OPEN LETTER TO CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB
I’m not somebody who can dwell on the negative for too long. In fact, after drowning a couple of beers with Pklz and my partner (before I met The General from Big Footy) I had stopped taking the loss so negatively and chose to focus on the positive. What an absolutely wonderful season this has been, regardless of the tragic ending of the past couple of weeks.
The club entered the season with a stated goal. That goal was to make the AFL Finals for the first time since 2001. Mission accomplished. I went up to Brisbane not expecting to win, but to see a red hot go of a football match. It would have been lovely for the guys to hold on to that lead in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t to be. They learned a more valuable lesson losing that game last night than had they won the game and gotten trounced by the Bulldogs next week (if that were to have happened). You simply have to play four quarters in a Final or you will lose. It’s a lesson that is better learned now than in the future when the club is striving to win a premiership. Realistically we were no chance at all this year so they took some invaluable experience out of the one game they were able to play.
The point of this post, however, is to say thankyou to every player, every coach, everybody involved on the match committee and otherwise associated with the Carlton Football Club of 2009.
The Players
#1 – Andrew Walker: Thankyou for rehabilitating your shoulder and your body to play this season. Although your year was cut short due to the injuries that you have endured your persistence in recovery has been duly noted. You have been an inspiration to me at times when my body hasn’t felt so well that it isn’t time to give it up but to put in harder work to gain the strength to go on.
#2 – Jordan Russell: Before and after I arrived back into the country people constantly ragged on you as the scapegoat to anything going wrong down at the Carlton Football Club. How a first round pick, number nine at that, could struggle was beyond them. They had no idea of the mental struggle, the pressure you heaped upon yourself to get the very best that you could offer on a regular basis. You tried your heart out but it simply wasn’t working. Well, with all of the work and effort you poured into your role in the Carlton Football Club you became a standout player over the last month and a half of the season. Thank you for the effort that you have given the club. Thank you for the exciting football you have provided this season. You’ve always been one of my favourites and with all of that application you’re showing why. Congrats JR, keep it up!
#3 – Marc Murphy – Thanks Murph for becoming one of the elite footballers in the AFL. Your selection as a candidate for the All-Australian team is an achievement to be proud of. Not to make the team (as you most likely won’t) is something to use as your motivation to becoming an automatic candidate in the future. You’re quickly becoming everything this club hoped you would be when you were drafted with the first pick of the 2005 AFL Draft. Thank you for the spectacular midfield game that you’ve given the team, for the highlights and awe inspiring way you go about your football. The sky is the limit for you.
#4 – Bryce Gibbs – A season away from truly being in the elite midfielders in the AFL. Thank you for the way you’ve gone about your football this season. You’re a true professional who will be a champion at this club for the next decade. It goes without saying that Gibbs is a key to the club winning premierships in the future. You are an absolute pleasure to watch with sublime skills of hand and foot, the closest thing that the Carlton Football Club has had to Diesel Williams since the great man retired. I hope that one day we can raise your name in the same category as the absolute heroes of the club.
#5 – Chris Judd. I questioned why Carlton fans viewed you as the saviour of the Carlton Football Club. I wasn’t the biggest Chris Judd fan when he was at the Eagles. Went missing in the big games – forget the fact that he played hurt in most of them and was still among their best even if not as good as he had been. Wasn’t their best at the hard ball, one of the few who could understand Terry Wallace’s maligned statement of him being a downhill skier. I could see him play blinders when his team was going well and struggle when the team wasn’t. The truth, however, is that he IS the reason why his teams do so well. He IS the reason that the team he plays for has the lead that they do. If it weren’t for him he wouldn’t put his club into a position for him to be viewed as the downhill skier that he has been made out to be. Thank you, Chris Judd, for the professionalism that you have brought back to the Carlton Football Club. Stephen Icke’s story of Judd when he first arrived at the club is a telling story of the change that has occurred at the club since his arrival. For those who weren’t there Icke told of a lunch that he had the pleasure of attending where a few of Juddy’s new team-mates ordered hot chips with their orders. When it was brought to the table Judd asked them why they ordered that crap? The answer “It’s what we always eat.” The captain’s telling response was “Not anymore you don’t.” Beautiful, Judd. Congratulations on a fantastic season. Hopefully it is capped off with your second Brownlow medal. It’s been a pleasure to watch you and come to understand just what a champion player in the AFL is all about – I was too young to truly understand when my childhood heroes SOS, Sticks, Diesel and the ’95 era boys were running around. Thank you.
#6 – Kade Simpson – Thank you for being the most underrated star player in the whole AFL competition. You’ll never receive the type of kudos that a player of your stature deserves, however, I am dead set certain that you receive it from those who most understand your contributions to the Carlton Football Club – your team-mates and your coaches. Thank you for having the heart and soul that defines the culture of the Carlton team, it is something that I have come to admire from you. You’re the absolute barometer of this team- if you’re up and firing the team seems to play so much better.
#7 – Adam Bentick – Thank you for your contributions as a member of the team. Although you were overlooked this season for senior selection we appreciate what you’ve constantly brought to the team since your arrival at the club. We appreciate and thank you for the effort, the in and under, hard at the ball style that has earned you many fans. If this is the end of the road for your career at the Blues (and in the AFL, perhaps) then good luck to you in whatever you decide to do in your post football career. You will be missed.
#8 – Matthew Kreuzer – When I first arrived back I hadn’t had the joy of watching you play football at the Carlton Football Club. When you first touched the ball and the entire Carlton faithful shouted Kreuze I wondered what on earth they were booing their own for. Sure enough they were shouting Kreuze and I quickly found myself into it admiring your play. You’re an amazing young athlete and I have appreciated immensely just how quickly you are developing in the AFL. I can’t believe other team’s fans don’t understand just what you’re capable of and decide to put you down. Being a big man (both centre half forward and ruck) are the two most difficult positions in the AFL to learn and you’ve done remarkably well for someone so early on in their careers. Thank you for all of your effort this season and in the future. Go rest, young man, you’ve earned this time off. Also, thank you so much for signing that local Adelaide kid’s autograph book and taking a photo with him after the game in Adelaide – I didn’t get an opportunity to thank you then (I didn’t know the kid but was helping him get his hero’s autographs in your final appearance in Adelaide this year) but it means so much when you and your team-mates do that for your fans. It may seem like a small gesture, but to know that you really care about your fans is so appreciated. Thank you.
