News Carlton to field standalone Reserves Side in 2021

We're going to have to sign a few with reduced list sizes. There are a few good decent ex-AFL players getting around because of this, hopefully we can get some of them on board.

We're going to be fielding an exciting young side with a hell of a young midfield. Could easily see a reserves side of Dow, O'Brien, SPS, Kennedy Stocker, Kemp, Ramsay, Fogarty and Philp.

You think of that, it's given us a great perspective on how SOS has rebuilt our list. Made sure we had plenty of midfielders coming through. Our reserves side' midfield was mostly rejects from other clubs who couldn't get a game and Bullants listed players. Now all of a sudden it will be mostly young guys on Carlton's list.

As for potential VFL listed players I could only guess we have another look at Lukas Webb who was going to play with Northern Blues. There were guys running around in our reserves who were lined up to play VFL last season like Alex Johnson and Jon O'Rourke who I have no doubt we were looking at potentially recruiting and they were vying for a return to AFL so who knows if they may be a part of that. Paddy McCartin you would think would have to be one of those players. Ben Silvagni may also be a chance. I think a lot of delisted AFL players will be finding spots in the new reserves comp.

One thing I would like to see is some access for AFL clubs to their reserves players. For example if injuries hit a club hard they can bring a player in or when list sizes go back up to normal then a club can have priority to recruit their reserves players.

I'm hoping the competition is strong and has a good number of quality mature reserves listed players through it. I know a lot of the better VFL guys will want to be a part of it in an attempt to get drafted. I'd hate for this to be a comp full of young guys, the comp needs to be genuinely the second strongest comp for player development. It needs to have the physicality and pressure of senior football so the gap is not too big between this and AFL.

I wonder if we could get any ex-Blues to help out. They will need a ruckman, Kreuzer would be fantastic as would Simpson. Give some much needed leadership.

Very much looking forward to seeing what our reserves list is going to look like and hoping we are able to field a strong side.

Bloody excited about this new look reserves side!
 
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Happily corrected was a long time ago and with the mists of time, ones memories can become a bit fuddled :)
VFA footy live on ABC on Saturday Afternoon's in the 80s
Memories of something that never happened....ha ha

For the rest of us that actually watched some VFA footy in the 80's to have real memories of it, it was on channel 10 and only on Sunday's
 
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great post!

now to my ignorant question. How come the VFA could play on a Sunday, but the VFL needed permission from the state Government?
From memory the VFL was not allowed to play on Sunday's originally.
Similarly, there was a time pubs could only open to a certain time and most shopping centres could only open to 1 pm on Saturday. Late night shopping was not a thing also. Lots of things that were the ways of the 1970's were all gone by the end of the 1980's. I was too young to understand why those things were restricted then but they were.
The league were granted to trial a few Sunday games. I remember Carlton v South Melbourne at the MCG on a Sunday around 1980 and also an Essendon v Collingwood clash in same year. Until then the only Sunday games were special matches interstate at SCG. We played Essendon at SCG on a Sunday shown live on tv. There was at 4 or 5 matches in seasons like 1979 and 1980, Then South Melbourne relocated to Sydney a few years after that and played every second Sunday from SCG and on tv live. They were games shown live on channel 7. It took until 1984 or 85 before Sunday football for VFL was allowed to become more regular in Melbourne. First Sunday final in 1984. In 1983 you would still have two finals on a Saturday in Melbourne at 2-30 pm. One at the MCG and the other at VFL Park in Waverley. So up until the mid 1980's VFA football had their niche time each Sunday for footy fans to get into it. Channel 7 were allowed some reserve games at places like Lake Side Oval and Moorabin on Sunday's in late 1970's and early 1980's that they showed live to compete with VFA on channel 10.

When senior games were shown live as 1980's progressed first with Swans and later Eagles and Brisbane Bears it slowly was killing off the niche time VFA footy had to get the attention of footy fans to them. I know I started to watch less of it then too. If Eagles play Carlton or someone from Subiaco live on channel 7 on Sunday it is going to trump the VFA live, although I would still switch over at half time etc.
By early 1990's sadly the gig was up for VFA as it once was, it went from two divisions to all teams left in the one division and then after VFL renamed itself AFL the under 19's went from clubs here and then mid 1990's the dogs breakfast was created of reserves league gone and VFA gone at same time and the AFL took over everything and VFA footy was no longer. What was left of it got thrown together with the AFL reserves teams here and was called the VSFL initially. That was when VFA footy was really dead and Carlton reserves started to play old VFA clubs on Saturday's or Sunday's. At some point they started oddly calling it the VFL and been that way for over two decades now as a dogs breakfast league. We lost our beloved tradition of curtain raiser reserves games at the footy when I go see Carlton games and the VFA on Sunday on channel 10.

