West Australian Simon White was recruited by the Blues as a mature-age rookie in the 2010 AFL Rookie Draft. Originally from the Carine Junior Football Club, White made his WAFL debut for Subiaco in 2009, and had a stellar year – earning the Lions’ Rising Star award before playing in their Grand Final loss to South Fremantle.

A versatile, strong-marking defender capable of pinch-hitting roles up forward, Simon was compared to former West Coast Eagle Adam Hunter during pre-draft discussions. When he was still available at number 56, Carlton snapped him up with their fourth round selection, and allocated him guernsey number 43. Only five other players in Carlton’s history have worn this number at senior level, and two of them were all-time greats in David McKay and Anthony Koutoufides.

After an impressive pre-season, White played just once at VFL level for the Northern Bullants before being called into Carlton’s senior team for the trip to Adelaide to take on the Crows in round 4, 2010. Handed the big task of controlling Adelaide captain Brett Burton, Simon did all that could have been asked of him. His 18 possessions and 11 marks, while keeping ‘The Birdman’ to the solitary goal, was influential in a big win by the Blues.

Over the following five weeks, White averaged 15 disposals and almost 8 marks per game as Carton strengthened their hold on a top eight ladder position. He kicked his first career goal with a textbook drop-punt from deep on a flank against Collingwood in round 6, before Hawthorn toppled the Blues by 50 points in round 9, and Simon suffered a knee ligament strain that kept him out of senior football for the rest of the year. Still, the club liked what they saw throughout White’s debut year, and promoted him to the senior list at the 2010 National Draft.

Unfortunately, Simon’s second season mirrored his first, and he just couldn’t shake the curse of injury. He played five of Carlton’s first six matches in 2011, before tearing a hamstring, and that injury kept him out of the senior side for ten weeks. Eventually recalled for round 15, he promptly damaged the same medial ligament that had troubled him previously, and didn’t play again that year. During the off-season, Simon underwent remedial surgery on his knee. As part of that procedure, an artificial LARS (Ligament Augmentation & Reconstruction System) ligament was implanted to help strengthen the joint, but his body tissues did not accept the synthetic fibres, and the repaired ligament ruptured again while White was beginning another comeback with the Northern Blues in round two of 2012.

More surgery and a long rehabilitation program later, he was welcomed back into the Blues’ senior line-up at last for round 19, when Carlton hosted Sydney on a Sunday afternoon at Docklands. Deep in defence for most of the game, Simon collected 15 disposals and nine marks in a solid return, although Carlton’s finals hopes took another heavy hit with a 22-point defeat. White retained his place in the side through to the end of a tumultuous season for the club, and his dedication was rewarded when his contract was renewed for another 12 months. Unfortunately, the same did not happen for senior coach Brett Ratten, who was sacked by the club’s board and replaced by former West Coast and Collingwood Premiership coach Mick Malthouse.

White was overdue for a smile from Lady Luck in 2013, and seemed like he was getting it when he played in nine of Carlton’s first 13 games, before a relatively innocuous incident during a VFL match in late July wrecked another season. Playing for the Northern Blues against Box Hill, Simon tried to duck under an opponent’s tackle, but slipped and copped an old-fashioned “coat-hanger.” Although he was stunned at the time and sat out the remaining minutes of the game, he seemed to make a quick recovery and completed a full training session three days later. Less than 24 hours after that however, a precautionary scan revealed that he had fractured vertebrae at the base of his neck. Eight weeks in a full neck-brace and another four in a collar support wasn’t the best way to see out the season, but with those precautions Simon was at least able to commence his preparation for 2014 on time, and in good shape.

White went on to enjoy his most productive season to date, playing 19 games in a variety of defensive roles that also gave him the freedom to influence the scoreboard when the opportunity arose. On a Sunday afternoon at Docklands in round 16, Simon had a day out against St Kilda, when he started the game in attack, and kicked four majors as the Blues ended a four-game losing streak and slaughtered the Saints by 85 points. Despite that big win however, Carlton still finished 2014 in a miserable 13th spot on the ladder. White’s growing maturity was one of the few positives to emerge from a wretched season, and his contract extension for another two years was well deserved.

