Universal Love Share your Carlton FC stories

[George Harris]

Bit of a long one but I thought I’d post this out of affection and fond memories with Carlton.

I was born in the early 70’s and first noticed Carlton in the mid 70’s. I had an uncle who was a mad Blues supporter and he introduced me to the team via footy cards. I loved collecting footy cards (still do today), and I always seemed to collect the full Carlton team first.

It was 1978 when I went to my first game at Princes Park and we beat Fitzroy by a couple of points. I was there with my dad and uncle, and don’t remember much of what I saw, but all I know is by the end of the game I was hooked.

Seeing the 79 flag on tv was fantastic, not understanding what the consequences were after it and not appreciating how we could’ve had another in 1980. Seeing the brilliance and dominance of the 81-82 teams and starting to appreciate the freak athletes these guys were. Watching the likes of Ken Hunter, Wayne Johnston, Peter Bosustow, Bruce Doull, Wayne Hames, Ken Sheldon, Mike Fitzpatrick, I can keep going on and smiling as I write each name. I’ve been very fortunate to have seen a few flags.

In 1987 I thought we would win everything from then on and, could afford to buy my first membership, so I proudly payed up. Have done so for the last 34 years, fluctuating from Family Reserved to 3 gamers and only missing a few when times were a little tough.

Little did I know what was to follow the over the next few years, but as every year, it’s a new one and always the optimist, would buy myself a membership.

Even though I’d seen a few flags in my time, I hadn’t really appreciated them enough until we won in 1995. The others were fantastic, but the teams were already established when I started following, with player additions only making us greater. I’d seen the 95 team evolve from the 87 team and break my heart in 93 & 94, but in 95, you just knew something special was happening. It was a feeling that stayed with me throughout the season from when I renewed my membership. This champion team were destined for greatness and I was privileged to come along for the ride. Even though it was the 5th flag I had witnessed, it was my first time at a Grand Final at the G.

I remember the week prior it had been pi55ing down and the centre square had been torn up and was a mud pit. Then the week of the GF the sun had come out and dried it up. I remember seeing on the news them paint the centre square green to give it colour.

I was a nervous wreck the entire week and couldn’t concentrate at work. Every conversation I had revolved around Carlton and me not wanting to come across overconfident in case the God’s decided to punish me/Carlton for being too cocky.

I went with my fiancé at the time (now my missus and a true Blue) and I’m a hard man emotionally so I don’t tear up easy, but after Earls smother early in the second, I could feel myself holding them back. After the siren I was a mess and my misses was crying with me and laughing at me at the same time. I celebrated for a week and went to every event I could get into. Sweet 16 was ours after winning 16 games straight. We were the greatest team ever.

In 96, AFL/VFL centenary year, we had the highest number of players in the Team of the Century, which included two current players in SOS and Diesel. The high we were on was euphoric and I felt like a king. We started the season well again, but you could sense towards the middle of the year, we were tired and weren’t going to make finals.

97 was the beginning of the demise for me. Sticks no where near his best, Diesel getting 9 weeks so the AFL could make an example of him, the court proceedings, and the overall feeling from the players of we’ve done enough to prove ourselves.

99 was anomaly. I was in a corporate box watching the prelim against * and remember punching a concrete column and nearly breaking my hand when the siren went. The greatest individual performance I had ever seen by a Carlton player that day. Kouta was on another level to anything I’d ever seen before. Walked out of the ground and tried to make a mobile call but couldn’t get any reception. Everything was jammed. Bumped into some mates on the G’s concourse and remember saying “that was our Grand Final” and then instantly feeling I just put my foot in it because we were in the GF next week. Did I just put the moz on us. I couldn’t get tickets so I watched it at a mates place and knew it was over when Justin Murphy went down with his hyperextended knee.

Then came the Millennium match against the black and white sh1t, and a young man by the name of Brendon Fevola introduced himself to us. I remember thinking her we go. Flags a plenty on their way to us.

After that, most of us know how it’s been so I don’t need to regurgitate it for you all, but there has been so may great positives and achievements along the way. I’m of the opinion, if Richard Pratt hadn’t passed away, we would have been a powerhouse again from a while back. The man was an idol of mine and would have lifted us back to our lofty heights.

On a personal note, I almost lost one of my boys to the black and white sh1t. He was born in 2001 and had never seen any real Carlton success. All his mates were black and white sh1t supporters and getting into his ear about following them.

