The Blues face a huge test in front of a jam packed MCG against the reigning premiers today. This is not the only big test Carlton has faced on this date, including a recent clash with Collingwood where the Blues triumphed.

Round 16, 1977

Renato Serafini, in his debut for the Blues after crossing from Fitzroy, kicked a late goal to help the Blues win.

Carlton put another temporary stop to South’s hopes of making the Final Five when reserve Renato Serafini kicked a goal at the 22 minute mark and shepherded for Rod Ashman to do likewise minutes later. Prior to this, the Swans had grabbed the lead after trailing early in the game, which would rank with one of the worst of the season in the Lakeside Oval mud. The Blues late run and win gave them their sixth in a row against South. – Football Record.

Round 16, 1988

Steal of the Round
Carlton’s Stephen Silvagni is caught out of position as Geelong’s Michael Turner taps a short pass across to teammate Bruce Lindner. But somehow Silvagni, who is travelling in the same direction as the ball manages to intercept and clear for the Blues as a bewildered Lindner looks on……. – Inside Football.

Ray Byrne: 16th July

Career : 1973 – 1978
Debut : Round 2, 1973 vs North Melbourne, aged 19 years, 272 days
Carlton Player No. 837
Games : 81
Goals : 13
Guernsey No. 26
Last Game: Round 6, 1978 vs Hawthorn, aged 24 years, 294 days
Height : 181 cm (5 ft. 11 in.)
Weight : 79.5 kg (12 stone, 7 lbs.)
DOB : 16 July, 1953

Ray Byrne will be remembered as one of the most unfortunate players in the history of VFL/AFL football. A capable and courageous defender, he turned out for two clubs in four Grand Finals – only to be on the losing side in each one of them.

In 1972, Byrne was recruited by the Blues at the age of 19 from Golden Square, in Carlton’s rich Bendigo League zone. He was given guernsey number 26 and soon proved to be a popular clubman and a creative half-back. At 181 cm and 80 kg, he was equally at home on the last line of defence, where he played in Carlton’s 1973 Grand Final loss to Richmond. The Blues went down by five goals that day, but Byrne’s opponent; Noel Carter, was hardly sighted.

Although his endeavour rarely faltered, by 1978 Byrne’s opportunities were drying up – due mainly to the emergence of future stars like Peter McConville, Rod Austin and Wayne Harmes. That same year there was an upheaval at the club with coach Ian Stewart resigning because of poor health, and then Serge Silvagni and later Alex Jesaulenko taking turns as senior coach. It was around that time that the Blues offloaded Byrne’s good mate Robert Walls, to Fitzroy – so Byrne decided that he too wanted out.

As he put it, “I didn’t like the scene at the time, and up until the Wednesday before clearances closed they weren’t going to let me go. And then at the last minute, the Blues got a deal they wanted. They gave permission for me to go to Collingwood on the proviso that they got a form four”. (A form four was required for every player recruited to a VFL club). Byrne wasn’t keen to go to Collingwood – he actually wanted to join Melbourne – but at the last minute he was off to Victoria Park. Incidentally, the Blues recruited Robbert Klomp with the form four they received in exchange from the Magpies.

Peter Fitzpatrick: 17th July

Career : 1978 – 1980
Debut : Round 3, 1978 v Melbourne
874th Carlton Player
Games : 9
Goals : 4
Last game : Round 7, 1980 v Hawthorn
Guernsey No. 6
Height : 184cm
Weight : 87kg
DOB : 17 July 1959

No relation to Mike Fitzpatrick (although their careers at Carlton coincided) Peter Fitzpatrick joined the Blues from Golden Square in 1978. He showed glimpses of real ability in his nine senior games, but found the going tough when he was forced to compete for a place in the team against the likes of Jim Buckley, Wayne Harmes, Peter McConville and Barry Armstrong.

Later, Fitzpatrick bobbed up at St Kilda in 1980. He managed another four games for the Saints, then moved on to SANFL club Woodville for the 1981 season. In 1982 he move back to Victoria and played for VFA club Sandringham in which he would later captain in 1987 and 1988, he was also a member of their 1985 premiership team. In 1989, he transferred to arch-rival VFA club Port Melbourne after a falling out with Sandringham coach and ex Hawk Bob Keddie.