The buzz around Princes Park in the lead-up to season 2015 seemed a good omen for the club, but soon proved to be totally misplaced. The Blues lost their first three games by big margins, and from that point on, the season descended into near-chaos. In late May, as defeat followed defeat, Malthouse was sacked and replaced by his assistant John Barker.

A big factor in Carlton’s demise was that the club was being decimated by injury, and White was among the casualties. During the Blues’ heavy loss to West Coast in round two at Subiaco, Simon had strained the medial ligament in his left knee once more. He played twelve of the next seventeen games, but was rarely at his best before he suffered another knock to the suspect joint in early August. So a fortnight later, the club decided that Simon’s season was over. He would undergo surgery yet again, with the aim of having him ready to begin pre-season training for 2016. Simon accepted that latest set-back with his usual positive attitude, one of the reasons why he was such a popular winner of Carlton’s Best Clubman Award at season’s end.

Former Hawthorn assistant coach Brendon Bolton was appointed to the senior role at Carlton in 2016, and it didn’t take him long to recognise White’s attributes. Given a variety of roles in defence – often in a key position – Simon rarely lowered his colours as he completed another consistent 17-game season.

After playing 11 games in the 2017 White was delisted at the end of the season by the Blues.

2018 – White would join Doncaster East in the second tier of the Eastern League.

Throughout the decades after World War II, the football press used to be filled with stories of the “March Champions” – country recruits at each VFL club who were making a big impression in the weeks before the football season began. Invariably, these future stars could “kick a bag of spuds over a wheat silo”, or “flick off a light switch, and jump into bed before the room was dark.” Sadly, such hype was rarely justified, and most of those who showed real potential early often succumbed to home-sickness within a few short weeks.

One such recruit for the Blues was Des Lyons, from Barellan in the Riverina in southern NSW. A powerfully-built 183 cm forward, he had strong hands, good endurance and a booming kick. In 1955, at the age of 16, he had briefly trained with Collingwood, but soon missed the open spaces and went back home. Over the next five seasons, Lyons played senior football with both Barellan and Leeton, where his talent was obvious, and attracted an offer of another crack at first grade football with Carlton.

Des agreed to terms, and bypassed the Reserves to make an immediate senior debut for the Blues against Richmond in the first round of the 1960 season at Princes Park. Wearing guernsey number 20 at centre half-forward, he took some time to adjust, while Richmond held sway and were travelling like winners at the last break with a handy lead of 28 points. The Blues found some extra energy in the last quarter however, and surged back into contention, with Lyons providing a reliable marking target. Carlton kicked 4.5 in a dominant last term – including a long bomb from Des that split the big sticks. Richmond were held to a solitary point for the quarter, and Carlton snatched a nail-biting draw.

Injury kept Lyons out of round 2, but he was back in action on a cold and wet afternoon at the Junction Oval in round 3, when the home side had six more scoring shots than the Blues, only to lose by four points. Shortly afterwards, Des told Carlton that he would not be continuing on. The lure of a family business, along with the comfort of a close-knit community was too strong, and it drew Des home to the bush once more.

Over the next nine seasons, Lyons forged a superb career in Riverina football with Leeton, winning three Premierships, two League Best and Fairests, two club Best and Fairests and the South West District League’s top goal-kicker award in 1967. He represented the SWDFL on 20 occasions, and more than 50 years later, is still regarded as one of the Riverina’s all-time greats.

Footnote:

The Age said of Lyon’s debut;
“Des Lyons played brilliantly in the first half to be the focal point of the Blues’ attack. He was quiet later but splendid marking and accurate kicking made him a constant danger.”

Photo:

Des Lyons in the South West District Football League team, July 28 1963. Courtesy of griffithswansarchive.com

Rodney Steven Waddell was a talented, pacey, aboriginal footballer who forced his way into one of the strongest Carlton teams ever assembled when he made his debut for the Blues on the eve of the 1981 finals. Although he was a reluctant recruit at first – having already played Reserves football at Collingwood – Carlton claimed him under the VFL zoning rules in force at the time, and Rod eventually played five matches while the Navy Blues won back to back flags in 1981-82.