#9 – Chris Johnson – Although you have been a much maligned player among fans at the CFC it isn’t through a lack of effort. I can see that much in you. I can understand why the coaches hold you so highly- I can see the work ethic on the paddock, I can see the application throughout games. If and when the results come back for all of your efforts then the fans will also be witness to your potential. Thank you for all of that effort and application and good luck next season. Kick some ass!
#10 – Richard Hadley – Just when it looked like you were about to cement your position in the Carlton side, as a much needed hard at the ball midfielder you went down with your arm injury. I doubt that many people can truly understand what your skills brought to the club – how much it helped us win a couple of those games. You don’t have to be the most flashy nor the most skilled footballer to be an invaluable contributor in an AFL team’s success. Every team needs it’s soldiers and you, Sir Richard, are a soldier. Thank you. Can’t wait to see that arm of yours healed and you back on the track. We need more players like you!
#11 – Robert Warnock – what an unexpected first year at our beloved club. It’s such a shame that you were unable to get a game into you this season. I thank you for the enormous amount of hard work that you put in to try and get yourself ready for some serious AFL action this season even with the result being unsuccessful. It has been very encouraging hearing of the progress you have made throughout the course of your VFL games since your return. Each week you seem to improve over the last. You have the ability to add so much to the club in the future (moving MK forward and splitting the ruck duties with Hammer) and I wish you luck in accomplishing that.
#12 – Mitch Robinson – I can’t believe how many of our faithful seem to be against Robbo. Oh my, what a gun this kid is going to be in the future. I am in awe of how tough you are, Mr. Robinson. Hard at the ball, hard at the body defensively, always striving for more, always putting in the effort, that describes Mitch Robinson. You have the ability, talent and personality to be an absolutely vital player on this team for the next decade and I fully expect you to be. When you and Richard went down with your injuries I had a very bad feeling that it would spell the end of our run. You both add exactly the type of agro that is needed on an AFL team. Regardless of the position of the ground you play at, you’re very impressive. I can’t remember seeing the type of aggression come out of a first year footballer like I have seen in Mitch since I first laid eyes on Kangaroos legend Glenn Archer. To compare the two is silly at this point, but it’s a valid observation. Thank you for being so courageous – it’s a rare trait in a kid so young.
#13 – Chris Yarran – what a future this boy has at the Carlton Football Club. Forget about trading this kid. He was drafted for the future and a superstar he will become. There is not a single doubt in my mind that when Chris Yarran has finished his development into the player that he is going to be that he will be a game changing, out of this world talent that has fans at the edge of their seats. We saw glimpses of the future against Adelaide, but it’s only the very tip of the iceberg. For such a heavy defeat that the Crows game was, he held his own. Just wait a year or two. Good to see you giving the club your all since your return from your family bereavement. I’m glad the club gave you what you needed and I’m glad that you’ve given back in spades. Thanks for being the prospect that keep Carlton fans excited.
#14 – Brad Fisher – Thank you for being a sensational club man and friend to many at the club. I sincerely hope that your days at the club aren’t numbered and that you’re counted upon to provide much needed depth in the forward line. If the game has passed you by, it isn’t your fault. You are brave and courageous. To come back the way you did from those serious injuries is something to be immensely proud of. It’s sad that the game has changed in such a manner that players of your skill set aren’t as valuable as they used to be- but you still give it your absolute all.. We appreciate and thank you for that. Good luck Fish.
#15 – Steven Browne – I haven’t seen nearly as much as I would like when it comes to Stevey but I love what other people on this forum describe you as- a courageous hard nut who is an attacking smaller defender. There seems to be quite a few of those types on our list and unfortunately not every one of them can possibly make it in the future. However, good luck and thank you Browney, I hope you develop into the type of player that your faithful fans here believe you can be.
#16 – Shaun Grigg – Thank you for the effort you put in during the season. Perhaps if it wasn’t for those unfortunate injuries that curtailed your pre-season and early season you may have been in a position to really emerge this year as a key player of the future. I hope that you are injury free over the next few months and that you can become an important midfield cog in this team.
#17 – Setanta O’hAilpin – Thank you for being my partner’s favourite player. The two of you being from Ireland are expected to be backwards. However, I believe the club got it backwards when they didn’t select you in the Carlton team for the game against Brisbane. I was very disappointed in that move as I believed that you were a viable option when it came to the back half of the field. I wonder what would have happened had you been placed against Bradshaw or Brown with T-Bird on the other and Bower been used to fill the holes. It really seemed as though the openness of the Brisbane forward line was very advantageous to them in the fourth quarter. Thank you for the enormous amount of hard work that you have put in each and every year since your debut at the club. Your cult following is much deserved. I’m a big fan of yours. Good luck in the future.
#18 – Paul Bower – Was an absolute pleasure meeting your old man at the training session at the GABBA on Friday. With all of the talk about you potentially leaving early on in the year, even with your re-signing it was very reassuring that your Dad told us that the Carlton Football Club is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to you and that you are a Blue for life. He said it with so much pride that his boy was doing well. Nice to see that he had a sense of humour, calling you a jerk, etc. but its beautiful to see how much love you share with him. I lacked that growing up (my Dad was 62 and deaf when I was born) – but it must be so difficult to live on the other side of Australia. Yours is a story of sacrifice, one that many of the games great young players have to make. Living away from home to make a living over a ten to fifteen year period in a city that is completely alien to you, away from family and loved ones. I knew of the experience when I travelled from Australia to the United States to work as a basketball scout and I understand how difficult it is. Thank you so much for those sacrifices.
