- Sep 24, 2014
- 3,590
- 17,881
- AFL Club
- Sydney
When I put my hand up to do this preview I did indicate that facts, statistics, data, or anything remotely relevant to the actual game may be missing...well SwansProudly does that brilliantly every week in her gameday preview, so who am I to impinge?
So instead if you should choose to embark on the journey within, you will be assaulted by much nonsense but perhaps at least once, a little snippet will result in a cocked eyebrow and the mild exclamation of 'I didn't know that'.
Tis as much as either of us can hope.
Donald J Trump, (bibles now on special), was recently asked which businessman from history he most admired.
Unsurprisingly he answered himself.
When pressed he finally nominated John Dorman Elliott (JDE), who like himself, had no morals or ethics, was egotistical beyond measure and whose attitude to women made Donald seem almost courteous.
At least none of Donald's wives arrived home from an early morning walk to be met by a media scrum who informed her, much to her surprise, that JDE had sold their family home. The very home she had set out from 1 hour previously.
Of course Elliott was also the President of Carlton football club for ~20 years, during which time Carlton won 2 premierships (yep that figure is correct) and helped the Pratt's family fortune grow by always ensuring only Visy brown paper bags were used for under the table payments.
Now it is well known that under Elliott, Carlton tried to buy the Swans after the Edelstein venture collapsed.
Thankfully the other clubs had the sense to reject the bid and supported The True Believers (Mike Willesee, Basil Sellers, John Gerahty, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley.) to bring the club back from the dead.
What is less well known is that when the (then) VFL was first examining private ownership of clubs that Elliott on his own behalf had expressed an interest in purchasing the Swans.
So that's twice we were saved from JDE and he was allowed to forever tarnish the name of Carlton Football Club instead.
Carlton trying to muscle in on Sydney should come as no surprise.
They in fact played in the first Aussie Rules game in Sydney.
In 1877 they travelled from Melbourne to play a local rugby club called the Waratahs.
2 games were played, one under Rugby rules, the other under Australian football rules.
For the record, unsurprisingly the Waratahs won the rugby game and lost the other.
Of course after Elliott was pissed off from Carlton the interesting parade of Presidents and 'influential benefactors' continued.
It always amused me that not long after Steven Trigg took over as CEO of Carlton he pronounced;
"We need to build a club that stands on its feet without... philanthropy."
The statement was made at a dinner for 100 of the club's wealthiest supporters hosted at Jeanne Pratt's mansion, back in 2015.
So basically we need to stand on our own two feet without philanthropy and could you please give us a few million to start us off and please Bruce Mathieson can we keep the pokies?
And yes that is the same Steven Trigg who in his previous role as Adelaide Crows CEO had framed Kurt Tippett's contract in such a manner that it resulted in them losing Tippett without compensation, being banned from the first 2 rounds of the 2013 draft and being fined $300,000.
Trigg himself was fined $50k and banned for 6 months.
So of course Carlton thought that's the man we need.
And Trigg didn't disappoint.
He signed up Dodgy Andy Demetriou's nephew's company CareerOne as a major sponsor of Carlton and a its parent company (Acquire Learning) as shorts sponsor.
They both went under failing to meet the promised sponsorship for year 3 of their contract.
Blackhole of over $1 million....but at Carlton easily solved by a phone call 'Hello Jeanne I was wondering if you had any spare cash lying around?'.
Now much as it pains me to say it I'm a big fan of their current CEO in Brian Cook.
When Mathieson started a campaign to sack Voss last year Cook publicly came out and said Voss isn't going anywhere and your nephew can piss off from the Board as well. Both of which eventuated.
(As an aside I can't help but feel the AFL would have been far far better off with Cook becoming AFL CEO back in the day rather than dodgy Andy Demetriou). But that's for another day.
There have been many classic GFs over the years, but one that is undoubtedly etched into the history of the VFL/AFL is the 'Bloodbath' GF of 1945 between the 2 clubs. Let's face it any game nicknamed the Bloodbath is always going to be hard to overlook.
Of course typical Carlton it was played at Princes Park, their home ground.
South Melbourne had finished the season as minor premiers, Carlton fourth.
It was generally considered a 2 horse race between South and (ladder runners-up) Collingwood.
Collingwood comfortably led Carlton in the preliminary final, when a wild brawl lasting several minutes erupted.
The tide turned and Carlton made it to the GF.
It would prove a portent for what was to ensue the following week.