Andy Graham: 18th July

Career: 1983
Debut and only Game: Round 15, 1983 vs Melbourne
912th Carlton Player
Goals: Nil
Guernsey No. 46
Height: 180cm
Weight: 76kg
DOB: 18 July, 1963

Wearing guernsey #46 and listed at 180cm in height, Graham played a single game for Carlton in Season 1983 which was a loss to Melbourne at Princes Park. In this game, Graham shared his debut with Ricky Nixon. He was recruited from Coburg.

Darren Hulme: 19th July

Career: 1997-2004
Debut: Round 10, 1997 vs Port Adelaide
1018th Carlton Player
Games: 110
Goals: 56
Last Game: Round 9, 2004 vs Western Bulldogs
Guernsey No. 47 (1997), 27 (1998-2004)
Height: 175cm
Weight: 80kg
DOB: 19 July, 1977
AFL Rising Star Nominee: Round 10, 1998

Taken with Pick 8 in the 1997 Pre-Season Draft from Dandenong Stingrays U/18’s (originally from Frankston Bombers), Darren Hulme was a feisty 175 cm midfielder who played over 100 games with the Blues. “Pup”, who wore a tattoo on his left shoulder, became a regular with the Blues from late 1997 until 2003, other than some occasional soft tissue injuries and a serious knee injury in Round 5, 2002, which would keep him sidelined for the remainder of that season. He would return to being a regular in the side in 2003, playing 20 games (missing 2 due to injury). But after playing 7 of the first 9 games in 2004, he would miss the remainder of that season with a groin injury and then be delisted.

He would generally alternate on the ball with short stints in the forward line. He would earn an AFL Rising Star Nomination in 1998. One of Hulme’s most memorable games was Round 9, 2001, when he would inspire a Blues’ revival. He would take on two Roos players, yet was still able to beat them both to win the ball and force a turnover, which would result in an important goal that would change the course of the game. He would end up taking the 3 Brownlow votes that game and would record 10 for the year – the equal highest at the club.

Andy Lukas: 19th July

Career : 1970 – 1973
Debut : Round 7, 1970 vs South Melbourne, aged 19 years, 301 days
Carlton Player No. 820
Games : 34
Goals : 3
Last Game : Round 10, 1973 vs Footscray, aged 22 years, 325 days
Guernsey No. 7 and 49
Height : 178 cm (5 ft. 10 in.)
Weight : 71.3 kg (11 stone, 3 lbs.)
DOB : 19 July, 1950
Premiership Player: 1972

Wearing guernsey number 49, and later number 7, Lukas played 34 games for Carlton after first running out in Navy Blue in Season 1970. He kicked three career goals.

Andy was born on July 19, 1950 and was recruited from St Marks and then Fawkner. He worked his way through to senior selection from Carlton’s Under 19 squad. He was listed as 5′ 10″ (178cm) and 11.3 (71.3kg). He made his senior team debut on the bench as 20th man against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval, Albert Park in Round 7, 1970, when Carlton were defeated by 77 points.

Andy played two more senior games during 1970, eight in 1971 and twenty-two during 1972 – including the Premiership. However he managed only two senior games in 1973, including his last senior appearance in Round 10, 1973 at Waverley, when Carlton beat Footscray by 26 points. In all, 16 of his 34 Carlton senior games were played off the bench (including the 1972 Premiership, where he was 19th man).

Before the start of the 1971 season, Andy changed his name to Lukas from Lukimitis (Lukas was born in Australia of Latvian parents). The popular belief at the time was that the change was to help “Captain Blood” Jack Dyer in his commentary. He was one of the two Carlton players to change their names that year, the other being Gary Lawson-Smith who changed his name from Smith. This story is explored in detail here.

Thanks to the Blueseum for player pics and bios.

There are just six weeks to go to our big event of 2011, the 1981 Premiership Reunion Luncheon.

To book your table or seat simply download and fill in our application form which can be DOWNLOADED BY CLICKING HERE.

We can confirm that DAVID PARKIN will be one of the keynote speakers. It will be fascinating to hear David’s recollections of that great day when the Blues defeated the Magpies on a sodden MCG.