#19 – Eddie Betts – Well here’s a guy I have put down a lot lately. Do I say something smart and arrogant, something that would be tongue in cheek and not represent the efforts of one Eddie Betts this season? No, I can’t do that and hold my own integrity. The truth is that what Eddie Betts provides to the Carlton Football Club is something that can be so easily overlooked, so easy to disregard. The goals don’t just speak for themselves (unless you really compare them to other players), it’s the goal assists, the defensive pressure in the forward fifty, the hard running and never say die attitude that keep opponents rattled when he is in the area. It is easy to see that if Eddie was on a team where the goals were shared a lot more evenly, a team that was in its prime (which Carlton will soon be) that the numbers could and would be a lot higher than they are. It’s not the statistics that count- it’s the way in which Eddie plays that tells the real story. Thanks Eddie, you are much better than I have ever given you credit for and I apologise for that.
#20 – Rhys O’Keeffe – Thank you for being a new part of the CFC. I haven’t had the opportunity to see you play yet but some fans speak highly of you. I hope that your recovery from injury is all that you can hope for and that you are able to bounce back with a strong development year in 2010.
#21 – Mark Austin – It’s always a positive sign when a club has a developing key position defender that the fans place big wraps on. From what little I have seen from Aussie I can understand where the pro-Austin people are coming from. A tough young lad who seems to have all of the physical tools at his mercy, here’s hoping that he develops them to reach his full potential. Thanks for giving people hope, Mark.
#22 – Shaun Hampson – From the first time I saw Hammer play I could understand where the talent scouts were coming from. Having been one myself, you understand that sometimes players don’t need to be playing for very long to have a gigantic impact over the long haul. Hammer is going to be one of those players. Thanks for the joy of seeing your athleticism, a rare trait in someone so tall and the courage to match the height. You’re very impressive Hammer and have a big future if you want it.
#23 – Adam Hartlett – As much as a lot of people want to put Adam down I believe that he has given it his all to get to AFL level. Unfortunately at the end of the day it will be a combination of the injuries at inappropriate times (there’s never an appropriate time, but you know what I mean) and a couple of other mitigating forces that will rob this kid from being a quality AFL player. Thanks Adam for all of the effort you have put in to trying to be a regular. Good luck in the future.
#24 – Nick Stevens – People may label him as fat. He may be fat. He may not play the type of football that the Carlton Football Club and it’s coaching committee deem to be what it is looking for and I can understand all of those complaints. At the end of the day, however, the fact remains that Harley can play football. His natural instinct and skill are crucial to the success of this club in the short-term and while he may not be at the club when it reaches the premiership level (which could happen as early as 2011 in my opinion, one more real run and then the premiership) his contributions to the football club in it’s dark years will not be forgotten. Thanks Stevo, a.k.a. Harley ☺
#25 – Brendan Fevola – There’s only one Brendan Fevola (yes, I know it used to be Tony Lockett) and the other fifteen AFL clubs can keep their dirty mitts off of him. He’s ours and he better not go anywhere. It’s funny how a guy can have such an inconsistent season, be injured for more than half of it, yet at the end of the season he hasn’t missed a game and kicks 86 big ones. Just imagine if he had have been both consistent and healthy this year. What would we have been looking at? 100? 110? 120? I don’t know, I suppose we’ll just have to wait until next year. Fev, thanks for sticking it right up your critics. You are the premier full forward in the competition and here’s hoping that there is plenty more to come.
#26 – Joe Anderson – Thanks for playing with the type of passion that I love in a Carlton player. Please stay injury free when you get it going next season as I really believe that you have an opportunity to cement a place in the team next season. If not, then it’s a big year for you – it’s almost now or never in 2010, Joe. Would love to see you hang around and make a name for yourself, but it’s going to be tough. Every time you seem to get it together your body has let you down. C’mon kid, you can do it!
#27 – Dennis Armfield – ARMY! Thanks for the crash and bash. Another of those players in the same mould as Mitch Robinson – one of those guys who has more courage than he has sense. He’s come on a bit of late has Army, could be a key cog in that back half going forward. A great in and under, bottom of the pack type of bloke. All clubs need them and he provides it. A great contract extension if you ask me, I think he’ll prove to be cheap.
#28 – Cameron Cloke – Thanks for having a red hot go. You’re not the greatest athlete on the park and that makes you a much maligned player. It’s your heart and soul that makes you the senior player that you have been on a sporadic basis. I think you’re a pretty good depth player and if the team delists you then it’s because we’re looking to add potential stars on the team. Either way Fish or Cloke will stay (in my opinion, I’d be absolutely shocked if both were to be gone unless we replaced them with an experienced depth player such as an Ash Hansen)
#29 – Heath Scotland – You got dropped to the reserves for a few matches before earning your recall. Thanks heaps, Scotty, for all of the hard years you took after leaving Collingwood. It must have been difficult watching your old team succeed without you, but I’m glad you’re a Bluebagger and that you finally got to play in a Finals game for us. Please have a great off-season so that you can get a full pre-season under your belt and hopefully bounce back with a vengeance in 2010.
#30 – Jarrad Waite – Spare a thought for this young man. Plays his whole career at Carlton, worst winning percentage by a current AFL player and the two times that he has missed most of the season are when Carlton have had two of their best seasons in the last 8 years (2004 when we won 10 games and this year when the club makes the finals). Thanks for all of the hard work that you’re putting in on your rehabilitation. We’re praying for you that 2010 is a healthy year, a successful year where you can finally get rid of that winning percentage tag and play in a Finals team for the first time in your career. You thoroughly deserve it!
#31 – Jordan Bannister – Although you’re a fringe player, the way you carry yourself on and off the track is an example to younger players at the club. I know you’re probably gone after this season so I want to say thanks to you for all of the work, sweat and tears that you’ve poured into the Carlton Football Club since you arrived. I’ll miss seeing Banno run around in a navy blue jumper- hopefully you can stick around at the Bullants and win them a premiership.