Waddell began his senior football career with Southern Districts in NSW, but it was his slashing performance as a ruck-rover for Lalor in the 1980 Diamond Valley Football League Grand Final, against Reservoir-Lakeside, that made VFL scouts take notice. Collingwood and Carlton soon became involved in a tug of war over his services, and the Magpies seemed to have come out on top when Waddell turned out for two Reserves games with them early in 1981. Carlton however, was convinced that the 23 year-old was residentially tied to us, and a VFL investigation quickly agreed. Collingwood were fined $500 for flaunting the zoning rules, and stripped of the four competition points they had earned with Waddell in their team. Rod was then welcomed to Princes Park, and presented with our number 10 guernsey.

After spending most of the remainder of 1981 with Carlton’s Reserves, Waddell was eventually called into the seniors in August, as one of six changes for the round 18 Match of the Day against Geelong at Princes Park. Stationed on a half-forward flank, he flashed in and out of the game, kicked a nice goal, and had a grandstand view as Carlton’s mercurial forward Peter Bosustow took Mark of the Year. Carlton won by 33 points, in a fitting tribute to champion defender Bruce Doull in his 250th game.

While elbowing his way up into the senior side was a creditable achievement by Waddell, the bigger task by far after that was to stay there. After all, Carlton had assembled a fleet of midfield runners that was the envy of every other club, and Rod faced intense competition for his place in the side each week from a galaxy of stars such as Ashman, Buckley, Sheldon, Harmes, Marcou, Keogh, Armstrong and Glascott. Although Rod didn’t lack self confidence, it was a daunting prospect indeed.

Waddell’s second match came on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG against South Melbourne in round 19, when he came off the bench to replace his captain Mike Fitzpatrick during the third quarter, and helped his side to 23-point win. His third was another unforgettable occasion; the second Semi Final against Geelong on the wide expanses of Waverley Park, in front of a crowd of 66,000. Waddell had a relatively easy day and warmed the bench for most of the game, as Carlton dominated the second half, and qualified for the Grand Final with an emphatic win by 40 points.

During the fortnight leading up to the Premiership-deciding clash between traditional rivals Carlton and Collingwood, the Blues’ concerns revolved around two players who were automatic inclusions if fit; full-back Geoff Southby, and rover Rod Ashman. Southby was never a real chance of playing because of a torn thigh muscle, and he was replaced on selection night by Scott Howell. Ashman, however – with ongoing concerns about a knee – only convinced the selectors he was right on the day before the match, and Waddell was the obvious choice to make way for him. On that fabled Saturday afternoon, Howell and Ashman both put in solid efforts in a spine-tingling contest that eventually fell to the resolute Blues by 20 points.

As Carlton set about defending that hard-fought flag in 1982, Waddell managed two more senior appearances by round 8, but then was informed by the match committee that his future lay down the Western Highway at Geelong. The Cats, knowing full well the depth of talented small men at Princes Park, had approached the Blues to secure the services of Waddell, and come up with an offer hard to refuse. Waddell too, realised that he would get far more opportunities at Sleepy Hollow, and was happy to make the move.

Rod added another 20 senior matches and 10 goals to his credit over the next three seasons, although the highlight of his time with the Cats was his dominant game in the 1982 Reserves Grand Final defeat of St Kilda. Playing as a ruck-rover, Waddell kicked six goals and was clearly Best on Ground.

After finishing at Geelong in 1984, he headed off to Darwin in the off-season and took part in another Grand Final when his team Nightcliff lost to St Mary’s in that season’s NTFL Grand Final. He then returned to Victoria, and rejoined the Lalor Bloods to finish off an interesting and varied career. He would later play at Ararat and Marong Football clubs.

Rod Waddell’s sister is the mother of Geelong premiership player Steven Motlop.

Scott Freeborn was a blonde-haired left footer originally rookied by the Blues in 1998. Brother of Collingwood / Kangaroo player Glen, Scott played 48 games for the Blues between 2000 and 2002. He was recruited from Port Adelaide Magpies, but also played for Woodville-West Torrens.

Freeborn’s time on the rookie list was spent on the wing and half forward, in the No. 46 guernsey (1998 – 1999). His form was sufficient to be promoted by season 2000, when he made the seniors for the Round 5 clash against the Bombers. Over the season, he played as a defensive midfielder where his strength and endurance were most useful. Tight as a player, Freeborn also was an oddity in that he would slice his preferred left foot often, kicking the occasional airball.