Date: THURSDAY 25th August 2011
Time: 12:00pm
Dress: Lounge Suit
Venue: Victory Room at Etihad Stadium
Cost: $175 (all inclusive)
RSVP By: 29th July 2011

Troy Bond

Career: 1994-1995
Debut: Round 1, 1994 v Adelaide
992nd Carlton Player
Games: 36
Goals: 26
Last game: Preliminary Final, 1995 v North Melbourne
Guernsey No. 8
Height: 179cm
Weight: 76kg
DOB: 14 July, 1973
AFL Rising Star Nominee: Round 18, 1994

Troy Bond was drafted with Pick 88 of the 1992 National Draft from Port Adelaide, but didn’t come over from his native South Australia for a whole season. But with his arrival came much excitement and talk of his acceleration over the first 5-10 metres. At this time in footy history the football world was agog with Gavin Wanganeen, the little Bomber back pocket player who was creating a storm with his zip and courage. Bond was a very similar player (indeed his cousin), but started off his career in the forward line.

Bond’s debut game was against the Crows in Round 1, 1994, and he kicked 3 goals in a 16 possession game that had us all excited. A few weeks later in Round 6 Bond and James Cook kicked 11 goals between them at Optus v. the Swans – all in the Crowd thought that the Blues had uncovered new forward stars who would carry our forward line for the next 10 years. From that point on, Bond was shown a lot more respect, but he still finished with 25 goals from 21 games in a great first year.

Mark Maclure

Career: 1974 – 1986
Debut: Round 13, 1974 vs Geelong
Carlton Player No. 846
Games: 243
Goals: 327
Last game: Grand Final, 1986 vs Hawthorn
Guernsey No. 36
Height: 188cm
Weight: 83kg
DOB: 14 July, 1955
Premiership Player: 1979, 1981, 1982
Club Leading Goalkicker: 1977, 1985
Victorian Representative: 1977, 1980
Club Captain: 1986
Carlton Hall of Fame: 1995

In a long and successful career with the Blues between 1974 and 1986, “Sellers” Maclure wore his number 36 guernsey in 243 games, including solid contributions in each of the 1979, 1981, and 1982 Carlton Premierships. Originally groomed as a defender, he became one of the better centre half-forwards of his era; a strong marking, hard-tackling team player who brought those around him into the game. Although sometimes prone to inconsistency, his career average of 18 games per season is a good indicator of his value to the Blues.

Early in his career, when Maclure began confirming that Carlton had unearthed another promising key position prospect, the football press of the day made much of the story that the 188 cm, 89 kg blonde forward had been recruited from the East Sydney Australian Football Club in Sydney. Portrayed as one of the trail-blazers for our code in the heartland of rugby league, Maclure was later seen as one of the standard-bearers of the AFL push into Sydney.

That claim proved to be a very cheeky one. While Maclure was in fact signed to Carlton from the Sydney club, he had actually been born in WA, and took to the game in the southern states. This came about because Mark’s father was in the Australian Navy at the time, so Mark played football wherever his family was sent. At the height of the Vietnam conflict in the early 1970’s, that meant Sydney.

Maclure began his career at Princes Park with the Under 19 squad, but progressed quickly through the Reserves team and made his senior debut in round 13 of 1974, against Geelong at Princes Park. Although Carlton dominated the match and won by 73 points, Maclure had a torrid introduction to senior football at full back. It was a spiteful affair, and players from both sides ended up on report.

Two weeks later, ‘Sellers’ was given his first opportunity at centre half-forward when Carlton played Richmond in the Match of the Day at the MCG. This time, the Tigers’ notorious knuckleman, Mal Brown, tried working him over, and Maclure was reported for retaliating. He beat the charge at a tribunal hearing, but afterward was sent back into defence, where he spent the best part of two seasons.