#32 – Bret Thornton – Thank you for playing to the absolute limit of your abilities (both physical and talent wise) this season. You were robbed of All-Australian honours in my opinion (if not on the actual team at the very least you ought to have been nominated). There will be a lot of talk about trading T-Bird this season but I sincerely hope that they don’t do it. Bret is the leader of the defence and in this role he is vital. He has been played out of position on the power forwards of the competition and will only play better against the smaller forwards and third talls that are matched against him in the future. He is a crucial part of the defence and will be for the next four or five years
#33 – Ryan Houlihan – Thanks for putting up with a whole lot of shit from your fellow supporters, a lot of which is unfairly thrown against you. You proved to me early on in your career, before the bad years at the club, what type of player you can be on a good team- an occasional match winner whose silky skills are damaging. Houlihan is what he is and he isn’t going to change. He is a luxury on a great team and that is what we are quickly becoming, he played very well in the final against Brisbane and will be invaluable in the 2010 and 2011 campaigns.
#34 – Simon Wiggins – Thanks for being a tough nut, providing some of the agro, guts and determination that a team needs. Congratulations on finally playing in a Finals game, although we lost the experience has to be one of the thrills of your entire career. The first guy who began signing autographs following the Port Power game in Adelaide a few weeks ago proves what an absolute class act Wiggo is. If it’s his last game at Carlton then I personally hope that the club finds a role for him as he will be sorely missed.
#35 – Caleb Tiller – Thanks for being a future prospect on this team. I haven’t had an opportunity to watch Caleb play but I like some of the reports that I have heard in regards to his potential at the club. I hope that he has a great off-season and that he can come back ready to continue his development into becoming a hopeful best 22 player at the club.
#36 – Darren Pfeiffer – Thanks for your wonderful effort in the Bullants this season. Darren Pfeiffer is another player that I have personally never been able to watch, but someone who has a sizeable fan base for a rookie lister. I hope that he enjoys whatever comes to him after this season.
#37 – Jake Edwards – Thanks for being a Carlton listed player these past few years. Unfortunately, I don’t believe things have worked out in the way that he or the club would have been hoping that they would have and Jake could be out the door. I wish him the best of luck for the future.
#38 – Jeff Garlett – Thanks for the absolute joy of being able to watch your starring performance against Melbourne in round 21. While I was disappointed to see what came of him after the match I will forgive and move on from that in the understanding that Jeff was a youngster who got carried away with a group of more experienced players. I am a real fan and see a world of potential in Garlett’s game, I hope that he, Betts and Yaz can work well together in the future.
#39 – Sam Jacobs - Thanks for being the most hyped up player on Talking Carlton this season with good reason. From reports some of his performances in the VFL were stuff of legend. With the three rucks on the list already (Kreuzer, Hammer and Warnock) I don’t know if there will be a position available on the list for him to be promoted into so if he is traded for something that the club needs then I wish him the best of luck. It is hard to see such a wonderful young clubman leave the club if that so happens –it is rare to see someone held in such admiration as the Sauce is by his team-mates.
#40 – Michael Jamison – Thank you for persisting through your injuries until they finally made you sit out for the rest of the season. It showed real courage and heart that you tried to persist for so long. We knew that you were hurt and it showed out on the field but still you gave it your absolute best. We truly missed Jamo in the race to the finals and it will be a completely different scenario next year (knock on wood) when he and JW are back to anchor that defence with the likes of T-Bird, Paul Bower and Jordan Russell. It has the makings of being one of the elite defences in the entire competition for several years to come. Good luck on the rehab Jamo.
#41 – Lachie Hill – Thanks for being a bright spot on our rookie list. Another guy I haven’t been able to watch this season and yet another who has his core group of fans which is an excellent sign to see. Hopefully we can keep him going into next year and Lachie shows something to give him an opportunity to be promoted.
#42 – Luke Stanton – Thanks for rehabbing throughout the season. Luke was injured before I returned to Australia.
#44 – Andrew Carrazzo – Thanks for loving the Navy Blue as much as we fans do. We see the enormous pride that you take in that jumper week in and week out. Thank you for working on your game to the point where your flaws have become strengths whilst not losing any of your previous strengths. It is very difficult for a player of Carrots’ age to improve in the way in which he has. To see him do it is awe-inspiring. How can you not be a fan of this kid? Go Carrots!
#45 – Aaron Joseph – Thanks for being the unexpected surprise of the season, one of the best young taggers in the competition. I honestly believe that had AJ had more flair in his game then he would have given Daniel Rich a run for his money in the race for the rising star award. However, we will gladly accept everything that he has provided this season- didn’t miss a game, played hurt, tagged the hell out of most of the games elite and beat his opponent more often than he was beaten himself. The best is yet to come, AJ, the world of tagging is your oyster!
#46 – David Ellard – Thanks for being a sensation future prospect in the Carlton midfield. I along with many other Carlton fans wonder had Ellard not been a rookie listed player if he would have gotten an opportunity in the senior team this season. His play in the Bullants was reportedly worthy of a game or two. To see him star in the game against Williamstown and putting the Ants into the preliminary final was outstanding news. I hope he stays on at the club next year and that he can crack the senior team.
#47 – Greg Bentley – Thanks for the effort you put in on the paddock each and every week. I don’t know if Greg will be at the club next season, but if he’s not I would like to take this opportunity to wish him the very best.
The Coaches
You started with the mission of getting the club into September action. Had it not been for a disappointing final quarter against Brisbane the team would have made it to the second week of the Finals, possibly more. This in itself is a success. To see the way in which some of the young kids have come on and become better players as the year has gone on is excellent. I for one believe that the final game plan was shelved this season in favour of trying to eek out a win or two more. I believe injuries limited what the coaching staff tried to do. I believe in this coaching staff so long as we add some quality thinkers to the core group.
Thank you to all of the coaches on achieving the stated goal. Good luck next season in reaching even higher goals- a home final (5/6) at the very least, if not a more likely target, a top four AFL finish.
The Recruiters
I find it to be absolutely fascinating that in the years of 2001 to 2008 (not counting players still at the club) that the club had less than 20 players IN TOTAL that we now view as serviceable parts to a good team who are no longer with the club. We lost our premiership side from 1995 and essentially had to start from scratch. While the job is far from done and there is still a lot of work to be done, it is wonderful what the recruiting officers and player development has achieved in the years. I thank each and every one of you for what you have accomplished. It’s a delight to watch.
