SJ
Premium Platinum
The Carlton Football Club was formed in 1864. In the Challenge Cup era (1862-1876), it won the title on four occasions and finished runner-up thrice. In the VFA era (1877-1896), it won the premiership on two occasions and finished runner-up on five occasions. In the early VFL era (1897-1944), it won the premiership on six occasions (including a rare hat-trick in 1906-1908) and finished runner-up on six occasions.
So as a very brief summary of the first 81 seasons Carlton Football Club, it finished as a top-two team at the highest level on 26 occasions (32%). Sounds like a pretty handy team, with no doubt some great players.
However according to the Carlton Football Club as part of its 150 year celebrations, not one player who contributed to any of this success was in the top 12 players in its history, unveiled as:
Top five:
John Nicholls 328 games 307 goals 1957-74
Stephen Kernahan 251 games 738 goals 1986-97
Bruce Doull 356 games 22 goals 1969-86
Stephen Silvagni 312 games 202 goals 1985-01
Alex Jesaulenko 256 games 424 goals 1967-79
6. Craig Bradley 375 games 247 goals 1986-2002
7. Robert Walls 218 games 367 goals 1967-78
8. Wayne Johnston 209 games 283 goals 1979-90
9. Geoff Southby 268 games 31 goals 1971-84
10. Greg Williams 109 games 89 goals 1992-97
11. Ken Hands 211 games 188 goals 1945-57
12. Chris Judd 125 games 79 goals 2008-
Nine of these 12 played with Carlton in the 1970s or 1980s alone. Again and again we see a similar theme in regards to similar accolades such as the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the various VFL/AFL Teams of the Centuries, and so on. It seems like if you didn't make it onto television, you couldn't have been a great player. Yet the majority of Australian footballers over 156 years have not been captured on film.
Now I know that Carlton experienced two periods of great success throughout the late 1960s to the early 1980s. But unfortunately yet again there has been a vast overrepresentation from 'the halcyon days' with this list. Has Chris Judd really been a greater player for Carlton than George Coulthard, described as "the brightest star in the galaxy", "the grandest player of the day" and "doubtful if, for general excellence, his equal has ever been seen"? Was Stephen Kernahan really a greater player than Harry Vallence, an eight-time club leading goalkicker and most VFL/AFL goals per game of any Carlton player over 50+ games?
I'm not having a go at Carlton or their list here specifically, because it's just the latest in a long line of very similar products. I'm no historian. But it seems the people that compile these lists aren't either, instead almost solely selecting players from their living memories.
So as a very brief summary of the first 81 seasons Carlton Football Club, it finished as a top-two team at the highest level on 26 occasions (32%). Sounds like a pretty handy team, with no doubt some great players.
However according to the Carlton Football Club as part of its 150 year celebrations, not one player who contributed to any of this success was in the top 12 players in its history, unveiled as:
Top five:
John Nicholls 328 games 307 goals 1957-74
Stephen Kernahan 251 games 738 goals 1986-97
Bruce Doull 356 games 22 goals 1969-86
Stephen Silvagni 312 games 202 goals 1985-01
Alex Jesaulenko 256 games 424 goals 1967-79
6. Craig Bradley 375 games 247 goals 1986-2002
7. Robert Walls 218 games 367 goals 1967-78
8. Wayne Johnston 209 games 283 goals 1979-90
9. Geoff Southby 268 games 31 goals 1971-84
10. Greg Williams 109 games 89 goals 1992-97
11. Ken Hands 211 games 188 goals 1945-57
12. Chris Judd 125 games 79 goals 2008-
Nine of these 12 played with Carlton in the 1970s or 1980s alone. Again and again we see a similar theme in regards to similar accolades such as the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the various VFL/AFL Teams of the Centuries, and so on. It seems like if you didn't make it onto television, you couldn't have been a great player. Yet the majority of Australian footballers over 156 years have not been captured on film.
Now I know that Carlton experienced two periods of great success throughout the late 1960s to the early 1980s. But unfortunately yet again there has been a vast overrepresentation from 'the halcyon days' with this list. Has Chris Judd really been a greater player for Carlton than George Coulthard, described as "the brightest star in the galaxy", "the grandest player of the day" and "doubtful if, for general excellence, his equal has ever been seen"? Was Stephen Kernahan really a greater player than Harry Vallence, an eight-time club leading goalkicker and most VFL/AFL goals per game of any Carlton player over 50+ games?
I'm not having a go at Carlton or their list here specifically, because it's just the latest in a long line of very similar products. I'm no historian. But it seems the people that compile these lists aren't either, instead almost solely selecting players from their living memories.
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