Early in the GF Carlton's Bob Chitty decked our youngest player in 17yo Ron Clegg and later our second youngest in Bill Williams.
Both of our youngsters would, many a long year later, be named in our Team of the Century. (FWIW Chitty was named as an emergency for Carlton's TOTC).
Come the 4th qtr Clegg was again put down, at which point as they might say in American sports, the benches cleared and police had to enter the arena.
The great Laurie Nash did reminisce about his joy in 'punching out' Bob Chitty.
Some indication of Chitty's behaviour can be measured by the fact that he played 146 league games and was suspended for 16 weeks over his career, in the days when murdering an opposition player was generally considered worthy of a reprimand.
Many a punishment was handed out at the tribunal following the match.
But thankfully then as now they identified the real issues and South's Ted Whitfield was suspended for two weeks for time-wasting by kicking the ball away after a free kick.
Pleased to report no further incidents of such nature have occurred in recent times and over the years many kind and courteous gentlemen such as David Rhys-Jones and Greg Williams have represented both clubs with distinction.
And speaking of distinction one should note John Nicholls.
I believe the only one of the original 12 AFL Hall of Fame legends to have served time in prison, in 1960, for embezzling the equivalent (in today's dollar terms) of ~$100,000 from the bank where he worked.
Sentenced to 12 months jail, he was released after three on parole.
Contrary to popular myth Nicholls (during his 3 month imprisonment) was not releaed on Saturdays to play for Carlton
I'm sure however Nicholls eventual release was much to the pleasure of Sir Robert Menzies, who observed all, puffing away on his cigar, from his Bentley parked, on his purpose built ramp, overlooking Princes Park;
Now some may see this as elitist, however I view it completely differently.
It enabled him to sit in the outer (albeit in a Bentley) and avoid the riff raff that ran the club.
As a final note regarding Nicholls he was also convicted of passing dud cheques in 1980 and fined.
His lawyer noted 'Nicholls was not good at organising his financial affairs'.
I promised I wouldn't overburden people with numbers, but to help your tipping this week, over the years we have kicked
2507.2694 17736pts to Carlton's 2661.2925 18891pts.
We have also won 9 of our last 10 games in Sydney v Carlton dating back to June 2013.
(Sorry to overwhelm you with stats).
I'm tipping a win for the True Believers, by 36*.
* The same amount in millions that Richard Pratt & Visy were fined in 2007 for price fixing.
So instead if you should choose to embark on the journey within, you will be assaulted by much nonsense but perhaps at least once, a little snippet will result in a cocked eyebrow and the mild exclamation of 'I didn't know that'.
Tis as much as either of us can hope.
Donald J Trump, (bibles now on special), was recently asked which businessman from history he most admired.
Unsurprisingly he answered himself.
When pressed he finally nominated John Dorman Elliott (JDE), who like himself, had no morals or ethics, was egotistical beyond measure and whose attitude to women made Donald seem almost courteous.
At least none of Donald's wives arrived home from an early morning walk to be met by a media scrum who informed her, much to her surprise, that JDE had sold their family home. The very home she had set out from 1 hour previously.
Of course Elliott was also the President of Carlton football club for ~20 years, during which time Carlton won 2 premierships (yep that figure is correct) and helped the Pratt's family fortune grow by always ensuring only Visy brown paper bags were used for under the table payments.
Now it is well known that under Elliott, Carlton tried to buy the Swans after the Edelstein venture collapsed.
Thankfully the other clubs had the sense to reject the bid and supported The True Believers (Mike Willesee, Basil Sellers, John Gerahty, Peter Weinert and Craig Kimberley.) to bring the club back from the dead.
What is less well known is that when the (then) VFL was first examining private ownership of clubs that Elliott on his own behalf had expressed an interest in purchasing the Swans.
So that's twice we were saved from JDE and he was allowed to forever tarnish the name of Carlton Football Club instead.
Carlton trying to muscle in on Sydney should come as no surprise.
They in fact played in the first Aussie Rules game in Sydney.
In 1877 they travelled from Melbourne to play a local rugby club called the Waratahs.
2 games were played, one under Rugby rules, the other under Australian football rules.
For the record, unsurprisingly the Waratahs won the rugby game and lost the other.
Of course after Elliott was pissed off from Carlton the interesting parade of Presidents and 'influential benefactors' continued.
It always amused me that not long after Steven Trigg took over as CEO of Carlton he pronounced;
"We need to build a club that stands on its feet without... philanthropy."