I came home form work one day and he decided to come up and tell me he didn’t want to follow Carlton anymore and started following the black and white sh1t like his mates from primary school. I commended him on his bravery in telling me this, and proceeded to grab his blanky, pillow and toy bunny and escorted him to the front door. Told him this is a Carlton house and he could go and live with his black and white sh1t mates. Opened the door, gently pushed him out and closed the door. My misses wasn’t too happy but I told her I was teaching him a lesson about not being a sheep. I let him in a few minutes later because he was howling at the front door and I didn’t want the neighbours to call child support.

I changed tack after that. I bought him, and my other kids, a full new Carlton kit each (jumper, shorts, hats, scarves, flags, etc) and took them down to watch Carlton train at Princes Park. They watched the whole session, got their jumpers, hats and flags signed by all the players and had photos with Judd and Fev. Since that point in time they have been Carlton and Carlton only.

Of my three kids, my daughter is engaged to the great grandson of Eric Huxtable who played for Carlton in the 30’s (https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/151907/no9-locker-evokes-happy-memories-for-huxtable). Unfortunately, he barracks for Hawthorn. Disgraceful, I know. Will have to find a way to re-baptise him into the Church of Carlton

Both my boys are going out with black and white sh1t supporters but they’ve both bought their girlfriends Carlton memberships and are slowly converting them.

In future, I look forward to having a house full of Carlton grandchildren to spoil rotten and keep the generational tradition happening.



P.S. Thanks myblueroan for setting this up and giving us the opportunity to reminisce.

Carlton really f'ed up there history with Fevola. After they had traded a once in a life time CHF and kept the FF, Judd invoked the morals clause (after he had been involved with the Cousins/Kerr era et al) and we lost our last hope. Crosswell had a full-time minder, why not Fev?

We are paying our penance to the AFL gods for discarding Josh Kennedy - lap it up until the next Jack Elliot comes.

 

[Blues177]

I've told this story before but happy to tell it again.

I was born in New Zealand late 1967. I like this because even though I wouldn't discover Aussie Rules for some time later, the first flag won after my birth was by Carlton.

We migrated to Australia in 1977, picked up in Melbourne and 3 adults, 5 kids travelled across the Nullarbor to Perth in a panel van with only a narrow window at the back. Adults sat on the bench seat, kids sat or laid on a mattress. Took us several days.

Got to Perth, heard about the death of Elvis Presley which particularly devastated my Dad as a mad fan.

I remember seeing what must have been the 1977 preliminary final where North beat Hawthorn on TV. May have been in black and white on the TV we had at the time. I don't recall much about it, but it was my first introduction to this weird sport.

We went to Melbourne after a few months, lived in Coburg, then went back to NZ to sell our house and returned against to live in Melbourne late 1978. We moved into a caravan park in Carrum Downs and then one in Chelsea Heights.

This is where my Carlton journey begins. Our friends in Perth had moved back to Melbourne and were living in the same park. They were into VFL and had split allegiances between North Melbourne and Carlton. So I adopted North and Carlton too. I had seen Carlton signs in the city which turned out to be brewery ads but who was I to question the signs ... literally.

So off we went to the football in round 7, 1979. Carlton vs North Melbourne. Our friends bought little flags for whichever team they went for. I was told that I had to choose a team, that I could only follow one. More of them went for North and the North flag was cooler than the Carlton one. It had a kangaroo on it while the Carlton one just said Blues. I was hearing chatter from people around me and I heard this name 'Jezza' being spoken of. There was a certain reference, like some mythical god or something. I decided right then to buy the less exciting flag and adopt Carlton as my only team.

The game was exciting, with the lead swapping around several times in the last quarter until Blight kicked a goal and North won by 4 points. It didn't matter. My choice had been made.

After that game, I was introduced to the caravan park owner. I was told he was on the committee at Carlton (still don't know if this was true or not). When Carlton won, he would blare the theme song over the PA throughout the park. He would call for all kids who wanted free icecream to come up the front. To get an icecream, they had to sing the Carlton song. I loved watching kids with their Collingwood, Hawthorn, Essendon guernseys on, selling their souls for icecream.

I remember this guy taking kids in the park mini bus to Carlton training and I think a game vs Melbourne.

One day we went to the office and in the adjacent tennis court, these guys were playing tennis. I recognised Wayne Harmes right away and with him were Jimmy Buckley and I think Greg Towns. I had fun watching these guys play and acting as ball boy all afternoon.

I had also started playing for Edithvale Rovers U12s. One day Vin Catoggio came and coached us for a game.

We moved to Queensland at the end of 1980 and I didn't get to see as much football then, just one game per week, the Winners on ABC if I was lucky and game calls on the radio. I went to Sandgate HS at one point and lo and behold, who showed up as captain/coach of Sandgate in the QAFL? None other than Alex Jesaulenko. Now I could wait by the gates and be within inches of the great man when he came off. I tell you what ... he still had it.

