Carlton’s stirring four-point win over Richmond provided the perfect tonic for last Friday’s “Taming the Tigers” luncheon – in celebration of the 30th and 40th anniversaries of Carlton’s Grand Final conquests of the yellow and black in 1972 and ’82
More than 600 people, the Carlton Senior Coach Brett Ratten and all members of the current senior playing group included, filed into the Victory Room as two of this club’s greatest triumphs were acknowledged with great gusto.
Members of the captive audience heard from the 1972 captain-coach John Nicholls, who revealed with methodical detail the master plan that delivered Carlton’s its 11th premiership with a record scoreline, They also heard from David Parkin as he conveyed with characteristic passion the events that conspired in his players favour to secure the second of the 1981-’82 back-to-back flags, and who rated his teams of that era on a par with any before or since.
Through the course of the afternoon, video interviews with the 1982 captain Mike Fitzpatrick (an apologist due to his commitments at the London Olympics as AFL chairman) and the reclusive Bruce Doull (the only man to have represented Carlton in both Grand Final triumphs) were screened. Peter Jones and Adrian Gallagher were also on hand to recount their memories of the ’72 Grand Final, as did Jim Buckley and Warren Jones in respect of ’82.
Current players Eddie Betts, Andrew Carrazzo and Zach Tuohy also took questions from resident MC and ’72 premiership player Ian Robertson, and in doing so conveyed their understanding and appreciation of the rich history that is uniquely Carlton’s.
Robert Walls, Alex Jesaulenko, Marc Murphy, Sergio Silvagni, Bryce Gibbs and Chris Judd.