Back to Carlton Part 1
Paddy O'Brien
The immediate post World War One period saw football booming as a spectator sport and on 28 August 1920 an unparalleled crowd estimated at 51,000 crammed into Princes Park to witness Carlton's 16.13 (109) to 7.15 (57) demolition of Collingwood. Premierships proved elusive, however. Even after the Blues topped the ladder in 1921 consecutive finals defeats by Richmond consigned them to the role of also-rans, incidentally bringing to life a bogey that was to endure for more than half a century. Many observers at the time considered Carlton's 1921 combination to be the greatest in VFL history up to that point not to claim the premiership.
The mid 1920s were particularly inauspicious with Carlton missing the finals for four consecutive years from 1923-6 but as the decade drew to a close there were signs that the team was on the verge of returning to the winners' podium. However, despite contesting the finals nine times in eleven seasons between 1927 and 1937 the side repeatedly froze when it mattered (more often than not with Richmond providing the opposition).
The appointment as coach of Brighton Diggins, a sandgroper who had been a prominent member of South Melbourne's renowned 'foreign legion' for five seasons, was the catalyst which finally produced the breakthrough Carlton sought. After topping the ladder in the minor round Carlton qualified for the grand final with a comfortable 32 point victory over Geelong and once there Diggins' tactical acumen came fully to the fore as the Blues outplayed, outfought, but most significantly of all perhaps, outthought their much more experienced opponents Collingwood to record a stirring 15 point triumph.
Action from the 1938 VFL grand final: a half fit Albert Collier of Collingwood manages to get his kick despite the attentions of Carlton's Jim Park, as Bob Chitty races in to assist.
An Australian record crowd for a football game of any code of 96,834 saw, among other things, Carlton ruckman Jim Park successfully commissioned by Diggins to blanket Collingwood's illustrious spearhead Ron Todd, Magpie rovers Fothergill and Pannam having their effectiveness considerably curtailed by Jack Hale and Mick Price, and Blues full forward Ken Baxter remaining in the goal square all day so as to stymie the counter-attacking threat posed by Collingwood full back Jack Regan, who had little option but to remain close to Baxter. Diggins was also aware that veteran Collingwood skipper Albert Collier was carrying an injury and instructed the Carlton players to 'go easy' on him in order that he would not be replaced by a fit team mate.
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Carlton trailed early but recovered to lead at every change by 1, 20 and 22 points before winning 15.10 (100) to 13.7 (85). There were particularly commendable performances from rover Jack Hale, centre half forward Jack Wrout (4 goals), centreman Cresswell 'Mick' Crisp, ruckman Brighton Diggins, wingman Bob Green, and makeshift full back Jim Park who restricted the aerobatic Todd to just 3 goals for the game after the Magpie champion had booted 11 against Geelong in the previous week's preliminary final. Jim Park, who played in a total of 128 senior games for Carlton, was one of two players from the club to die in action during World War Two. The other was Jim Knight (15 games). Overall, however, despite the proximity of some of the fighting to Australian shores, the impact of the war on sport, including football, was less pronounced than during the 1914-18 conflict. Prime Minister Robert Menzies (a Carlton supporter, as it happened) was a staunch advocate of sport as a morale booster, as much to those in action, who avidly followed the fortunes of their favourite teams and players from afar, as to those at home. Carlton remained competitive throughout the war years, finishing 5th in both 1939 and 1940, 3rd (after heading the ladder after the home and away rounds) in 1941, 5th of 11 clubs in 1942 after Geelong dropped out, 4th of 11 in 1943, and 5th of 12 (Geelong resumed) in 1944. |
Albert Boromeo, best afield in a losing grand final for Carlton against Richmond in 1921. (Click to enlarge.) |
Carlton finished the 1945 minor round in 4th spot with 13 wins and 7 losses, and few observers gave them much chance of troubling either South Melbourne (16-4) or Collingwood (15-5) in the finals. A solid but unspectacular 14.10 (94) to 8.20 (68) 1st semi final win over North Melbourne was hardly enough to change anyone's mind, and when Collingwood led the Blues 11.7 (73) to 6.9 (45) at three quarter time of a fiery preliminary final things appeared to be proceeding pretty much as anticipated. When Hustler goaled for the Magpies early in the final term the only remaining uncertainty seemed to centre on the eventual extent of Collingwood's victory, but then came one of those sudden, unexpected shifts of impetus which makes football the world's most exhilarating game. A fierce brawl interrupted play for several minutes and in retrospect can probably be said to have proved decisive in disrupting the Magpies' concentration. Shortly after play resumed Collins, who had been well beaten all day, goaled for Carlton whose players suddenly found hidden reserves of energy and inspiration to lift all over the ground and come steaming home with a further 6.3 to 0.1 over the final quarter of an hour to win by 10 points, 13.12 (90) to 12.8 (80).
The following Saturday Carlton faced South Melbourne at Princes Park as rank underdogs but once again defied the odds to win comfortably by 28 points, 15.13 (103) to 10.15 (75). However, the bare statistics reveal nothing of the drama, excitement and fury of one of the most tumultuous grand finals of them all.
From the start play was scrappy and tough. Kicking with the aid of a moderate breeze in the 1st term Carlton battled their way to a 2.4 to 0.5 quarter time lead which South managed to eradicate within minutes of the re-start. Shortly after this the fights began. Carlton skipper Bob Chitty flattened South champion Ron Clegg and moments later Carlton's Ron McLean did likewise to Jack Danckert. Arguments began which umpire Spokes attempted to defuse by holding onto the ball until things calmed down. The lull was only temporary, however, as when play resumed a succession of violent incidents arose, culminating in Blues' centre half forward Ken Hands being knocked unconscious while the ball was being relayed back to the centre after a Carlton goal. An all in brawl developed which was only stopped by the half time siren.
