Anthony Koutoufides
Career: 1992 – 2007
Debut: Round 13, 1992 vs Adelaide
985th Carlton Player
Games: 278
Goals: 226
Last game: Round 17, 2007 v St Kilda
Guernsey No. 43
Height: 190cm
Weight: 99kg
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
Captain: 2004-06
Anthony Koutoufides will no doubt be remembered for many things; Carlton Captain, his famous super-build, his ability to play in a number of positions and thrive, his outstanding fairness out on the field, his pay-packet, his ability to pick up and hold the ball with one hand, and for being a mildly spoken nice guy. But above all, “Kouta” will go down in history as a Club legend.
The 191cm right-foot star in the #43 guernsey came to the Blues via a zone selection, a form of recruiting replaced by the draft (he was recruited from Lalor, he also played at East Thomastown). Although it took a few seasons for Kouta the utility to take his place, Kouta began to dominate on the wing over 1994 and 1995 and he was unlucky not to win the Norm Smith Medal in our GF win of 1995. He came 2nd in the Club Best & Fairest in 1999, third in 2000 while he won All-Australian selection plus the Players Association MVP award, and then won the Club Best & Fairest in 2001 and 2005.
Kouta was unstoppable in 2000, including a run of games mid season in which we would dominate.
In later years he would play occasional key position roles, including 6 from Full Forward one day, plus rucking in his early days when we needed some mobility. Perhaps of most interest to the historians is Kouta’s change in game from strong marking midfielder to insider clearer, as Ratten’s demise and Kouta’s knees required a change in position.
Kouta’s influence was so important to the Blues that the Blueseum has utilised a ‘story by games’ of Kouta’s career, which highlights wonderful games of Kouta’s career from 1992 to 2007, and can be accessed here.
For a true understanding of Kouta’s potential in many roles across the ground, look no further than his ‘Stat Shot’ in side the Blueseum. From key position player, to midfielder, to extractor, to bit-part player as his age increased, you can see Kouta the player excelling in different areas of the game – from goals, to marks, to clearances, to tackles. His importance to the team in various roles would simply not decline as the years did – Kouta was / is a champ in many different areas of the game.
There was also Kouta’s fair share of injuries, with two major knee injuries in 2000 and 2001 plus a hamstring tendon injury that delayed his debut as captain in 2004. The 2000 knee injury was incurred in a mid-air collision with Bomber Johnson in Round 20 injuring his Posterior Ligament, not to mention our finals chances. The 2001 injury was even more longer term, and caused after Tiger Matthew Knights fell across his knee in the dour 2001 Semi-Final loss. Of course, Kouta tried to return early, playing 3 games with a mattress tied to his leg in Rounds 15-17 of 2002, before re-hurting the knee against the Swans and finishing his season early.
There are so many memories to Kouta’s play that it is hard to pick out the best. The 1999 Preliminary Final where Kouta was dominating at all parts of the ground simultaneously – think about that for a second – was as awesome a game of footy you will see from any one player.