In 2001, Freeborn played almost the entire season of 23 games in defence, including finals performances versus Adelaide (win) and Richmond (loss)- missing just one game due to a thigh injury. Come 2002 however, he would manage just 7 games- missing the start of the season with an Achilles injury and suffering a broken collar bone mid season, which would force him to miss the remainder of that year. Osteitis pubis and a debilitating foot injury would then severely impact on his career, forcing him to miss the whole of season 2003 without playing a single game and he was then delisted.

Career Highlights

2000 – Best First Year Player Award

The only third-generation Premiership player in VFL/AFL history, Scott Howell spent nine seasons at Princes Park, beginning with the Under 19 team in 1976. Like his champion father Jack “Chooka” Howell, Scott was a loyal servant of the Blues, and he made the most of his ability with a memorable game in the 1981 Grand Final.

“Chooka” Howell played 137 matches for Carlton from 1942 to 1954, including the desperately-close ’47 Premiership victory over Essendon. Some 25 years earlier, Chooka’s father, Jack (Senior) was Best on Ground for South Melbourne when the Bloods beat Collingwood for the 1918 flag. So Scott’s triumphant victory in 1981 – also over Collingwood – completed the Howell family’s unique achievement of three Premierships in successive generations.

Scott was recruited by Carlton from East Sandringham as a 17 year-old in 1975. He developed his craft as a mobile tall defender in the thirds and seconds teams for four seasons, until he was called into the Blues’ seniors for the cut-throat first Semi Final against Collingwood in 1980. That made Scott only the second Carlton player to make his debut in a final, after Maurie Beasy in 1920. Starting on the interchange bench, Scott was sparsely used as Carlton went down to a rampaging Collingwood by 50 points. First-year Blues coach Peter ‘Percy’ Jones was then promptly sacked, and replaced by ex-Hawthorn Premiership coach David Parkin.

Under Parkin, Carlton collected the minor premiership in 1981, before brushing aside Geelong in the Second Semi Final to set up yet another Grand Final showdown against Collingwood. The Magpies had beaten the Blues in each of their three previous clashes that year, and their prospects were boosted in the lead-up to the game when Carlton’s champion full-back Geoff Southby was ruled out with a lower back injury. The player Parkin chose to replace Southby was Howell, who had enjoyed a consistent season of 14 games in the Blues defence.

In the 48 hours prior to the Grand Final, all eyes were on Victoria Park and Collingwood’s captain Peter Moore; their 198 cm star ruckman/forward and 1979 Brownlow Medallist, who was battling to recover from a hamstring strain he had suffered in the Magpies’ narrow Semi Final win over Fitzroy. After their last training session, Collingwood coach Tom Hafey gambled by selecting his match-winner as a permanent forward pocket, with the aim of stretching the Blues’ defence. David Parkin countered by assigning Howell to shadow Moore, and told him to run the Magpie skipper up the ground at every opportunity. Scott carried out his instructions to the letter, and although he had only a handful of possessions himself, Moore was hardly sighted. Carlton dominated the second half of the match to win by 20 points, and Howell completed the remarkable three flags in three generations feat for his family, whilst also becoming the first (and so far, only) Blue to wear guernsey number 40 in a Premiership team.

Although his career at Princes Park lasted another four years after that 1981 triumph, Howell was never able to claim a permanent place in a formidable Carlton team that remained a flag contender for more than a decade. He was overlooked for the 1982 flag side, and in 1983 changed his playing number from 40 to number 12. That same year, he warmed the bench when Carlton’s season ended with a 33-point defeat by Essendon in the Elimination Final.

Scott’s last senior game for the Blues came at Windy Hill in round 6 of 1985 against Essendon, when the Bombers thrashed their visitors by 109 points. It wasn’t the best way to finish up, but happily Scott’s place in Carlton’s history was already resting on more positive achievements. He played out the rest of the year with Carlton Reserves and experienced the thrill of one last Grand Final at the MCG when the Blues were beaten by Hawthorn in front of a massive crowd.

