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.
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.
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.
Replacements: G.Towns by P.Bedford and L.McConnon by J.Tresize in the last quarter
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.
Reports: D.Rhys-Jones (Striking – B.Taylor) in the last quarter.
Injuries: R.Dennis (knee) & W.McKenzie (knee).
This was a game of contrasting emotions for the Carlton faithful.
First, Stephen Silvagni soared impossibly high over Collingwood’s Craig Starcevich to take the undisputed Mark of the Year, then Richard Dennis and Warren McKenzie both suffered serious season ending knee injuries.
And to compound the pain, we lost by almost four goals.
Carlton on the rebound and desperate to regain a place in the top three, is a feared opponent and ut threw everything at Collingwood at the MCG in the finals-like atmosphere. When the nemesis of the Magpies Wayne Johnston, sent a booming torpedo through for the goal which regained the lead for Carlton late in the final term, it looked as though the League titleholder would emerge victorious after a pressure-packed encounter. The Magpies were able to quickly snatch the lead back and then the scent of victory sent them into a frenzy, the destroyed Carlton in the dying minutes. – Tony Greenberg Inside Football.
Playing Career : 1969 – 1976
Debut : Round 1, 1969 vs St Kilda, aged 24 years 278 days
Carlton Player No. 808
Games : 136
Goals : 165
Guernsey No. 5
Last Game : Preliminary Final, 1976 vs North Melbourne, aged 32 years 79 days
Height : 172 cm (5 ft. 8 in.)
Weight : 72.5 kgs (11 stone, 6 lbs.)
DOB : July 1, 1944
Premiership Player 1970, 1972 Carlton Hall of Fame (2006)
Before Nicky Winmar made his celebrated stand against racism at Victoria Park; before Jim and Phil Krakouer redefined the art of ball-handling, and before a succession of brilliant aboriginal small forwards transformed the forward pocket from a respite station for tired rovers into a major avenue to goal – there was the mercurial Syd Jackson; a gifted, courageous aboriginal footballer who was a star in two Carlton Premiership teams.
Jackson was discovered by a scout from the East Perth Football Club in 1963. A scrawny, spindly-legged teenager from Roelands Mission near Bunbury, Western Australia, he was already dazzling with his ability on the football field. There wasn’t a lot of Syd, however within a year he was entrenched in the centre for the Royals, and considered as one of the rising stars of the WA competition. In fact, in his first year at East Perth, he scored more votes than anyone else in the Sandover Medal (WA’s equivalent of the Brownlow) but was ruled ineligible for the honour because he had been suspended during the year.
That effort brought strong overtures from two VFL clubs; North Melbourne and Carlton. Syd was reluctant to leave WA at first, but after repeated invitations he eventually agreed to join the Blues in 1968. By then he was a mature 24, with more than 100 senior games to his credit. For a lucrative transfer fee, East Perth agreed to clear Syd to Carlton. Then the WANFL stepped in.
Alarmed by the drain of its finest players from Perth to Melbourne, the WANFL board decided to make a stand, and refused to endorse Jackson’s transfer. Syd’s only option then was to stand out of football for a year. Under ANFC rules, players who took this course of action were granted automatic clearance after twelve months. Consequently, Jackson spent his first year at Carlton as coach Ron Barassi’s runner – which at least gave him some valuable insights into Barassi’s methods. It also got his career at Princes Park off to a positive start, when the Blues beat Essendon for the 1968 Premiership.
Syd pulled on Navy Blue guernsey number 5 for his first match in round one of 1969, against Richmond. He had played almost all of his senior football in WA in the centre, but Barassi had reservations about Jackson’s slim frame in heavy traffic at VFL level. Instead, he preferred to use him as a creative half-forward flanker. Like most of Barassi’s ideas at the time, it proved a winner.