Andrew McKay

Career : 1993 – 2003
Debut : Round 1, 1993 vs Fitzroy, aged 22 years, 256 days
Carlton Player No. 988
Games : 244
Goals : 28
Last Game : Round 22, 2003 vs North Melbourne, aged 33 years, 48 days
Guernsey No. 5
Height : 185 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 89 kg (14 stone)
DOB : 14 July, 1970
Premiership Player 1995
Best and Fairest 2003
All Australian 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001
Carlton Hall 0f Fame 2001

Like many other Carlton champions, Andy McKay just seemed to go on forever. A warrior at half-back for the Blues for 11 seasons, he was resolute, reliable and most of the time, utterly impassable. His career began with a Grand Final defeat in his debut year, then soared to redemption only two seasons later. From then on, through the near-misses of 1999 and 2000, and into the looming catastrophe of the first decade of this troubled century, Andrew Ian McKay stood – and still stands – as an all-time great of the Carlton Football Club.

Carlton’s match committee knew ‘Macka’ was something special well before he was recruited from SANFL heavyweights Glenelg at pick 13 in the 1992 National Draft. (His original club was Lucindale, which is just west of Naracoorte, SA). Although he had played only 40 senior matches for the Bays, he had finished runner-up to Nathan Buckley of Port Adelaide in the ’92 Margarey Medal. The Blues were thrilled to sign him – and it only took two games to see just why.

Wearing guernsey number 5, he played across the centre in his first outing for the Blues, in round 1 of 1993 against Fitzroy at Princes Park. Carlton’s centre line on that occasion featured McKay and Fraser Brown on the wings, with Greg Williams in the pivot. All three got plenty of the football on that cloudy Saturday afternoon, although Fitzroy proved too good and won by six points.

McKay was shifted to his preferred half-back flank for his second game – the match of the round between Carlton and Essendon at the MCG – and announced his arrival as an AFL footballer with a dominant display in one of the games of the season. While the two bitter rivals fought out a high-scoring (132 points apiece) draw, Andy dominated his flank, beat two opponents, and was awarded his first Brownlow Medal vote. From that day on he was never left out of Carlton’s senior team, except for those rare occasions when he was injured.

Thanks to the Blueseum for player pics and bios.

The Blues take on the Western Bulldogs today in a must win game. This date has seen some interesting games, including one where the Blues won despite being goal-less for three quarters and game where Ross Ditchburn booted 12 goals!

Round 11, 1909

After a disastrous start to the season, when in-fighting led to 3 losses in the first 4 rounds, the Blues had won 7 in a row. They were drawn to meet the heir-apparents, South, and over 40000 were on hand to witness the clash.

Atrocious kicking for goal saw the Blues trail 0-11 to 4-4 at half-time. After adding yet another behind early in the 3rd quarter, Carlton clicked into gear and poured on 9-1 in 20 minutes, a scoring blitz without precedence.

The pretenders, it seemed, had been put in their place.

South Melbourne and Carlton were the best teams of the season, South won in round two by 17 points but Carlton reversed the result in round 11 with a brilliant barnstorming quarter. The score at half-time was Carlton 0.11 to South’s 4.4 – but the Blues put on nine goals to none in the third quarter in what one scibe called the “most marvellous exhibition of resistless attack ever seen on a Victorian football field”. – 100 Years of Australian Rules Football.

Round 16, 1982

Ross Ditchburn kicked an amazing 12 goals in this whitewash of the Saints at Waverley. Ditchburn would equal the efforts of Greg Kennedy 10 years earlier in kicking 12 for the Blues, the only two players in our history to do it. Of course, Horrie Clover went one better with 13 in 1921.

”Full forwards dominated the voting in the first half of the split 16th round. Carlton’s Ross Ditchburn slammed on 12 goals to secure his spot in the seniors (Simon Beasley also booting 12 goals). After biding his time in the Carlton reserves for several weeks, Ditchburn got his chance to prove himself recently and has performed well in the last two matches. Ditchburn received top votes because he provided a great target for his team-mates and capitalised on his opportunities. Rod Ashman also had a day out collecting a swag of possessions and being resposnible for a lot of forward thrusts and scoring opportunities. – Inside Football Player of the Year.”

Thanks to the Blueseum for game information.

Not only do we provide representation and support to past players and officials of the Carlton Football Club, we also actively support the current playing group. The Spirit of Carlton Past and Present and the Carlton Football Club have recently co-operated to enhance the recovery program for two currently injured players, Michael Jamison and Shaun Hampson. We have purchased some specialist equipment which is produced by Game Ready.