Management
Thank you for helping raise Carlton from the dead. The future is now very bright and given a couple of years could very well deliver a premiership to the club. While a lot of the work was performed by Pratt I still wish to thank each member of the management team for their hard work in putting the product out there and increasing the Carlton brand name.
The Fans
It is an absolute privilege to be a fan of the Carlton Football Club. While we’ve gone through a whole heap of shit it fills me with pride to see how many true Blue Carlton fans have stuck with the team through thick and thin. We don’t jump on and off the bandwagon unlike fans of other clubs- we gather together when times are bad to truly understand and be able to appreciate life when things are good. You band together for each other in support of one another like few clubs in any sporting code throughout the entire world do. Your personal contributions to Talking Carlton, your voice at he games, at training sessions, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much.
Dick Pratt
The great man has departed us, but I don’t think that if I spent an entire life time I would ever be able to truly appreciate what he was able to do with the Carlton Football Club. The club was dead on its feet when he arrived at the club and in the short time that he was with the team he was able to turn it around again and build it back up to the status that it has once again attained. It is sad that he will not see Carlton win the premiership that he so longed to see, but I’m sure that he will be watching it from up above. Thank you, Mr Pratt, I salute you.
As much as this 2009 Carlton season has come to an end I see this as merely being the beginning of a wonderful journey – the start of a new dynasty of the Carlton Football Club.
Yours sincerely,
Ytoojae
I’m not somebody who can dwell on the negative for too long. In fact, after drowning a couple of beers with Pklz and my partner (before I met The General from Big Footy) I had stopped taking the loss so negatively and chose to focus on the positive. What an absolutely wonderful season this has been, regardless of the tragic ending of the past couple of weeks.
The club entered the season with a stated goal. That goal was to make the AFL Finals for the first time since 2001. Mission accomplished. I went up to Brisbane not expecting to win, but to see a red hot go of a football match. It would have been lovely for the guys to hold on to that lead in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t to be. They learned a more valuable lesson losing that game last night than had they won the game and gotten trounced by the Bulldogs next week (if that were to have happened). You simply have to play four quarters in a Final or you will lose. It’s a lesson that is better learned now than in the future when the club is striving to win a premiership. Realistically we were no chance at all this year so they took some invaluable experience out of the one game they were able to play.
The point of this post, however, is to say thankyou to every player, every coach, everybody involved on the match committee and otherwise associated with the Carlton Football Club of 2009.
The Players
#1 – Andrew Walker: Thankyou for rehabilitating your shoulder and your body to play this season. Although your year was cut short due to the injuries that you have endured your persistence in recovery has been duly noted. You have been an inspiration to me at times when my body hasn’t felt so well that it isn’t time to give it up but to put in harder work to gain the strength to go on.
#2 – Jordan Russell: Before and after I arrived back into the country people constantly ragged on you as the scapegoat to anything going wrong down at the Carlton Football Club. How a first round pick, number nine at that, could struggle was beyond them. They had no idea of the mental struggle, the pressure you heaped upon yourself to get the very best that you could offer on a regular basis. You tried your heart out but it simply wasn’t working. Well, with all of the work and effort you poured into your role in the Carlton Football Club you became a standout player over the last month and a half of the season. Thank you for the effort that you have given the club. Thank you for the exciting football you have provided this season. You’ve always been one of my favourites and with all of that application you’re showing why. Congrats JR, keep it up!
#3 – Marc Murphy – Thanks Murph for becoming one of the elite footballers in the AFL. Your selection as a candidate for the All-Australian team is an achievement to be proud of. Not to make the team (as you most likely won’t) is something to use as your motivation to becoming an automatic candidate in the future. You’re quickly becoming everything this club hoped you would be when you were drafted with the first pick of the 2005 AFL Draft. Thank you for the spectacular midfield game that you’ve given the team, for the highlights and awe inspiring way you go about your football. The sky is the limit for you.
#4 – Bryce Gibbs – A season away from truly being in the elite midfielders in the AFL. Thank you for the way you’ve gone about your football this season. You’re a true professional who will be a champion at this club for the next decade. It goes without saying that Gibbs is a key to the club winning premierships in the future. You are an absolute pleasure to watch with sublime skills of hand and foot, the closest thing that the Carlton Football Club has had to Diesel Williams since the great man retired. I hope that one day we can raise your name in the same category as the absolute heroes of the club.
#5 – Chris Judd. I questioned why Carlton fans viewed you as the saviour of the Carlton Football Club. I wasn’t the biggest Chris Judd fan when he was at the Eagles. Went missing in the big games – forget the fact that he played hurt in most of them and was still among their best even if not as good as he had been. Wasn’t their best at the hard ball, one of the few who could understand Terry Wallace’s maligned statement of him being a downhill skier. I could see him play blinders when his team was going well and struggle when the team wasn’t. The truth, however, is that he IS the reason why his teams do so well. He IS the reason that the team he plays for has the lead that they do. If it weren’t for him he wouldn’t put his club into a position for him to be viewed as the downhill skier that he has been made out to be. Thank you, Chris Judd, for the professionalism that you have brought back to the Carlton Football Club. Stephen Icke’s story of Judd when he first arrived at the club is a telling story of the change that has occurred at the club since his arrival. For those who weren’t there Icke told of a lunch that he had the pleasure of attending where a few of Juddy’s new team-mates ordered hot chips with their orders. When it was brought to the table Judd asked them why they ordered that crap? The answer “It’s what we always eat.” The captain’s telling response was “Not anymore you don’t.” Beautiful, Judd. Congratulations on a fantastic season. Hopefully it is capped off with your second Brownlow medal. It’s been a pleasure to watch you and come to understand just what a champion player in the AFL is all about – I was too young to truly understand when my childhood heroes SOS, Sticks, Diesel and the ’95 era boys were running around. Thank you.