Jackson had an impressive debut season, using his lightning pace and accurate disposal with telling effect. An intuitive reader of the ball as it spilled off packs, and a driving drop-kick on the run, Syd was instrumental in Carlton finishing second on the ladder by percentage to Collingwood. But after jumping to outright favouritism for the flag with a decisive six goal defeat of the Magpies in the Second Semi, Carlton were no match for a rampaging Richmond in the ‘69 Grand Final, losing by 25 points.
Dan Halloran: 4th July
Playing Career : 1975 – 1977
Debut : Round 13, 1975 Aged 20 years 359 days
853th Carlton Player
Games : 15
Goals : 4
Last Game : Round 1, 1977 Aged 22 years 272 days
Guernsey No. 31
Height : 189 cm (6′ 2½”)
Weight : 95 kgs (14.13)
DOB : July 4, 1954
Danny Halloran was recruited from Kyneton and wore guernsey #31 in 15 games for Carlton commencing in Season 1975. The 189cm Blue kicked 4 goals. Halloran retired from VFL football in 1978.
Alex Marcou: 6th July
Career : 1979-1986
Debut : Round 3, 1979 v Essendon, aged 20 years, 268 days
Carlton Player No. 879
Games : 134
Goals : 148
Last game : Round 11, 1986 v North Melbourne, aged 27 years, 338 days
Guernsey No. 34
Height : 178 cm
Weight : 76 kg
DOB : 6 July, 1958 Premiership Player: 1979, 1981, 1982 Carlton Hall of Fame (2006)
Alex Marcou was a member of Carlton’s fabled mosquito fleet of brilliant small men of the 1970’s and ‘80’s, and a three-time Premiership rover for the Blues. Recruited within the Blues recruiting zone, from northern suburban VAFA club Thomastown, he was among four first-gamers for Carlton in the opening round of the 1979 season. The others were Wayne Johnston, Robbert Klomp and Peter Francis; all of whom were destined for Premiership glory.
Marcou was a lightning-quick rover with sure ball-handling skills and excellent goal sense. Aged 20 on debut, by mid-season in ‘79 he was a regular in a powerful Blues combination that topped the ladder, then went on to beat Collingwood by 5 points in a see-sawing Grand Final on a boggy MCG. It was the perfect culmination to a great first year for the 178 cm, 76 kg speedster wearing number 34, and he was widely regarded as Recruit of the Year.
Carlton crashed out of the 1980 final series in successive weeks, but under new coach David Parkin, bounced back to beat Collingwood for the ’81 flag. This time, Marcou came off the bench when Carlton trailed by 21 points in the third quarter of the Grand Final. His pace was a factor as Carlton steadied, then rallied to win by 20 points. It was the Blues’ twelfth flag, and the second in a row over Collingwood.
Lance Styles: 6th July
Playing Career: 1973 – 1974
Debut: Round 14, 1973 v Hawthorn
Carlton Player No. 841
Games: 3
Goals: Nil
Last game: Round 15, 1974 v Richmond
Guernsey No. 35
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 85 kgs
DOB: 6th July 1951
Recruited from Northern Tasmanian Football Association club Scottsdale and wearing guernsey #35, Styles played 3 games for Carlton after debuting in the same game as Craig Davis in Round 14, 1973.
1973 4th Reserves Best & Fairest
1974 6th Reserves Best & Fairest
With thanks to the Blueseum for player pictures and information.
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The Sergio Silvagni story mirrors that of thousands of European settlers in Australia following World War II. While his parents had arrived years before and settled in Carlton, Sergio grew up in a time when Italy had been a recent enemy. He saw sport as a way of assimilating, so he took to the local game in primary school.
By his late teens he was a standout in senior school football with Parade College, and in 1956 he was invited to try out in a practice match with the Under 19 squad at Carlton. With fifty players involved and changes only being made at the regular intervals, he didn’t get a run until after half time – only to be sent to full-back to play on the team’s gun full-forward. In Serge’s words, he “blitzed” the bloke because he was so annoyed at having to wait to get his chance. Only later was he told that the officials at the game knew he could play, but they didn’t call on him earlier because they couldn’t pronounce his name!