Costing almost $10k, two units have been purchased that will assist with the familiar RICE recovery regime familiar to athletes. For an explanation please read the following from the Game Ready website.

The RICE regimen (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) has been used for decades to treat acute and chronic injury and assist in post-operative rehabilitation. Many professional athletes and medical professionals choose Game Ready as a part of the RICE regimen because it uniquely combines adjustable cold and intermittent compression to deliver the two most difficult-to-manage aspects of RICE in one easy-to-use treatment system.

We hope that this equipment not only serves the current injured players well but also contributes towards future rehabilitation programs when needed by the club.

This is just another example of your contributions towards the SOC working in support of the club towards premiership number seventeen. Whenever you attend an SOC event, purchase one of our auction items or become an SOC member you are contributing towards positive outcomes for the Carlton Football Club.

Justin Davies: 7th July

Career : 2002 – 2006
Debut : Round 7, 2002 vs Essendon, aged 18 years, 307 days
Carlton Player No. 1055
Games : 41
Goals : 20
Last Game : Round 22, 2005 vs North Melbourne, aged 22 years, 52 days
Guernsey Nos. 13 (2002-04), and 7 (2005-06)
Height : 184 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 73 kg (11 stone, 7 lbs.)
DOB : 7 July, 1983

Selected by Carlton at pick 39 in the 2001 National Draft, Justin Davies showed glimpses of real ability throughout his four seasons at Princes Park – but lingering episodes of self-doubt, and a string of injuries at the wrong time, prevented him from realising his full potential.

Davies’ pathway to Carlton led from Shepparton East , then Shepparton United through to the Murray Bushrangers Under 18’s. He was still a few weeks short of his 19th birthday when he made his senior debut (off the interchange bench) for the Blues against Essendon in round 7, 2002 at the MCG. Seen as a potential midfield regular by the Blues, he managed six games for the year, but just couldn’t string matches together because of illness, hamstring and quadricep injuries. It was a horror season for Carlton – the worst in our proud history – and Davies’ experience was typical of our younger brigade.

Over 2004, Davies played a further 12 games, mainly up forward. Perhaps his most memorable moment came in round 7 against Collingwood, when he almost single-handedly dragged the Blues back into a game which was all but lost. He banged through three goals in six minutes during the last quarter, and Carlton snatched a team-lifting victory from the old enemy. By the end of the year, Carlton had shown real improvement in finishing 11th, and Davies was honoured by a change of guernsey number from 13 to 7 – apparently at the bequest of past great Brett Ratten.

David Kernahan: 11th July

Career: 1988–1993
Debut: Round 1, 1988 v Hawthorn
949th Carlton Player
Games: 53
Goals: 8
Last game: Round 18, 1993 v Hawthorn
Guernsey No. 28
Height: 188cm
Weight: 83kg
DOB: 11 July, 1965

The younger and smaller brother of Carlton’s immortal Stephen Kernahan, David spent six seasons at Princes Park from 1988 to 1993. He seemed destined for a good career when he kicked the match-winning goal in his first senior game against Hawthorn, and then making the top 5 in the B&F in both 1990 and 1991. Incidentally, it was in 1990 that he brought up the only Brownlow Vote of his career, with a strong game against the Swans in Round 14.

Unfortunately for David, his arrival at Carlton from Glenelg in South Australia coincided with a slump in team performance in the years following the 1987 Premiership. Originally considered as a forward, he found a niche in defence in his second year, playing a string of solid games. Then, just as he was cementing a regular place in the team, he was struck down by hamstring and groin injuries that hampered his career from that point on, taking a heavy toll on the 188 cm, 83 kg utility and restricting him to just 53 games in six seasons. He showed plenty of grit in persisting until 1993 before returning home.

Brett Ratten: 11th July

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO BRETT!