#6 – Kade Simpson – Thank you for being the most underrated star player in the whole AFL competition. You’ll never receive the type of kudos that a player of your stature deserves, however, I am dead set certain that you receive it from those who most understand your contributions to the Carlton Football Club – your team-mates and your coaches. Thank you for having the heart and soul that defines the culture of the Carlton team, it is something that I have come to admire from you. You’re the absolute barometer of this team- if you’re up and firing the team seems to play so much better.
#7 – Adam Bentick – Thank you for your contributions as a member of the team. Although you were overlooked this season for senior selection we appreciate what you’ve constantly brought to the team since your arrival at the club. We appreciate and thank you for the effort, the in and under, hard at the ball style that has earned you many fans. If this is the end of the road for your career at the Blues (and in the AFL, perhaps) then good luck to you in whatever you decide to do in your post football career. You will be missed.
#8 – Matthew Kreuzer – When I first arrived back I hadn’t had the joy of watching you play football at the Carlton Football Club. When you first touched the ball and the entire Carlton faithful shouted Kreuze I wondered what on earth they were booing their own for. Sure enough they were shouting Kreuze and I quickly found myself into it admiring your play. You’re an amazing young athlete and I have appreciated immensely just how quickly you are developing in the AFL. I can’t believe other team’s fans don’t understand just what you’re capable of and decide to put you down. Being a big man (both centre half forward and ruck) are the two most difficult positions in the AFL to learn and you’ve done remarkably well for someone so early on in their careers. Thank you for all of your effort this season and in the future. Go rest, young man, you’ve earned this time off. Also, thank you so much for signing that local Adelaide kid’s autograph book and taking a photo with him after the game in Adelaide – I didn’t get an opportunity to thank you then (I didn’t know the kid but was helping him get his hero’s autographs in your final appearance in Adelaide this year) but it means so much when you and your team-mates do that for your fans. It may seem like a small gesture, but to know that you really care about your fans is so appreciated. Thank you.
#9 – Chris Johnson – Although you have been a much maligned player among fans at the CFC it isn’t through a lack of effort. I can see that much in you. I can understand why the coaches hold you so highly- I can see the work ethic on the paddock, I can see the application throughout games. If and when the results come back for all of your efforts then the fans will also be witness to your potential. Thank you for all of that effort and application and good luck next season. Kick some ass!
#10 – Richard Hadley – Just when it looked like you were about to cement your position in the Carlton side, as a much needed hard at the ball midfielder you went down with your arm injury. I doubt that many people can truly understand what your skills brought to the club – how much it helped us win a couple of those games. You don’t have to be the most flashy nor the most skilled footballer to be an invaluable contributor in an AFL team’s success. Every team needs it’s soldiers and you, Sir Richard, are a soldier. Thank you. Can’t wait to see that arm of yours healed and you back on the track. We need more players like you!
#11 – Robert Warnock – what an unexpected first year at our beloved club. It’s such a shame that you were unable to get a game into you this season. I thank you for the enormous amount of hard work that you put in to try and get yourself ready for some serious AFL action this season even with the result being unsuccessful. It has been very encouraging hearing of the progress you have made throughout the course of your VFL games since your return. Each week you seem to improve over the last. You have the ability to add so much to the club in the future (moving MK forward and splitting the ruck duties with Hammer) and I wish you luck in accomplishing that.
#12 – Mitch Robinson – I can’t believe how many of our faithful seem to be against Robbo. Oh my, what a gun this kid is going to be in the future. I am in awe of how tough you are, Mr. Robinson. Hard at the ball, hard at the body defensively, always striving for more, always putting in the effort, that describes Mitch Robinson. You have the ability, talent and personality to be an absolutely vital player on this team for the next decade and I fully expect you to be. When you and Richard went down with your injuries I had a very bad feeling that it would spell the end of our run. You both add exactly the type of agro that is needed on an AFL team. Regardless of the position of the ground you play at, you’re very impressive. I can’t remember seeing the type of aggression come out of a first year footballer like I have seen in Mitch since I first laid eyes on Kangaroos legend Glenn Archer. To compare the two is silly at this point, but it’s a valid observation. Thank you for being so courageous – it’s a rare trait in a kid so young.
#13 – Chris Yarran – what a future this boy has at the Carlton Football Club. Forget about trading this kid. He was drafted for the future and a superstar he will become. There is not a single doubt in my mind that when Chris Yarran has finished his development into the player that he is going to be that he will be a game changing, out of this world talent that has fans at the edge of their seats. We saw glimpses of the future against Adelaide, but it’s only the very tip of the iceberg. For such a heavy defeat that the Crows game was, he held his own. Just wait a year or two. Good to see you giving the club your all since your return from your family bereavement. I’m glad the club gave you what you needed and I’m glad that you’ve given back in spades. Thanks for being the prospect that keep Carlton fans excited.
#14 – Brad Fisher – Thank you for being a sensational club man and friend to many at the club. I sincerely hope that your days at the club aren’t numbered and that you’re counted upon to provide much needed depth in the forward line. If the game has passed you by, it isn’t your fault. You are brave and courageous. To come back the way you did from those serious injuries is something to be immensely proud of. It’s sad that the game has changed in such a manner that players of your skill set aren’t as valuable as they used to be- but you still give it your absolute all.. We appreciate and thank you for that. Good luck Fish.
#15 – Steven Browne – I haven’t seen nearly as much as I would like when it comes to Stevey but I love what other people on this forum describe you as- a courageous hard nut who is an attacking smaller defender. There seems to be quite a few of those types on our list and unfortunately not every one of them can possibly make it in the future. However, good luck and thank you Browney, I hope you develop into the type of player that your faithful fans here believe you can be.
#16 – Shaun Grigg – Thank you for the effort you put in during the season. Perhaps if it wasn’t for those unfortunate injuries that curtailed your pre-season and early season you may have been in a position to really emerge this year as a key player of the future. I hope that you are injury free over the next few months and that you can become an important midfield cog in this team.