The dark-haired, barrel-chested kid with determination written all over him forced his way into Carlton’s senior team in 1958. Originally given guernsey number 20, such was his impact that prior to the ’59 season his coach Jim Francis insisted that he switch to number 1. By this time Serge was a rapidly-maturing 21 year-old, standing 183 cm. When not playing or training with the Blues, he continued working in his father’s concreting business – hard physical labour that paid huge dividends in the powerful 92 kg physique he developed.
By 1962 Silvagni was established among the very best ruck-rovers in the game and was selected in the Victorian State team. A one-pace performer, he ran and worked as hard in the last minute of the game as he had in the first. He was a superb team player and a strong, safe mark; when Serge took front position or swooped on the ball at ground level, only a Mack truck could shift him. He wasn’t quick, but he read the play superbly and revelled in the fiercest contest.
Carlton made the 1962 Grand Final, only to lose to Essendon by 32 points, with Silvagni named among the best for the Blues. A couple of weeks later, Serge won Carlton’s Best & Fairest award with a record number of votes, polling in 19 of a possible 22 games. And in a portent of things to come, he had already developed a special on-field relationship with our blossoming champion ruckman John Nicholls.
Two years on, the third member of perhaps the greatest ruck combination of all played his first game for the Blues. Adrian Gallagher came to Carlton from Yarram, and claimed a rover’s spot in the senior team from day one. From 1964 to 1971 Nicholls, Silvagni and Gallagher were the most respected on-ball trio in the game. Nicholls’ brilliant palming, Silvagni’s tenacity and Gallagher’s fluent disposal made them a potent combination.
Serge was honoured with the captaincy in ’64, but the Blues had a poor year, finishing tenth. However the sensational arrival of Ron Barassi in 1966 revitalised the Blues, and two years afterward we beat Essendon by 3 points in a dour struggle before a record crowd on Grand Final day to claim our first flag in 21 years. Serge was in his element in that ’68 Grand Final, and was among Carlton’s top half-dozen contributors. He then topped off a great season with another Best & Fairest award.
Gary Lawson-Smith: 30th June
Playing Career : 1970-71 Debut : Round 10, 1970 vs Footscray Carlton Player No. 823 Games : 7 Goals : Nil Guernsey No. 16 Last Game: Round 11, 1971 vs Collingwood Height : 191cm (6’3″) Weight : 87.5kg (13.11) Date of Birth : 30 June, 1947
Lawson-Smith debuted for the Blues in 1970, playing 7 games over 2 seasons.
Gary Smith was born in South Australia on June 30, 1947 and was recruited from Central District and had to stand out of football for the 1969 season, when he kept fit by being Carlton’s match day runner while waiting for his clearance. He played in guernsey number 16 and debuted in Round 10, 1970 against Footscray at the Western Oval at the age of 22 years and 341 days old in this 10 point loss where he was named on the half back flank. He was listed as 6′ 3″ (191cm) and 13.11 (87.5kg) and he played 3 senior games during 1970.
Before the start of 1971 season he married and changed his name from Smith to Lawson-Smith (Lawson being his middle name). He was one of the two Carlton players to change their surnames for this season the other one being Andy Lukas who shorted his name to Lukas.
It is with great pleasure that the Spirit of Carlton Past and Present wishes John Goold a happy 70th birthday. We hope that all involved in John’s life enjoy this wonderful milestone. John is a great friend of the Spirit of Carlton and has generously given his time for many of our events over the years. Please leave your birthday wishes to John in the comments section of this article.
Career : 1963 – 1970
Debut : Round 7, 1963 vs Footscray, aged 21 years, 338 days
Carlton Player No. 754
Games : 108
Goals : 3
Last Game : Grand Final, 1970 vs Collingwood, aged 29 years, 90 days
Guernsey No. 11
Height : 184 cm (6 ft ½ in.)
Weight : 76 kg (12 stone, 0 lbs.)