The atmosphere at the packed ground by this stage was electric with the Carlton majority baying loudly for South Melbourne blood as the comatose Hands was stretchered off the field. The fact that the Blues went into the long break still 2 points to the good went almost unnoticed.
Despite suffering from heavy concussion, however, Hands was forced to return to the fray in the 3rd term because Carlton's 19th man, Charlie McInnes, had already been used. With rain having fallen during the interval the ground was now heavy and, as often happens in such circumstances, fierce body clashes became more frequent. On a purely footballing front South's pace advantage and their slick short-passing style were both undermined. Carlton quickly extended their lead when Hands, miraculously, took a fine mark and then goaled. Three more goals to Carlton quickly followed and the game appeared over. Indeed, in terms of determining the destiny of the 1945 VFL premiership pennant it probably was but, increasingly, a majority of the players seemed more interested in 'evening the score' in other respects. Early in the final term retribution was finally exacted on Chitty and a wholesale melee broke out involving players, trainers, club officials and even ambulance men. Police eventually moved in to break things up and Chitty staggered to a forward pocket from where, as luck would have it, he shortly afterwards kicked a goal. Further heavy body clashes followed as heavy rain fell but in between the fights Carlton continued to kick goals. During one particularly spiteful brawl in the final term Carlton winger Fred Fitzgibbon ended up getting reported - not so unusual you might think except that he had been sitting behind the fence in the club officials' enclosure having been suspended after the preliminary final. At the Tribunal on the Tuesday following the grand final his 3 match suspension was not surprisingly extended to 7, while team mates Chitty and Savage also incurred penalties. A charge against Ken Hands was dismissed. Of six South players reported four were given suspensions and 1 received a reprimand. Not surprisingly, the press had a field day:
Punching, kicking and deliberate assaults made the League grand final at Carlton on Saturday one of the worst in history...... Many people left the ground disgusted with what they saw...... Officials of the two clubs expressed disgust at the unsavoury end of an excellent season. Each blamed the other for starting the brawls.
Then, after the tribunal had passed sentence:
Supporters will not be satisfied with what has been done to clear up the disgraceful scenes in the grand final. the suspensions were not severe enough to be a deterrent. [see footnote 8]
Carlton's win gave it its 9th senior premiership, and its 7th in the VFL, and there can have been few if any in the history of the game so hard earned and thoroughly controversial. Moreover, with the war in Europe having ended just a few weeks earlier it seemed a peculiarly inappropriate way to celebrate.
It seems almost irrelevant to bring up the subject of best players, but a premiership is still a premiership, and history records that the Blues in 1945 were best served by full back 'Vin' Brown, back pocket Arthur Sanger, full forward Ken Baxter, half back flanker cum forward pocket Bob Chitty, centreman Clinton Wines, and ruckman/forward pocket Ron McLean.
Both protagonists in the 'Bloodbath Grand Final' suffered hangovers: in the case of South Melbourne the hangover could be argued to have raged for more than half a century, given that it was 1996 before the club again contested a grand final; in Carlton's case, the effects were thankfully less severe. The Blues plummeted to 6th in 1946 but they were back as good as new the following year when a 14.15 (99) to 11.17 (83) 2nd semi final win over Essendon saw them qualify for their 14th VFL grand final. The Same Old provided much sterner opposition the second time round but the Blues treated an 85,815 crowd to a performance of astonishing accuracy in front of goal (8 goals straight to half time) to win by the barest of margins, 13.8 (86) to 11.19 (85). Half forward flanker Fred Stafford kicked the winning goal with less than a minute remaining. Carlton had a winning ruck courtesy of the likes of Jack 'Chooka' Howell, Fred Davies and Jack Bennett, clearly won the centre through Ern Henfry, and had a solid back division exemplified by the zest and determination of half back flanker Jim Clark and the close-checking vigour and aerial brilliance of full back Ollie Grieve.
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'Big Nick'. |
Sadly for Carlton supporters it was a vastly different story the next time their heroes fronted up to Essendon on grand final day two years later. After a close fought first half the Bombers took control all over the ground, adding 13 goals to 4 to win easily by 73 points. This remains easily Carlton's heaviest ever grand final loss, and signalled the onset of the most depressing era in the history of the club. Between 1950 and 1961 the Blues contested the VFL major round on just three occasions without winning a single final. Perhaps most ignominiously of all, in the 1957 1st semi final Carlton provided Hawthorn with a victory in that club's first ever VFL finals appearance. Two years later Carlton could not even manage a finals win with the aid of the double chance, losing the 2nd semi final to Melbourne by 44 points and the preliminary final to Essendon by 7 points. Things at last appeared to be set to improve in 1962, however, when Carlton negotiated one of the most precarious ever routes to a grand final involving a win over Melbourne by 2 points in the 1st semi final followed by a draw and then a controversial 5 point victory over Geelong in the preliminary final. On grand final day though Essendon proved much too good for the Blues and won by 32 points. |
Defeated grand final teams frequently use the experience of losing to heighten their resolve to go one step further the following year and there are numerous instances of teams going from runners up to premiers within the space of a single season. In Carlton's case, however, 1962 proved to be a false dawn: the side dropped to 6th the following year, and in 1964 nose-dived to 10th, the Blues' lowest position in the league up to that point.
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8. Percy Taylor in 'The Argus', cited in The Blues, page 51. Return to Main Text