In 1986, Howell and his Premiership team-mate Mario Bortolotto were cleared to VFA club Sandringham. The Zebras took advantage of Scott’s versatility, and his first two years were outstanding. Playing primarily in the ruck, Howell kicked 36 goals in 36 games, and won consecutive Best and Fairests in 1986 and 1987. Injury curtailed his third season however, and he retired at the age of 30 in 1988.

Career Highlights

1976 – 4th Under-19s Best & Fairest
1981 – Premiership Player
1983 – Night Premiership Player
1984 – 6th Reserves Best & Fairest
1984 – Reserves Best Clubman Award
1985 – 5th Reserves Best & Fairest

Poursanidis was seen as a key forward prospect when he was recruited from the Paramount Football Club in the mid-eighties, he would play two seasons with the Carlton thirds and captained the team during the 1987 season. The highlight of his time at Carlton came when he kicked eight goals in a Reserves Grand Final win in a twenty point win against the Saints.

He was given three senior games at full-forward over 1988 and 1989, but could only manage three goals. Although he was a good mark, he was considered only as a full forward and unfortunately was never tried in other positions. He made his debut in the same game as Gerard Butts and Michael Garvey.

Poursanidis would later play a season at VFA club Preston before hanging his boots up at the age of 25.

Career Highlights

1986 – U/19’s 4th Best & Fairest
1987 – U/19’s 4th Best & Fairest
1987 – U/19’s Captain
1987 – Reserves Premiership Player
1988 – Reserves Leading Goalkicker 40 goals (5th in the competition)

Tony Lynn was a right foot, back pocket player with a distinctive bowl style haircut, who played for the Blues between 1994 and 1996. Originally from Queensland (Morningside), but drafted from Central Districts in South Australia, Lynn was most probably picked up by the Blues after a fantastic game for the Allies where he had the ball on a string. He played his first game for Carlton just before he turned 26 years of age.

Lynn would play 27 games for the Blues, including 20 in 1994. A nuggety looking player, on occasion Lynn could roost a 50 metre goal and seemed to revel in running forward despite predominantly being played back. He kicked 14 goals overall.

Lynn turned up for the Brisbane Bears for a Season in 1988, in his time with the Bears he played six games and booted five goals.

Career Highlights

1995 – 2nd Reserves Best & Fairest

One of the all-time greats of the Bendigo Football League, Brendan Hartney came to Carlton in 1981 to play 32 senior matches over five seasons. At that time, the Navy Blues were on the way to three Premierships in four years, thanks to a playing list as talent-laden as at any period the club’s history. Had he been 5 centimetres taller and 5 kilos heavier, Hartney would surely have appeared at top level for the Blues far more often. He battled champions each week to find a place in Carlton’s team, and rarely disappointed when given a chance.

The son of Sandhurst Football Club stalwart Leo Hartney, Brendan played his first senior game for the Dragons as a 17 year-old, and by his late teens was one of the outstanding centre half-backs in the BFL. Although just 179 cm tall, his pace and spring, endurance, courage and intelligent reading of the play made him more than a handful for the competition’s best forwards.

Carlton had chased Hartney’s signature for some time before Sandhurst won successive BFL flags in 1977-78, but his lion-hearted efforts in both of those Grand Final victories over Golden Square convinced the Blues to ramp up their efforts, and in 1981 Brendan was welcomed to Princes Park by first-year coach David Parkin. Fresh from the 1979 Premiership, followed by the crushing disappointment of 1980, the Blues were intent on regrouping and hungry for more success.

Wearing guernsey 24, Hartney played the first half of the year with the Reserves before being chosen for his first senior game in round 11, 1981 when Carlton hosted North Melbourne at Princes Park and knocked over the Roos by 31 points. Hartney spent that match in a back pocket, doing enough to be earn two more games in succession, and six in total throughout the year. He wasn’t selected for either of Carlton’s finals campaigns that brought Premiership glory again in 1981-82, but that was perfectly understandable, because he was up against the likes of Wayne Harmes, Rod Austin, Peter McConville, Des English and Robbert Klomp – not to mention Geoff Southby and Bruce Doull.

In his debut year, Hartney finished runner-up in the Reserves Best and Fairest to Trevor Keogh. That set a precedent that would see him win the award in 1983 and ‘84, and finish among the top three in every one of his five seasons with the Blues. His optimism and determination was widely admired, and he was voted Carlton’s Best Clubman in 1983.