DOB : June 27, 1941
Premiership Player 1968, 1970
All Australian 1966
A brilliant, flamboyant, two-time Premiership player for Carlton during the Barassi years in the ‘swingin’ sixties,’ John William Crosbie Goold became almost as famous for his dapper appearance off the field, as for his exploits on it. At the height of his football career, he was also a prominent ladies fashion designer – which led to him being dubbed ‘Mr Elegance’ by leading football commentator Lou Richards. Supporters and team-mates however, called him ‘Rags’ or ‘Ragsy,’ because of his involvement in the clothing, or ‘rag’ trade.
Goold first came under notice as an outstanding junior athlete at Melbourne Grammar School. A true all-round sportsman, he shone at tennis, athletics, football and cricket. He was also a keen horseman who loved the game of polo and the rough and tumble of fox hunting. While at school he was a fervent Melbourne supporter, but strangely, never had much confidence in his football ability.
“If I thought I was good enough, I would certainly have gone to Melbourne,” he said many years later. “But I honestly didn’t think I would ever amount to anything in this game. Cricket and tennis were the games that really interested me.’ However, after graduating from MGS, Goold went home to Healesville to star in the Bloods’ 1962 Yarra Valley Football Association Premiership team – an achievement that brought tempting offers from more than one VFL club.
“Incentives were offered elsewhere,” he recalled, “but I gravitated to Carlton – partly because the deep blue of their guernsey attracted me, but mostly because of the good advice I got from people who even then were longsighted enough to predict that big things were ahead for this club.”
The Blues were confident enough in Goold’s potential to offer him the guernsey number 11 previously worn with distinction by the likes of Jack Hale, Jim Knight, Ron Hines and Laurie Kerr, and his first senior game came in round 7, 1963 against Footscray at the Western Oval. He played on a half-forward flank alongside Brownlow Medallists Gordon Collis and John James on that Saturday afternoon, and kicked his first career goal in an 8-point win. Little did he know though, that it would be another six seasons before he would again experience the thrill of sending a football spinning between the big posts, because his future lay in defence.
By his own admission, Goold struggled to find his feet in VFL football during his first two seasons, until the shock appointment of Ron Barassi as captain-coach of Carlton in 1965 began steering his career back on track. “I think you could say that 1965 was my first year of League football,” he said, “That’s the way I felt – that’s the way I reacted to Barassi.”
Under Barassi, Goold rapidly developed into a superb running half-back flanker. Tenacious, and an often freakish high mark, he was unmistakable on the field thanks to his mane of dark hair, his loping running style and somewhat awkward kicking action. Furthermore, he had boundless courage. There is no doubt that he would have played many more games had he not been regularly pole-axed under the high ball – a fact he later freely admitted. “I was always getting knocked out,” he said, “and spent half my bloody time in hospital.”
In the second half of 1965, an injury to centre half-back Gordon Collis forced Barassi to use Goold in the key defensive post. While it curtailed his rebounding instincts somewhat, ‘Ragsy’ rose to the challenge and rarely lowered his colours. Testament to his improvement, he finished third behind John Nicholls and Sergio Silvagni in Carlton’s 1965 Best and Fairest award, and followed up by being selected in the Victorian team for the 1966 Hobart Carnival. There, he had a superb series in which he was runner-up to West Australian Barry Cable in voting for the Tassie Medal, and capped it off by being named on a half-back flank in the All Australian team.
Barassi’s influence at Carlton bore fruit in his third year, when the Blues returned to finals football at last. Richmond, Carlton, Geelong and Collingwood fought out the 1967 Premiership, and Ragsy Goold won the hearts of the Carlton faithful with two lion-hearted performances. Although Carlton was knocked out of contention by successive losses to Richmond and Geelong, Goold was tireless throughout both games, and it was obvious that he thrived on the added pressure of finals football.
