 August, 1979
Captain: 2007
All Australian: 2000
John Nicholls Medal: 2006
Leading goalkicker: 1998, 1999, 2000
Rising Star Nominee: Round 1, 1997
An often brilliant, yet much-maligned key forward who captained the Blues in the last of his eleven seasons at Princes Park, Lance Whitnall was born with rare skills, an astute football brain, and a bulky frame that was prone to stack on extra kilos during the briefest of layoffs. His battles with his weight were well-publicised throughout his time at Princes Park, often drawing scathing and ill-informed criticism. The facts are that Whitnall was more than a worthy captain of the Carlton Football Club, and his career record stands comparison with all but the very best of the Blues’ on-field leaders.
Lance came to Carlton with an impressive football pedigree. His father, Graeme Whitnall, played 66 matches for the Blues between 1974 and 1981, while his grandfather Noel had a long and distinguished career in country football. As a youngster, Lance played as a junior with outer-suburban Lalor. From the age of 14 he was remarkably mature in both mind and body, and this translated to dominance on the field. By 1995 he was centre half-forward and captain of the Victorian Under 16 state team, and a year later was a star in the Northern Knights side that won the TAC Cup Under 18 Grand Final. Carlton then drafted him under the father/son rule, and by Christmas 1996, Whitnall was the new custodian of Carlton’s number 8 guernsey. Nicknamed “Banger” at first, then “Big Red” or simply “Red” because of his hair colour, he didn’t lack confidence or self-belief.
Meanwhile, fresh from the glory of the 1995 Premiership (and the utter despair of defeat by Hawthorn in ’96), Carlton was hunting for a new pair of key forwards to take over the mantle still being carried with distinction by Earl Spalding and Stephen Kernahan. On Friday night, March 21, 1997 it seemed that we just might have found them, when 17 year-old Whitnall, and 19 year-old Aaron Hamill both impressed in Carlton’s big win over Geelong in the Grand Final of the pre-season Ansett Cup. Hamill’s pack-busting team play, combined with Whitnall’s clever leads and solid aerial skills, helped the Blues to a huge victory by almost ten goals.
Barely ten days later, Whitnall’s AFL career began in earnest when he was named at full-forward for the round 1 blockbuster against Essendon at the MCG – where he could scarcely have been more impressive on debut. Showing poise and amazing maturity, Lance took nine strong marks, and kicked four goals as Carlton lost a thriller by 7 points. That eye-catching effort saw him nominated for the AFL Rising Star award, and alerted every other team to his potential. From then on, he rarely played forward without attracting a top defender.
John Leatham
Career : 1967
Debut : Round 3, 1967 vs North Melbourne, aged 20 years, 249 days
Carlton Player No. 796
Games : 2
Goals : 0
Last Game : Round 4, 1967 vs Melbourne, aged 20 years, 256 days
Guernsey No. 45
Height : 183 cm (6 ft. 0 in)
Weight : 76 kg (12 stone, 0 lbs.)
DOB : 23 August, 1946
Only the second Blue to wear guernsey number 45 in a senior game for Carlton (after Gil Lockhart in 1966) John Leatham was a speedy wingman recruited from Maffra Rovers in the North Gippsland Football League. He donned the navy blue strip for two consecutive games early in 1967, but couldn’t settle in at Princes Park, and his career was over by season’s end.
Leatham made his debut for Carlton against North Melbourne at Princes Park in round 3, 1967. His centreline partners on that cloudy afternoon were Ian Robertson and Cliff Stewart, and the Blues ran out comfortable winners by 16 points.
The following week in round 4, Carlton’s unbeaten run continued when a sharp Blues combination shook Melbourne off early in the contest, and then thrashed the Demons by ten goals. Although just about every Bagger got a swag of possessions, the match committee still made changes for round 5, and Leatham was one of those omitted.
No doubt deeply disappointed, he played only one or two further Reserves matches before deciding to forsake the dream of VFL football, and was back playing in the country only a few weeks later.