The statement was made at a dinner for 100 of the club's wealthiest supporters hosted at Jeanne Pratt's mansion, back in 2015.
So basically we need to stand on our own two feet without philanthropy and could you please give us a few million to start us off and please Bruce Mathieson can we keep the pokies?
And yes that is the same Steven Trigg who in his previous role as Adelaide Crows CEO had framed Kurt Tippett's contract in such a manner that it resulted in them losing Tippett without compensation, being banned from the first 2 rounds of the 2013 draft and being fined $300,000.
Trigg himself was fined $50k and banned for 6 months.
So of course Carlton thought that's the man we need.
And Trigg didn't disappoint.
He signed up Dodgy Andy Demetriou's nephew's company CareerOne as a major sponsor of Carlton and a its parent company (Acquire Learning) as shorts sponsor.
They both went under failing to meet the promised sponsorship for year 3 of their contract.
Blackhole of over $1 million....but at Carlton easily solved by a phone call 'Hello Jeanne I was wondering if you had any spare cash lying around?'.
Now much as it pains me to say it I'm a big fan of their current CEO in Brian Cook.
When Mathieson started a campaign to sack Voss last year Cook publicly came out and said Voss isn't going anywhere and your nephew can piss off from the Board as well. Both of which eventuated.
(As an aside I can't help but feel the AFL would have been far far better off with Cook becoming AFL CEO back in the day rather than dodgy Andy Demetriou). But that's for another day.
There have been many classic GFs over the years, but one that is undoubtedly etched into the history of the VFL/AFL is the 'Bloodbath' GF of 1945 between the 2 clubs. Let's face it any game nicknamed the Bloodbath is always going to be hard to overlook.
Of course typical Carlton it was played at Princes Park, their home ground.
South Melbourne had finished the season as minor premiers, Carlton fourth.
It was generally considered a 2 horse race between South and (ladder runners-up) Collingwood.
Collingwood comfortably led Carlton in the preliminary final, when a wild brawl lasting several minutes erupted.
The tide turned and Carlton made it to the GF.
It would prove a portent for what was to ensue the following week.
Early in the GF Carlton's Bob Chitty decked our youngest player in 17yo Ron Clegg and later our second youngest in Bill Williams.
Both of our youngsters would, many a long year later, be named in our Team of the Century. (FWIW Chitty was named as an emergency for Carlton's TOTC).
Come the 4th qtr Clegg was again put down, at which point as they might say in American sports, the benches cleared and police had to enter the arena.
The great Laurie Nash did reminisce about his joy in 'punching out' Bob Chitty.
Some indication of Chitty's behaviour can be measured by the fact that he played 146 league games and was suspended for 16 weeks over his career, in the days when murdering an opposition player was generally considered worthy of a reprimand.
Many a punishment was handed out at the tribunal following the match.
But thankfully then as now they identified the real issues and South's Ted Whitfield was suspended for two weeks for time-wasting by kicking the ball away after a free kick.
Pleased to report no further incidents of such nature have occurred in recent times and over the years many kind and courteous gentlemen such as David Rhys-Jones and Greg Williams have represented both clubs with distinction.
And speaking of distinction one should note John Nicholls.
I believe the only one of the original 12 AFL Hall of Fame legends to have served time in prison, in 1960, for embezzling the equivalent (in today's dollar terms) of ~$100,000 from the bank where he worked.
Sentenced to 12 months jail, he was released after three on parole.
Contrary to popular myth Nicholls (during his 3 month imprisonment) was not releaed on Saturdays to play for Carlton
I'm sure however Nicholls eventual release was much to the pleasure of Sir Robert Menzies, who observed all, puffing away on his cigar, from his Bentley parked, on his purpose built ramp, overlooking Princes Park;
Now some may see this as elitist, however I view it completely differently.
It enabled him to sit in the outer (albeit in a Bentley) and avoid the riff raff that ran the club.
As a final note regarding Nicholls he was also convicted of passing dud cheques in 1980 and fined.
His lawyer noted 'Nicholls was not good at organising his financial affairs'.
I promised I wouldn't overburden people with numbers, but to help your tipping this week, over the years we have kicked
2507.2694 17736pts to Carlton's 2661.2925 18891pts.
We have also won 9 of our last 10 games in Sydney v Carlton dating back to June 2013.
(Sorry to overwhelm you with stats).
I'm tipping a win for the True Believers, by 36*.
* The same amount in millions that Richard Pratt & Visy were fined in 2007 for price fixing.
Last edited:
stats aside.