Career : 1990 – 2003
Debut : Round 22, 1990 vs Fitzroy, aged 19 years, 52 days
Carlton Player No. 969
Games : 255
Goals : 117
Last Game : Round 10, 2003 vs Fremantle, aged 31 years, 324 days
Guernsey No. 7
Height : 184 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 88 kg (13 stone, 12 lbs.)
DOB : 11 July, 1971
Premiership Player 1995
Captain: 2002 – 2003
Best and Fairest: 1995, 1997, 2000 (tied)
All Australian: 2000, 2001
Coach: Round 17, 2007 –

The story of Brett Ratten is one of contrasts; a champion of the game and of the club, but no superstar; a back pocket who would become an inspirational centreman, and a guy who wore thick glasses off the field, yet had amazing awareness on the ground. One thing is for sure however – ‘Ratts’ was a true Blue champion, and a crowd idol over his 255-game career at Princes Park.

Wearing guernsey number 40, Ratten played his first game for the Blues against Fitzroy in round 22, 1990, and within a matter of weeks became an automatic selection for the Blues in a range of roles – chiefly as an on-baller or forward flanker. It was also in ’91 when he switched to number 7 and proved more than worthy of the honour.

In 1992 the much-heralded arrival of champion centreman Greg Williams from Sydney pushed “Ratts” deep into defence, where he rose to the challenge of taking on the flighty forward pockets of the day. A game against Darren Kowal of the Demons sticks in the mind. But perhaps it was this time in defence that made the man. Ratten was promoted to the midfield over the 1994 and ’95 seasons, and was outstanding in our crushing 1995 Grand Final win over Geelong.

Thanks to the Blueseum for player pictures and bios.

There are just seven weeks to go to our big event of 2011, the 1981 Premiership Reunion Luncheon.

To book your table or seat simply download and fill in our application form which can be DOWNLOADED BY CLICKING HERE.

We can confirm that DAVID PARKIN will be one of the keynote speakers. It will be fascinating to hear David’s recollections of that great day when the Blues defeated the Magpies on a sodden MCG.

Date: THURSDAY 25th August 2011
Time: 12:00pm
Dress: Lounge Suit
Venue: Victory Room at Etihad Stadium
Cost: $175 (all inclusive)
RSVP By: 29th July 2011

The Blues had a mighty good day today beating the Tigers by 103 points in perfect conditions. The record margin of 115 points was in danger today. However it would have been a tragedy if the record was beaten today because we managed to beat Richmond just four years after their last premiership in appalling conditions in round 14 of 1984 by a record margin. This was a truly spectacular win in the wet and should be acknowledged.

After a loss last week the Blues will be keen to bounce back against the Tigers this week in a big game at the MCG. With West Coast in good form Carlton needs to keep winning to ensure a top four position on the AFL ladder. Today we look at some of the other games the Blues have played on this date: the 2nd of July.

Round 10, 1910

Round 9, 1921

In this top-of-the-table clash, the Blues easily beat the Magpies and claimed outright ladder leadership.

This  match is remembered for its tragic aftermath, when star Carlton rover Lyle Downs collapsed and died at training the following Thursday evening. Downs had played for three years knowing that he had a weak heart, and that he was taking a grave chance by continuing his football career – but chose to do so.

On the following Sunday afternoon, more than two thousand mourners paid their last respects when Downs was laid to rest at Carlton cemetery.

Round 10, 1927

Umpire Kain is given bucketing
Umpire Kain was pelted by a shower of fruit and stones as he tried to leave the ground after Carlton’s loss to Melbourne. Kain was attacked for failing to award Carlton’s Joe Kelly a free after a collision. At the end of the game it took three attempts before Kain was able to reach the dressing room. On route, he was kicked and jostled and a policeman was punched in a brawl. One man was arrested and charged with throwing a missle. Several weeks ago, after a game, a supporter threw a bucket of water over the hapless Kain. – 100 Years of Australian Rules Football.

Round 14, 1977

This game reveals on how inconsistent the Blues were this season. After losing to the bottom side Fitzroy last week, they come out and beat the reigning premiers Hawthorn the following week. If only they could harness this ability on a consistent basis.

One of only THREE games where Peter Hudson was kept goalless, by none other than the human blanket, Rod Austin (Geoff Southby was still having issues with Carlton).

At one stage late in the game, Hudson found himself near the fence in front of the soon to be completed Hawthorn stand, and a Carlton fan had a swipe at him, to which Huddo took umbrage. Of course, the majority Carlton crowd lapped it up.