After playing his last senior match for Carlton against Sydney in round 18, 1985, Hartney returned to Sandhurst with many more weapons in his armoury, and began the third stage of a career that would make him a BFL legend. Already a two-time winner of Sandhurst’s Best and Fairest; the Leo McPherson Trophy, Brendan was appointed captain of the Dragons in 1986, and promptly collected another four McPherson Medals in succession from 1986 to ’89. In 1993, aged 35, he won it for a seventh time. In between, he was adjudged Fairest and Best in the BFL in 1987 and 1989 to join an elite band of just six players to have won the Michelsen Medal twice.

Another proud achievement came in 1989, when Hartney captained the BFL representative side that defeated the Geelong Football League in the Grand Final of the VCFL Division 1 Country Championship. Brendan was carried shoulder-high off the Queen Elizabeth Oval that afternoon, as the BFL collected its first Division 1 Country title since 1972. Always a star in inter-league matches, Hartney represented the BFL on more than 20 occasions, and was inducted into the League’s Hall Of Fame in August, 1996.

Hartney also wore No.35 whilst playing reserve grade football for Carlton in 1979.

Hartney’s nephew Fergus Greene was drafted by the Western Bulldogs with their 4th pick in the 2016 AFL National Draft.

Jones Files: Hartney’s two league medals place him among Bendigo elite.
BRENDAN Hartney was always destined to play for Sandhurst and follow in the footsteps of his late father, Leo. Leo Hartney not only donned the maroon and blue colors of Sandhurst, but when his playing days were over was a faithful servant of the club, serving for a period as chairman of selectors. Brendan’s playing days with the Dragons started when he was 17; 225 games later he pulled the pin on a distinguished career. He was a shining light as far as club loyalty and on-field courage were concerned. Not only did Brendan lead Sandhurst in the late 1980s and into the ’90s he was the skipper of Bendigo’s successful VCFL Division 1 country championship-winning team in 1989. He remains a revered Dragon. Finishing on top in the Leo McPherson Medal count as club fairest and best in 1979-80, before five seasons with Carlton, was just the start of a medal-winning spree. He played 32 senior VFL games with the Princes Park Blues between 1981 and 1985. Hartney then took out the Dragons’ club McPherson Medal from 1986-89 and added an astounding seventh trophy in 1993. In between he was adjudged fairest and best in the BFL in both 1987 (29 votes) and again in 1989 (31 votes) to join an elite band of players to have won the time-honoured Michelsen Medal twice. There are just six players who have won two Michelsen Medals. One of my most enduring BFL memories is of Hartney opposed to outstanding Eaglehawk key position player Robert O’Connell. The Bendigo Advertiser photographers of the day would regularly focus on the absorbing battle between the two BFL stars whenever they were pitted against each other. Their marking duels were just riveting, and an object lesson for the younger players of both clubs. Brendan started as a ruck-rover — a term never used these days when “midfielders” and “on-ballers” are the buzz words — before cementing his place in BFL history as an unrelenting defender. Regularly conceding height to opposing key forwards, centre half-back seemed Hartney’s natural position. His courage in gathering the loose ball and his uncanny ability to read the play set him aside from his peers. And he loved inter-league footy. Hartney played more than 20 games for the Blue and Golds. He, as captain, and the late Neville Strauch as coach were the cornerstone of Bendigo’s country championships campaigns. The BFL representative made the Division 1 grand final in three consecutive seasons two decades back: in 1988, 1989 and again in 1990. The bitter disappointment of losing the Division 1 grand final to Geelong in the 1988 play-off at East Geelong was wiped away 12 months later. Hartney was carried shoulder-high off the QEO in mid-1989 as the Blue and Golds earned their revenge on the GFL, winning 15.10 (100) to Geelong’s 9.5 (59). It was Bendigo’s first Division 1 country title since 1972 and was so momentous that the BFL board of management hosted a special commemorative dinner to celebrate the achievement. The path to that 1989 VCFL grand final was memorable enough in itself. Bendigo made the dreaded road trip to Ovens and Murray territory for the semi-final and prevailed: 10.10 (70) to 7.12 (54). It was Bendigo’s first ever win over the O and M on one of their northern Victorian grounds. An even sweeter victory for Hartney and his teammates was to come a few weeks later that ’89 season with the grand final success over the GFL. Apart from his senior coaching stint in 1988, Hartney has also served as club runner and a selector. These days it’s a family affair at Sandhurst home games, with Brendan on deck as a Dragon senior selector. Twenty-year-old son Tom has been a key member of the Dragons’ senior backline while in 2009 younger son Pat (19), who has graduated from the under-18s, lined up in the Sandhurst reserves. Chopper White’s reserves, with Pat Hartney in the side, bowed out to Kangaroo Flat in this month’s reserves first semi-final. Tom Hartney can glean some valuable advice from his father whenever Sandhurst takes on Eaglehawk. With Derrick Filo still running around in the Eaglehawk forward line — Brendan used to match up with Filo when the evergreen stalwart was at Castlemaine –– the dual Michelsen Medallist is able to pass on tips to his son. “Run him around a lot,” was his succinct advice when the youngster first lined up on the wily Borough veteran. Brendan Hartney was inducted into the Bendigo Football League Hall Of Fame in August 1996. I rate him in the 10 best BFL players I’ve been privileged to watch in a 30-year career broadcasting and writing about local footy. – September 16, 2009 by Richard Jones.