You picked the best year to move to that caravan park. Blues lost only 3 games in '79 so plenty of free icecreams!

 

[Paul66]

This is the thread that prompted me to join BigFooty.
Born in 1966, but didn't really have any idea about Aussie Rules until 1973, when we moved to Melbourne. I asked my dad (R.I.P) who he supported and he said Carlton. That was good enough for me.
By the time we won the 1979 flag, dad had died and mum and I had moved back to NSW. At that stage, I was able to appreciate what it meant, and of course was spoiled for success for the next few years. One of my favourite memories was giving Sydney 30.5 points start in 1982 for a game at the SCG. 31 point win and I cleaned up.
Fast forward to 1995 and the GF. Sat on the lounge, and watched it all, then proceeded to watch it again a few times over as I drank Crownies and enjoyed a couple of cigars. Life was good. Very good.
A month later and I was burying my mum. My sister's ex, a rabid Essendon fan, came down from the Gold Coast for the funeral. He congratulated me on Carlton's win. I remember that suddenly, to me, the result of a game of footy wasn't all that important.
Ever since, I've still followed Carlton, but, and I know this is sacrilege, but I'm not overly concerned now about our fortunes. I mean, I want them to win, but if we don't, I don't spend much time kicking stones about it. There's plenty of people on this forum for who, the team and club make-up is incredibly close to their heart. And that's fine. We all follow in different ways.
In any case, thanks for reading this and I look forward to perusing the forum further.
Go Carlton.

On SM-G781B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Blues177]

My initial interest in footy as a little kid began either late in 1971 or early in 1972 when I chose Carlton because I liked the name, the colour blue and the monogram on the jumper.
The earliest Carlton grand final win that I remember was the 1972 high scoring classic. I can also recall on the same weekend the Faraday School kidnapping when the teacher saved the kids by breaking the door of a van they were locked in and escaped in bushland on grand final morning. My wife and friends reckon I have a good memory but it was big news at the time.

Early in season '74 the team was going through a month of losing games but I was thrilled to receive my first Carlton jumper at the time. Jezza and Doull became my favourite players.

The first game I attended was in 1976 at Princes Park. I chose a Carlton - Richmond game as I loved the rivalry between the 2 clubs. My mum took my sister and I to the game.
The tigers led by more than 5 goals at quarter time but we still ended up winning by about 12 goals and Walls kicked 10 goals. What a game to choose for my first!

The 76 prelim final when we lost to North Melb by 1 point was the most disappointing game as a kid because we had a long winning streak late in the season and displayed awesome form.

The game at home vs North Melb in '79 that ODN mentioned was a ripper game by both sides. There was a huge crowd and couldn't get inside the ground until 1/4 time. We were packed like sardines after we got in.

The '79 grand final was my greatest day as a supporter in the 1970's and was delighted that one of my all time favourite players Jezza had coached us to a flag.

I was hoping that George Harris would win that election during that unfortunate political turmoil in 1980 as it would have meant Jezza stayed. The events were disappointing but we moved on and by 1982 we went on to win back to back flags while unfortunately for Jezza his playing and coaching time at the saints fizzled to a quiet end.

David Parkin was a great coach and we got to see our first back to back flags in our lives despite some shaky form late in the 82 season. We had great teams with Hunter, Bosustow, Sheldon, Harmes, Buckley, Fitzpatric, Maclure and the legend Doull.

During the 1980's I started to attend more games regularly at Princes Park and loved standing between the goals and the Heatley stand; the atmosphere, the roar and buzz of the crowd at that part of the ground during those 'premiership quarters' was amazing.

The 87 Grand final was not the greatest game compared to our other GF wins but was still memorable for me as it was the first GF I attended. Loved the last quarter when we piled on a few goals to seal the win.

Also attended the 1995 GF, this was one that we could relax and enjoy after half time, basking in the glory of losing just 2 games, winning 16 on the trot and the flag.

The '99 prelim had an incredible outcome as Essendon was the form team for many weeks and we were sixth. Kouta was a matchwinner. Watched the game from the top level of the southern stand behind the Punt Rd end goals. Unforgettable scenes after the final siren with ecstatic Blues supporters. The crowd noise was so loud we could not hear the final siren and knew the game was over when Justin Murphy jumped up when he had the ball.
Compared to other grand final losses I did not feel as disappointed when we lost the GF the following week. I felt we had little chance of beating the kangaroos and away from the footyworld I was going through one of the best times in my life; got engaged before the end of that year and married the following year.

Hopefully we don't have to wait too long to win flag no 17, it would be my son's first one as a blues supporter and that is something I am looking forward to.