5th April: Mil Hanna
Milham Hanna was an extraordinarily well built but enigmatic wingman / defender for the Blues in between 1986 and 1997. As an outstanding junior footballer he always seemed destined as being a future senior player with the Blues. He was selected in the All-Australian Team for the 1983 Teal Cup after representing Victoria in the carnival. Hanna was a local lad recruited from East Brunswick.
Hanna’s debut is perhaps one of the greatest horror stories that can be suffered by a footy player. Much like the Carlton debut of Dean Rice, where he suffered a severe knee injury, but even worse as it was Hanna’s first game overall, Hanna busted his knee in Round 1 of 1986 against the Hawks. He was retained by the Blues but not seen again until Round 7, 1987.
Of Lebanese descent, Hanna had a long right foot kick on him but hardly ever used his left. Hanna’s pace and agility meant that he could be played in many positions across the wing or half back, plus the occasional stint up forward. A 5 goal game against the Hawks at Waverley in 1995 sticks in the mind – he was kicking them from everywhere on that day.
Hanna played 19 games in 1993, including our Grand Final loss to the Bombers, a game in which he was knocked heavily by tough-man Dean Wallis in what was arguably a defining moment of the match.
Hanna would play all games in 1994 and 1995, including playing on the wing in the Grand Final. Hanna’s brilliant opening quarter in the “Grannie” cannot be underestimated, with Hanna scorching the outer wing on Aaron Lord (our nemesis from the 1994 finals campaign) and delivering beautifully to Brad Pearce for one special goal in our first quarter onslaught. Geelong switched the wings in the second quarter, giving Kouta to chance to dominate – as he did. But there is no doubt Hanna was a key player at the start of the game.
Mil began to slow down over 1996 and 1997, departing in 1997 after only a handful of games for the year. But he would retire a 190 game Premiership Player for the Blues.
From: http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Mil+Hanna
April 9th: Brad Fisher
Fisher was one of those draft pick gems that pop up late in the order. Taken at number 72 in the 2002 National Draft, he made 99 senior appearances and booted 127 goals for Carlton in eight injury-plagued seasons. Courageous, and an often freakish high mark, he richly deserved to be remembered as a 100-game Blue (and went to great lengths trying to achieve that honour) but in the end, his fragile body let him down.
Fisher’s path to Carlton led from his junior club East Burwood, to the Eastern Ranges in the elite level TAC Cup Under 18 competition. From there he was drafted by the Blues, and assigned guernsey number 14. He was carrying a completely different number however, when he created real excitement in his first match at VFL level by kicking six big goals on debut for the Northern Bullants. Typical of Blues-listed players at the lower level, “Fish” wasn’t wearing the number 14 that day, nor the number listed next to his name in the single page handout available at Cramer St Oval. Instead, he thrilled the crowd in jumper number 36 – which only added to the confusion, because that was usually carried by one the Bullants’ real stalwarts, Josh Vansittart!
That sparkling first-up effort brought an immediate call-up to Carlton’s senior side, and Fisher officially became a Blue on the huge stage of Friday night football at the MCG in round 2, 2003. Carlton took on Collingwood that night, putting up some spirited resistance before falling by 16 points. Brad started on the bench, came on to take a couple of impressive grabs, and kicked his first career goal.
He held on to his place in the side throughout the remainder of a bleak year for Carlton, and despite a couple of minor problems with a knee and shoulder, ended up playing 16 games in an excellent debut season, highlighted by his AFL Rising Star nomination for his solid effort in Carlton’s win over Richmond at the MCG in round 12…..
From: http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Brad+Fisher
April 15th: Ron De Iulio
Ron burst on to the scene with 29 goals from 19 games as a pacy half-forward in the 1992 season, wearing the #34 guernsey. He was recruited from VFA club Box Hill, previous to that, he had played with VFA club Brunswick.
After battling with Luke O’Sullivan and the resting rovers such as Mitchell, Gleeson and Heaver for that role in subsequent years, Ron went back to the reserves and was was tried in defence. He eventually returned to the senior team, often picking up the opposition’s fastest and smallest forward. In this role, De Iulio had breakthrough years in 1996 and 1998 (playing 21 and all 22 games respectively) and began to make a name for himself as a defensive stalwart whilst the Blues struggled.
He had many battles with Sean Charles and later Jeff Farmer playing against Melbourne and was a valuable member of the team. But he struggled to maintain his place in the side in 1999, after playing the first 5 games, playing his final game in Round 21. He remained at the club in 2000 but spent the entire year in the VFL, where his career ended.
He ended up playing 104 games in the #34- a fair achievement and just enough to earn him a place on the locker, as only the third Blue to do so.
From: http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.php?page=Ron+De+Iulio