Precisely twelve months later, the bitter taste of those defeats was washed away when Barassi’s Blues edged out Essendon by 3 points in the 1968 Grand Final, and ended 21 years of despair at Princes Park. To win Carlton’s ninth VFL flag, the Blues had had to defeat the minor premier Bombers twice during the finals – and did so, thanks to a watertight defence led by Goold, and a dominant ruck division headed by John Nicholls.
In round 5, 1969, Carlton hosted South Melbourne at Princes Park in a match significant for a number of reasons. As he regularly did, Ron Barassi swung his team around prior to the opening bounce, and Goold found himself in the unaccustomed role of ruck-rover. While the Blues set about establishing a good break on the scoreboard, Ragsy relished the freedom to kick two first half goals – his first majors for 78 games. Just before half-time however, he was flattened in a pack, concussed again, and replaced during the long break by Barry Gill. Alex Jesaulenko was substituted at the same time – by a shy, ambitious youngster named Bruce Doull, making his senior debut for Carlton in guernsey number 4.
In September, 1969 the Navy Blues began their third straight finals campaign with an impressive 6-goal Semi Final win over Collingwood in front of more than 108,000 fans at the MCG. A fortnight later, Richmond stunned the flag favourites with a withering last quarter in the Grand Final, and knocked Carlton out of the Premiership race again at the last hurdle. Half-way through the year, Carlton’s club doctor discovered that Goold had been playing with shin splints in both of his lower legs. The pain they caused was considerable, but Ragsy soldiered on and held down centre half-back throughout the season.
John Goold’s VFL career at Carlton culminated in the fabled 1970 Grand Final triumph over Collingwood. What is not so well known is that Ragsy was only cleared to play in that game on the morning of the match. After narrowly losing to Collingwood in the second Semi Final, the Navy Blues destroyed St Kilda by 62 points in the Preliminary Final, and earned another shot at the Magpies in the decider. But one of Carlton’s problems was that Goold had been kicked on a shin against St Kilda, causing a burst blood vessel and serious swelling.
Despite the best efforts of the club medical staff, Ragsy had only a slim chance of playing in the Grand Final right up until game day, when his worried coach reluctantly allowed him to take his place in the side. Later, Barassi justified his decision by saying that in his opinion, a less than fully fit Goold was still worth his place in the team. By half time in the Grand Final however, he was probably questioning that judgement – because Carlton had been totally outplayed, and trailed an impressive, cohesive Collingwood by 44 points.
Therefore, Carlton’s magnificent comeback – orchestrated by Barassi, and sparked by the fairytale exploits of 19th man Ted Hopkins – is one of the greatest of all football stories. Against enormous odds, the Navy Blues fought their way back into the contest, and eventually, rolled over the top of the frantic Magpies to snatch victory by 10 points in the last few minutes of the match.
Hopkins ended up with four goals, Barassi was hailed a genius, and Ragsy Goold was carted off to hospital immediately after the game to have further urgent treatment. While there, he decided that there was no better time to end his VFL career – especially because his burgeoning business interests were demanding more and more of his time.
In the years after his football career ended, John Goold created a remarkably successful business empire. In 1971 he sold his fashion label and took up farming at Mortlake in western Victoria, where he coached the local football team for three seasons. Later, he formed a diversified pastoral company, and purchased a magnificent complex called Ballangeich Run at nearby Ellerslie. While his passion for farming and livestock grew, he began breeding top quality polo ponies, and represented Australia in international competition.
During the 1997 and 1998 seasons, John’s son Ed Goold played reserve grade football for Carlton.
Reports: Billy Dick (striking Jack Cooper) – 10 Matches. (Insulting language to field umpire) – Reprimand.
Injuries: Nil
Carlton lost this battle of second against third and fell one spot on the ladder. Fitzroy and Carlton were both then 6 points behind Collingwood.
The ten-week suspension handed out to Billy Dick for striking Jack Cooper meant that Carlton’s captain would miss the remainder of the season, which of course included our second consecutive Premiership.