#17 – Setanta O’hAilpin – Thank you for being my partner’s favourite player. The two of you being from Ireland are expected to be backwards. However, I believe the club got it backwards when they didn’t select you in the Carlton team for the game against Brisbane. I was very disappointed in that move as I believed that you were a viable option when it came to the back half of the field. I wonder what would have happened had you been placed against Bradshaw or Brown with T-Bird on the other and Bower been used to fill the holes. It really seemed as though the openness of the Brisbane forward line was very advantageous to them in the fourth quarter. Thank you for the enormous amount of hard work that you have put in each and every year since your debut at the club. Your cult following is much deserved. I’m a big fan of yours. Good luck in the future.
#18 – Paul Bower – Was an absolute pleasure meeting your old man at the training session at the GABBA on Friday. With all of the talk about you potentially leaving early on in the year, even with your re-signing it was very reassuring that your Dad told us that the Carlton Football Club is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to you and that you are a Blue for life. He said it with so much pride that his boy was doing well. Nice to see that he had a sense of humour, calling you a jerk, etc. but its beautiful to see how much love you share with him. I lacked that growing up (my Dad was 62 and deaf when I was born) – but it must be so difficult to live on the other side of Australia. Yours is a story of sacrifice, one that many of the games great young players have to make. Living away from home to make a living over a ten to fifteen year period in a city that is completely alien to you, away from family and loved ones. I knew of the experience when I travelled from Australia to the United States to work as a basketball scout and I understand how difficult it is. Thank you so much for those sacrifices.
#19 – Eddie Betts – Well here’s a guy I have put down a lot lately. Do I say something smart and arrogant, something that would be tongue in cheek and not represent the efforts of one Eddie Betts this season? No, I can’t do that and hold my own integrity. The truth is that what Eddie Betts provides to the Carlton Football Club is something that can be so easily overlooked, so easy to disregard. The goals don’t just speak for themselves (unless you really compare them to other players), it’s the goal assists, the defensive pressure in the forward fifty, the hard running and never say die attitude that keep opponents rattled when he is in the area. It is easy to see that if Eddie was on a team where the goals were shared a lot more evenly, a team that was in its prime (which Carlton will soon be) that the numbers could and would be a lot higher than they are. It’s not the statistics that count- it’s the way in which Eddie plays that tells the real story. Thanks Eddie, you are much better than I have ever given you credit for and I apologise for that.
#20 – Rhys O’Keeffe – Thank you for being a new part of the CFC. I haven’t had the opportunity to see you play yet but some fans speak highly of you. I hope that your recovery from injury is all that you can hope for and that you are able to bounce back with a strong development year in 2010.
#21 – Mark Austin – It’s always a positive sign when a club has a developing key position defender that the fans place big wraps on. From what little I have seen from Aussie I can understand where the pro-Austin people are coming from. A tough young lad who seems to have all of the physical tools at his mercy, here’s hoping that he develops them to reach his full potential. Thanks for giving people hope, Mark.
#22 – Shaun Hampson – From the first time I saw Hammer play I could understand where the talent scouts were coming from. Having been one myself, you understand that sometimes players don’t need to be playing for very long to have a gigantic impact over the long haul. Hammer is going to be one of those players. Thanks for the joy of seeing your athleticism, a rare trait in someone so tall and the courage to match the height. You’re very impressive Hammer and have a big future if you want it.
#23 – Adam Hartlett – As much as a lot of people want to put Adam down I believe that he has given it his all to get to AFL level. Unfortunately at the end of the day it will be a combination of the injuries at inappropriate times (there’s never an appropriate time, but you know what I mean) and a couple of other mitigating forces that will rob this kid from being a quality AFL player. Thanks Adam for all of the effort you have put in to trying to be a regular. Good luck in the future.
#24 – Nick Stevens – People may label him as fat. He may be fat. He may not play the type of football that the Carlton Football Club and it’s coaching committee deem to be what it is looking for and I can understand all of those complaints. At the end of the day, however, the fact remains that Harley can play football. His natural instinct and skill are crucial to the success of this club in the short-term and while he may not be at the club when it reaches the premiership level (which could happen as early as 2011 in my opinion, one more real run and then the premiership) his contributions to the football club in it’s dark years will not be forgotten. Thanks Stevo, a.k.a. Harley ☺
#25 – Brendan Fevola – There’s only one Brendan Fevola (yes, I know it used to be Tony Lockett) and the other fifteen AFL clubs can keep their dirty mitts off of him. He’s ours and he better not go anywhere. It’s funny how a guy can have such an inconsistent season, be injured for more than half of it, yet at the end of the season he hasn’t missed a game and kicks 86 big ones. Just imagine if he had have been both consistent and healthy this year. What would we have been looking at? 100? 110? 120? I don’t know, I suppose we’ll just have to wait until next year. Fev, thanks for sticking it right up your critics. You are the premier full forward in the competition and here’s hoping that there is plenty more to come.
#26 – Joe Anderson – Thanks for playing with the type of passion that I love in a Carlton player. Please stay injury free when you get it going next season as I really believe that you have an opportunity to cement a place in the team next season. If not, then it’s a big year for you – it’s almost now or never in 2010, Joe. Would love to see you hang around and make a name for yourself, but it’s going to be tough. Every time you seem to get it together your body has let you down. C’mon kid, you can do it!
#27 – Dennis Armfield – ARMY! Thanks for the crash and bash. Another of those players in the same mould as Mitch Robinson – one of those guys who has more courage than he has sense. He’s come on a bit of late has Army, could be a key cog in that back half going forward. A great in and under, bottom of the pack type of bloke. All clubs need them and he provides it. A great contract extension if you ask me, I think he’ll prove to be cheap.
#28 – Cameron Cloke – Thanks for having a red hot go. You’re not the greatest athlete on the park and that makes you a much maligned player. It’s your heart and soul that makes you the senior player that you have been on a sporadic basis. I think you’re a pretty good depth player and if the team delists you then it’s because we’re looking to add potential stars on the team. Either way Fish or Cloke will stay (in my opinion, I’d be absolutely shocked if both were to be gone unless we replaced them with an experienced depth player such as an Ash Hansen)
#29 – Heath Scotland – You got dropped to the reserves for a few matches before earning your recall. Thanks heaps, Scotty, for all of the hard years you took after leaving Collingwood. It must have been difficult watching your old team succeed without you, but I’m glad you’re a Bluebagger and that you finally got to play in a Finals game for us. Please have a great off-season so that you can get a full pre-season under your belt and hopefully bounce back with a vengeance in 2010.