Career Highlights

1981 – 2nd Reserves Best & Fairest
1981 – Reserves Most Improved
1982 – 3rd Reserves Best & Fairest
1982 – Reserves Best Clubman
1983 – Best Clubman
1983 – Reserves Best & Fairest
1983 – Senior Night Premiership
1984 – Reserves Best & Fairest
1985 – 2nd Reserves Best & Fairest

‘Magic’, as he was known to Carlton fans, was a goalsneak who played 17 games for the Blues in the late 1980s. He was an accurate left foot kick and a consistent performer in the reserves, but found it hard to crack a regular spot in the team during a time when finals were a given for Carlton. Had better than a goal a game ratio which indicates that he knew where the sticks were, but suffered in comparison to similar size players such as Mark Naley.

Mark’s first kick in senior footy with the Blues resulted in a goal – a classy pick-up, slight shimmy and a kick from about 40 metres out from the scoreboard end at Princes Park.

Recruited from St Marks/Fawkner, Mark has also played Little League Football for Carlton (in 1979). Those were the days when each club ran their own Little League Squads – at this time the Carlton Squad was coached/managed by Keith Duggan, who had an uncanny resemblance to Australian entertainer Rolf Harris.

Magic was later picked up by the Bulldogs in the 1992 pre-season draft, but he did not add to his games tally at the Western Oval.

Career Highlights

1987 – 6th Reserves Best & Fairest
1987 – Reserves Premiership Player
1987 – Reserves Leading Goalkicker 53 goals

Dennis Munari came to Carlton as a promising centreman from that wonderful football nursery of Assumption College at Kilmore. A stylish right-footer, he was solid in his debut season in 1967, only to be edged out of his preferred position early the following year by the arrival of Tasmanian sensation Brent Crosswell. Munari then found a niche as second rover to Adrian Gallagher, and was instrumental in Carlton’s drive to the 1968 Premiership.

Munari wore guernsey number 37 for his first senior appearance – off the bench – in round 8 of 1967, against Geelong at Princes Park. The Blues won a thriller by four points, then lost another cliff-hanger by 2 points to Richmond a week later. In captain-coach Ron Barassi’s third season in charge, Carlton had begun emerging as a force after years of mediocrity, winding up the home and away rounds second on the ladder behind minor premiers Richmond.

In September 1967, before he had played even a dozen senior matches, Dennis experienced the thrill of running out onto the MCG for his first taste of finals football. The Blues fell short of expectations when they lost in successive weeks to the Tigers and Geelong, but one of the many positives to come out of that season was that Munari had shown that he was worth persevering with. In particular, his three goals in a tough debut final against Richmond won him a lot of fans.