In my ideal world, AFL footy would have never gone to Sunday and all AFL footy was played Friday night to Saturday night and all the WAFL, SANFL and VFA clubs could have had Sunday to themselves in each state and probably still had a very healthy niche following.

Hello 2021, reality is going to hit hard with Eastern Seaboard League start up with 22 clubs.
 
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Memories of something that never happened....ha ha

For the rest of us that actually watched some VFA footy in the 80's to have real memories of it, it was on channel 10 and only on Sunday's

Yeap, mid 80's was a great period for the VFA, well, I really enjoyed that era, when looking back, even though I was too bloody young to appreciate it at the time
 
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Thank God, someone actually knows their VFA football history.
Bravo mate.
I cut my footy teeth on VFA footy thanks to my late grandfather. He had followed Williamstown since 1923 & would share his memories with me while we were watching Williamstown in action. He was fortunate enough to see the likes of Soapy Vallance, Ron Todd & Des Fothergill all running around with Williamstown at the same time. What an era for VFA footy that would have been.
 
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Yeap, mid 80's was a great period for the VFA, well, I really enjoyed that era, when looking back, even though I was too bloody young to appreciate it at the time
The mid '80s through the early '90s was a good time to be a Williamstown supporter.

After seeing the club nearly killed off in the late '70s, the club reinvented itself under the tutelage of Merv Hobbs, Rod Oborne & Terry Wheeler to play 1st Division Grand Finals in 1985,1986,1988, 1989, 1990 & 1992. Unfortunately Williamstown only won 2 of these Grand Finals, 1986 & 1990. I highly recommend watching the last quarter of the 1990 Grand Final. One of the most thrilling Grand Final finishes you could ever see.

It's worth noting that our own Greg Towns & Leigh McConnon pulled on the Williamstown guernsey during the 1980s, although neither of them enjoyed premiership success.
 
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I cut my footy teeth on VFA footy thanks to my late grandfather. He had followed Williamstown since 1923 & would share his memories with me while we were watching Williamstown in action. He was fortunate enough to see the likes of Soapy Vallance, Ron Todd & Des Fothergill all running around with Williamstown at the same time. What an era for VFA footy that would have been.
Just WOW!!!!
Love it when our ancestors take the time to share their memories
 
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Memories of something that never happened....ha ha

For the rest of us that actually watched some VFA footy in the 80's to have real memories of it, it was on channel 10 and only on Sunday's

Pretty sure ABC took over the VFA broadcast for either 87 or 88 as the VFL went national.

Peter Gee and of course Graham and the Colonel
 
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From memory the VFL was not allowed to play on Sunday's originally.
Similarly, there was a time pubs could only open to a certain time and most shopping centres could only open to 1 pm on Saturday. Late night shopping was not a thing also. Lots of things that were the ways of the 1970's were all gone by the end of the 1980's. I was too young to understand why those things were restricted then but they were.
The league were granted to trial a few Sunday games. I remember Carlton v South Melbourne at the MCG on a Sunday around 1980 and also an Essendon v Collingwood clash in same year. Until then the only Sunday games were special matches interstate at SCG. We played Essendon at SCG on a Sunday shown live on tv. There was at 4 or 5 matches in seasons like 1979 and 1980, Then South Melbourne relocated to Sydney a few years after that and played every second Sunday from SCG and on tv live. They were games shown live on channel 7. It took until 1984 or 85 before Sunday football for VFL was allowed to become more regular in Melbourne. First Sunday final in 1984. In 1983 you would still have two finals on a Saturday in Melbourne at 2-30 pm. One at the MCG and the other at VFL Park in Waverley. So up until the mid 1980's VFA football had their niche time each Sunday for footy fans to get into it. Channel 7 were allowed some reserve games at places like Lake Side Oval and Moorabin on Sunday's in late 1970's and early 1980's that they showed live to compete with VFA on channel 10.

When senior games were shown live as 1980's progressed first with Swans and later Eagles and Brisbane Bears it slowly was killing off the niche time VFA footy had to get the attention of footy fans to them. I know I started to watch less of it then too. If Eagles play Carlton or someone from Subiaco live on channel 7 on Sunday it is going to trump the VFA live, although I would still switch over at half time etc.
By early 1990's sadly the gig was up for VFA as it once was, it went from two divisions to all teams left in the one division and then after VFL renamed itself AFL the under 19's went from clubs here and then mid 1990's the dogs breakfast was created of reserves league gone and VFA gone at same time and the AFL took over everything and VFA footy was no longer. What was left of it got thrown together with the AFL reserves teams here and was called the VSFL initially. That was when VFA footy was really dead and Carlton reserves started to play old VFA clubs on Saturday's or Sunday's. At some point they started oddly calling it the VFL and been that way for over two decades now as a dogs breakfast league. We lost our beloved tradition of curtain raiser reserves games at the footy when I go see Carlton games and the VFA on Sunday on channel 10.