Despite being played in constant heavy rain on a cold Melbourne afternoon, this match was a skilful encounter between two of the form sides of the competition. And just like in Round 6, 1926, Carlton took on the ladder leaders and came away with the points. Beforehand, Collingwood and Geelong sat at the top of the table, with the Pies having a superior percentage. But the Blues would be up all day, and the Pies would not be able to take the game back. As a result, the Pies fell from 1st to 3rd, and the Blues maintained fourth place on the ladder. This competitiveness seemed a far cry from the struggles of season 1925.
After the game, two trams packed with supporters collided heavily in Lygon St. Many people were injured, and ambulances ferried more than forty to hospital.
Both sides were weakened by injury for this game, with the respective captains; Ron Barassi and Ted Whitten missing. John Nicholls stepped up to lead the Blues and dominated the ruck contests. Bryan Quirk filled in at full-forward and kicked three goals, as the Blues’ defence got right on top after half-time and stifled the Bulldog forwards.
In other games in this round, St Kilda leapt to the top of the table with a huge win over Hawthorn at Mordialloc, and Geelong snatched second by beating Richmond at Kardinia Park. Melbourne lost to Essendon and dropped to third, while Carlton hung on to fourth spot ahead of the Bombers and Collingwood.
Carlton (as we all know) had won the flag in 1970 whilst the Bombers had languished in 11th place (out of 12). The Windy Hill men were on the way to another inglorious 11th finish in 1971. My God, it was enjoyable!
Essendon were no match for the Blues for most of the day and only made any significant ground after the Blues seemingly took their collective foot off the pedal upon reaching a match-winning 32 point lead midway through the last quarter.
Bill Barrot, picked up mid-season after a brief sojourn at St Kilda, was brilliant and was proving a particularly clever acquisition.
Carlton welcome back from his studies at Oxford, England Mike Fitzpatrick and their captain Alex Jesaulenko who had only played one of the last 6 matches and returned to the winning list.
Carlton took their chances when they selected many top players after injury, in an effort to avert their sixth consecutive loss and pulled off the coup when most stood up to the strong Essendon challenge late in the game. The Blues victory by 17 points saw them score best since their last win which had been in Round 7. The inclusion of Rhodes Scholar Mike Fitzpatrick almost straight off the plane from England proved successful and he will almost certainly be an aquisition to the Blues. Essendon played well enough to make a match of it but not well enough to win. They had not won at Princes Park against the Blues since 1968 and will now have to wait until 1977 before they can break that barrier. As it was, they could only manage 9.14, which is their lowest at Princes Park since 1969. – Football Record.
Reports: Darren Hulme (Wrestling David King) – $1200 Fine
Injuries: Nil
An embarrassing match for the Blues, in which they scored 5 goals to 1 in the first term, and proceeded to be belted 12 goals to 3 for the remainder of the match. Lance Whitnall was possibly the only winner of his position for Carlton, with half of the team’s goals. Carlton’s third straight loss sent them tumbling out of the top 8.
Adrian Whitehead‘s return to the side after almost 2 years would be short lived. His ongoing battle with stress fractures of the foot would not allow him to ever play again, at the age of just 24.
Thanks to the Blueseum for game details and reviews.
There are just two months 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
Dear Spirit of Carlton member, Past player, Official, Sponsor, Supporter,
Due to the extraordinary contract arrangements that the Collingwood Football Club has with the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Club),and the immanent sell out of the Carlton versus Collingwood game on 16/7, the Spirit of Carlton room and tickets unfortunately are now not available for this game. We are very disappointed with this situation and we apologise for any inconvenience this causes to you our valued members.
Once again apologies for this situation but it is out of our hands.
Thanks for your support of the Spirit of Carlton Past & Present group. It is very much appreciated.
Career: 2000 (On list: 1998-2001)
Only Game: Round 19, 2000 vs Western Bulldogs
1042nd Carlton Player
Games: 1
Goals: Nil
Guernsey No. 13
Height: 189cm
Weight: 81kg
DOB: 22 June, 1979
Adam Chatfield was a hard working flanker from the ACT Rams (originally from Pennant Hills in New South Wales), taken with Pick 23 in the 1997 National Draft. Chatfield, who played with a mop of long blonde hair and had a sharp, pointy nose, had a fine, long if not airey kick on both sides of the body, but unfortunately struggled to crack it into the Carlton team.