He switched to guernsey 8 in 1968, and began a keen rivalry with Ian Nicoll for the second rover’s spot. Strengthened by the addition of Brent Crosswell, Neil Chandler and Ted Hopkins, Carlton rated as real Premiership contenders all year, before firming to favouritism by comprehensively beating the Bombers in the second Semi-Final. Essendon then overcame Geelong in the Preliminary Final, to set up a rematch with the Blues for the ’68 flag. Munari had damaged his left knee late in the season, which ruled him out of the last two home and away games, and that Semi-Final win over the Bombers. Fate then intervened when Nicoll was injured in the clash against Essendon, leaving Barassi to turn to Munari (even though he was short of match fitness) as Nicoll’s replacement for the Grand Final.

On that cool, blustery September day at the MCG, a huge crowd of 116,828 saw Barassi’s Blues break a 21-year drought with a hard-fought win over the persistent Bombers, in a match ruined as a spectacle by a strong cross-wind. Carlton had eight more scoring shots and hung on for a nail-biting three point victory. Although Blues wingman Garry Crane was a worthy Best on Ground, the platform for Carlton’s victory was provided by the ruck dominance of John Nicholls and his rover Adrian Gallagher. And when Essendon surged towards victory late in the third term, ruck-rover Serge Silvagni was rock-solid across half-back. Munari was prominent up forward in the first half, but faded later as his condition gave out.

Coming off the euphoria of that long-awaited Premiership, no-one would have been surprised if the dreaded Premiership hangover had kicked-in in 1969 – but it didn’t. The Blues held their form right through the year, finishing runners-up to Collingwood after the regular season, and knocking over the Magpies by six goals in an impressive second semi-final. Munari shared the two-man reserve bench with future Carlton President Ian Collins in that match, but both took little part in proceedings.

Awaiting Carlton as our Grand Final opponent in ’69 was Richmond, gunning for their second flag in three years under their charismatic coach Tom Hafey. This time however, Grand Final week proved a forgettable time for Munari. On selection night, he lost his place in the team to Nicoll, and on the following Saturday afternoon joined the many thousands of Carlton fans who watched helplessly as a rampant Richmond triumphed over the Blues by 25 points.

Munari’s last game for Carlton came in the final round of the home and away season in 1970, against Melbourne at the MCG. Sharing the roving duties once more with ‘Gags’ Gallagher, Dennis had a good match on an auspicious occasion for the Carlton Football Club – the day when champion forward Alex Jesaulenko became the first Blue to notch up 100 goals in a season. And three weeks later, ‘Jezza’ took his season tally to 115, with three telling goals in Carlton’s magnificent, come-from-behind Grand Final victory over Collingwood.

Munari signed with East Perth for 1971, but instead, ended up as playing coach of Hobart. This came about after Carlton’s former WA recruit Bert Thornley (a pivotal figure in the 1970 Grand Final) requested a release from his contract with Hobart just a few weeks into the season. The Tasmanian club was incensed that Thornley wanted to leave the Apple Isle, until Carlton stepped in to broker a deal, offering them Munari instead. When Hobart agreed, Thornley returned to his home state, and Munari travelled south to begin a turbulent 18-months as captain-coach of the Tassie Tigers. Unfortunately for all concerned, Hobart hardly won a match during that time, and before the mid-point of the 1972 TFL season, Munari was sacked – although many players and supporters of the club felt that he had been unfairly made the scapegoat for problems that ran deep within the administration of the club. By late 1972 Dennis was back at Princes Park playing Reserves football, before Preston lured him to the VFA in 1973.

Munari was contemplating giving football away for good in 1974, when a chance meeting with Ron Barassi (who by then was coaching North Melbourne) led to an invitation for Dennis to join the Kangaroos – who were short on experience and leadership. Barassi’s encouragement rekindled Dennis’ enthusiasm for the game, and he was appointed as assistant to North’s renowned Under-19 coach, Ray ‘Slug’ Jordon. In four years at Arden Street, Munari added another 13 senior matches to his tally, while twice winning the ‘Roo’s Reserves Best and Fairest award.

North’s memorable victory over Collingwood in the 1977 Grand Final replay marked the end of Munari’s time at Arden Street, and by 1989 he had returned to Princes Park to become an active member of the Carlton Past Players Association.In 2003, he was elected President of the Association – a post he held with distinction for a number of years.

Footnote

Munari also wore No.53 when he played Reserve grade football for Carlton in 1972.