In my ideal world, AFL footy would have never gone to Sunday and all AFL footy was played Friday night to Saturday night and all the WAFL, SANFL and VFA clubs could have had Sunday to themselves in each state and probably still had a very healthy niche following.

Hello 2021, reality is going to hit hard with Eastern Seaboard League start up with 22 clubs.
Good post. I lived in this era, but couldn't remember how it all evolved. I do remember how tribal Saturday's were in Melbourne, with armies of supporters in team colours travelling to separate suburban grounds. Think the pubs and shops closed on weekends to allow business people to enjoy the same family time as others maybe. In those days you couldn't just wake up and say 'I feel like burning a BBQ and getting pissed today'. Less spontaneous, you had to plan ahead or deal on the black-market for supplies.
 
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Pretty sure ABC took over the VFA broadcast for either 87 or 88 as the VFL went national.

Peter Gee and of course Graham and the Colonel
I do not know when they did either but 1987 was certainly VFL on ABC as channel 7 lost the rights.
but VFA on it's last legs was covered by ABC after VFL footy went back to channel 7.
I remember a few grand finals of VFA at Windy Hill and Princes Park either in late 1980's or early 1990's
Dane Swan's Dad, Billie Swan might have kicked the winning goal for Willy in a grand final at Princes Park but not sure what year it was. I remember VFA when it was much stronger around 1979 to 1982 when I really did follow it a lot on channel 10.
Fred Cook full forward for Port Melbourne and Rex Hunt full forward for Sandringham was a time when VFA footy on Sunday was still a wonderful thing to see.
Just sad VFL footy had to encroach on Sunday's meant it's death in time.
 

blueycarlton

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The Army Reserve Cup.
One VFL reserves match played on Sunday at the Lake Oval. Sandy Roberts and Slug Jordan calling the game on HSV-7. The Collingwood player who clocked the ump and then jumped the fence to have a go at the spectator and got rubbed out for life!
I think there is video of it on YT.
 
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I do not know when they did either but 1987 was certainly VFL on ABC as channel 7 lost the rights.
but VFA on it's last legs was covered by ABC after VFL footy went back to channel 7.
I remember a few grand finals of VFA at Windy Hill and Princes Park either in late 1980's or early 1990's
Dane Swan's Dad, Billie Swan might have kicked the winning goal for Willy in a grand final at Princes Park but not sure what year it was. I remember VFA when it was much stronger around 1979 to 1982 when I really did follow it a lot on channel 10.
Fred Cook full forward for Port Melbourne and Rex Hunt full forward for Sandringham was a time when VFA footy on Sunday was still a wonderful thing to see.
Just sad VFL footy had to encroach on Sunday's meant it's death in time.
Billy Swan's goal was in the 1990 Grand Final Williamstown v Springvale. Williamstown came from almost 7 goals down in the last quarter.

Just prior to Swan's goal, Ian 'Chops' Rickman kicked a goal for Williamstown from just inside the centre square down the scoreboard end & then Swan kicked the goal to take the lead from about 40-45 metres out, which was right on his limit.

Phil Maylin was Springvale's coach at that stage.
 
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The Army Reserve Cup.
One VFL reserves match played on Sunday at the Lake Oval. Sandy Roberts and Slug Jordan calling the game on HSV-7. The Collingwood player who clocked the ump and then jumped the fence to have a go at the spectator and got rubbed out for life!
I think there is video of it on YT.

Yeap, that was John Bourke, played with him many years ago, real talent



 
I cut my footy teeth on VFA footy thanks to my late grandfather. He had followed Williamstown since 1923 & would share his memories with me while we were watching Williamstown in action. He was fortunate enough to see the likes of Soapy Vallance, Ron Todd & Des Fothergill all running around with Williamstown at the same time. What an era for VFA footy that would have been.

Here's a shot of him I found............

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Gravyman

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The club has just launched the 2’s Instagram under carlton_reserves. Notably it includes some signings we’ve made such as James parsons (ex cat), Ryley Stoddart (ex swan), Toby wooller (ex bris), Cody Hirst (was he highly rated for a mid season pick?), Tom north (ex-freo) among a few other players I’m not aware of. Good to see the VFL team getting the attention to accelerate what I think the clubs biggest RFI area is. Good to know we’ve got some recruits from quality programs to help assist our players going through the reserves competition and get them up to speed and share what they know to the young guys.
 

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Does anyone know how many we will be allowed to list?

A fair few mids in that lot which is surprising given our depth in that area, also most around 20-21 which is also surprising as I thought we would look for more experienced options to bolster our youth, really would love to know what the final number is going to be.
 
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