He wore the #13 guernsey.
Chatfield was on Carlton’s list for 4 seasons from 1998-2001 and while he managed to play a solitary game for Carlton in Round 19, 2000, he was never actually named in Carlton’s senior team- gaining a last minute call up when named as an emergency, after 2 players were late withdrawals. After just 8 possessions and with the return of senior players the next week, he failed to be selected a second time.
He spent the whole of 1998 in the reserves, while in 1999 was troubled by a series of injuries to his scaphoid, ankle and jaw. 2000 and 2001 were spent in the VFL in all but his one senior call up. He went on to have a year or two on the Geelong rookie list.
Mario Bortolotto: 26th June
Playing Career : 1981 – 1983
Debut : Round 1, 1981 vs Richmond, aged 23 years, 275 days
Carlton Player No. 887
Games : 30
Goals : 1
Guernsey No. 6
Last game : Round 21, 1983 vs North Melbourne, aged 26 years, 54 days
Height : 189 cm
Weight : 87 kg
DOB : 26 June, 1957
Premiership Player 1981, 1982
Mario Bortolotto was a journeyman defender who began his VFL career at Geelong, only to be dumped without warning after a handful of senior appearances. He was then picked up by Carlton – and through a mixture of diligence, luck and circumstance, gained a place in the Blues’ 1981 and ’82 Premiership teams.
By coincidence, Bortolotto’s career at Princes Park ran parallel with that of West Australian sensation Peter Bosustow. They played their first and last matches for Carlton together, and shared in the glory of those back-to-back flags. But while ‘The Buzz’ kicked 146 goals in his celebrated 65 games, Bortolotto managed just 30 matches and one goal over the same period.
Since then, it has become fashionable to disparage Bortolotto as barely a fringe player – conveniently overlooking the fact that he spent his career at Carlton battling for his place in a playing list that in terms of depth of talent, was one of the strongest in our history. In reality, he was more than a handy alternative anywhere in defence, and reliable whenever he was given his chance to play in big games. He was also popular around the club, particularly because of his ready sense of humour.
This was evident when he once participated in one of Lou Richard’s stunts for The Sun newspaper. Lou had made a statement along the lines of, ‘the Blues can’t win this week. If they do, I will have Mario tip a bucket of spaghetti over my head in Lygon St.’ Carlton duly got up, and a few days later, the back page of the paper featured a beaming Bortolotto doing just that; emptying a large bowl of pasta (complete with sauce) over a hapless Richards.
Mario’s path to VFL football began at his home town of Koondrook in north-western Victoria. After a standout couple of seasons for St Patrick’s College at Ballarat during the last years of his schooling, he was playing senior football for local club Leopold when Geelong first showed interest in the solidly-built centre half-back.
In 1979, he made his VFL debut for the Cats, and racked up 14 games and three goals over two seasons. In one of those matches – against Carlton at Kardinia Park in round 12, 1979, he impressed by keeping Carlton’s star forward Mark Maclure under a tight rein all day, as Geelong inflicted a rare defeat on the Blues. He didn’t know it at the time, but that performance was to be the pivotal moment in Bortolotto’s football career.
Tickets for Round 14, 26/6 Carlton V West Coast match at Etihad Stadium are now available. The cost is $50.00 per ticket due to an allocation of premium seating that we have been lucky enough to get, this includes entry to the ground and reserved seat, and finger food in the Spirit of Carlton room. Tickets will be sold on a first in best dressed basis.To book tickets please call Justine Wratten on her new contact number 0420-318266.
Please note : These tickets are only available to Spirit of Carlton members, if you have not yet joined and wish to do so, download our membership application form.
This was a game of contrasting emotions for the Carlton faithful.