#30 – Jarrad Waite – Spare a thought for this young man. Plays his whole career at Carlton, worst winning percentage by a current AFL player and the two times that he has missed most of the season are when Carlton have had two of their best seasons in the last 8 years (2004 when we won 10 games and this year when the club makes the finals). Thanks for all of the hard work that you’re putting in on your rehabilitation. We’re praying for you that 2010 is a healthy year, a successful year where you can finally get rid of that winning percentage tag and play in a Finals team for the first time in your career. You thoroughly deserve it!
#31 – Jordan Bannister – Although you’re a fringe player, the way you carry yourself on and off the track is an example to younger players at the club. I know you’re probably gone after this season so I want to say thanks to you for all of the work, sweat and tears that you’ve poured into the Carlton Football Club since you arrived. I’ll miss seeing Banno run around in a navy blue jumper- hopefully you can stick around at the Bullants and win them a premiership.
#32 – Bret Thornton – Thank you for playing to the absolute limit of your abilities (both physical and talent wise) this season. You were robbed of All-Australian honours in my opinion (if not on the actual team at the very least you ought to have been nominated). There will be a lot of talk about trading T-Bird this season but I sincerely hope that they don’t do it. Bret is the leader of the defence and in this role he is vital. He has been played out of position on the power forwards of the competition and will only play better against the smaller forwards and third talls that are matched against him in the future. He is a crucial part of the defence and will be for the next four or five years
#33 – Ryan Houlihan – Thanks for putting up with a whole lot of shit from your fellow supporters, a lot of which is unfairly thrown against you. You proved to me early on in your career, before the bad years at the club, what type of player you can be on a good team- an occasional match winner whose silky skills are damaging. Houlihan is what he is and he isn’t going to change. He is a luxury on a great team and that is what we are quickly becoming, he played very well in the final against Brisbane and will be invaluable in the 2010 and 2011 campaigns.
#34 – Simon Wiggins – Thanks for being a tough nut, providing some of the agro, guts and determination that a team needs. Congratulations on finally playing in a Finals game, although we lost the experience has to be one of the thrills of your entire career. The first guy who began signing autographs following the Port Power game in Adelaide a few weeks ago proves what an absolute class act Wiggo is. If it’s his last game at Carlton then I personally hope that the club finds a role for him as he will be sorely missed.
#35 – Caleb Tiller – Thanks for being a future prospect on this team. I haven’t had an opportunity to watch Caleb play but I like some of the reports that I have heard in regards to his potential at the club. I hope that he has a great off-season and that he can come back ready to continue his development into becoming a hopeful best 22 player at the club.
#36 – Darren Pfeiffer – Thanks for your wonderful effort in the Bullants this season. Darren Pfeiffer is another player that I have personally never been able to watch, but someone who has a sizeable fan base for a rookie lister. I hope that he enjoys whatever comes to him after this season.
#37 – Jake Edwards – Thanks for being a Carlton listed player these past few years. Unfortunately, I don’t believe things have worked out in the way that he or the club would have been hoping that they would have and Jake could be out the door. I wish him the best of luck for the future.
#38 – Jeff Garlett – Thanks for the absolute joy of being able to watch your starring performance against Melbourne in round 21. While I was disappointed to see what came of him after the match I will forgive and move on from that in the understanding that Jeff was a youngster who got carried away with a group of more experienced players. I am a real fan and see a world of potential in Garlett’s game, I hope that he, Betts and Yaz can work well together in the future.
#39 – Sam Jacobs - Thanks for being the most hyped up player on Talking Carlton this season with good reason. From reports some of his performances in the VFL were stuff of legend. With the three rucks on the list already (Kreuzer, Hammer and Warnock) I don’t know if there will be a position available on the list for him to be promoted into so if he is traded for something that the club needs then I wish him the best of luck. It is hard to see such a wonderful young clubman leave the club if that so happens –it is rare to see someone held in such admiration as the Sauce is by his team-mates.
#40 – Michael Jamison – Thank you for persisting through your injuries until they finally made you sit out for the rest of the season. It showed real courage and heart that you tried to persist for so long. We knew that you were hurt and it showed out on the field but still you gave it your absolute best. We truly missed Jamo in the race to the finals and it will be a completely different scenario next year (knock on wood) when he and JW are back to anchor that defence with the likes of T-Bird, Paul Bower and Jordan Russell. It has the makings of being one of the elite defences in the entire competition for several years to come. Good luck on the rehab Jamo.
#41 – Lachie Hill – Thanks for being a bright spot on our rookie list. Another guy I haven’t been able to watch this season and yet another who has his core group of fans which is an excellent sign to see. Hopefully we can keep him going into next year and Lachie shows something to give him an opportunity to be promoted.
#42 – Luke Stanton – Thanks for rehabbing throughout the season. Luke was injured before I returned to Australia.
#44 – Andrew Carrazzo – Thanks for loving the Navy Blue as much as we fans do. We see the enormous pride that you take in that jumper week in and week out. Thank you for working on your game to the point where your flaws have become strengths whilst not losing any of your previous strengths. It is very difficult for a player of Carrots’ age to improve in the way in which he has. To see him do it is awe-inspiring. How can you not be a fan of this kid? Go Carrots!
#45 – Aaron Joseph – Thanks for being the unexpected surprise of the season, one of the best young taggers in the competition. I honestly believe that had AJ had more flair in his game then he would have given Daniel Rich a run for his money in the race for the rising star award. However, we will gladly accept everything that he has provided this season- didn’t miss a game, played hurt, tagged the hell out of most of the games elite and beat his opponent more often than he was beaten himself. The best is yet to come, AJ, the world of tagging is your oyster!
#46 – David Ellard – Thanks for being a sensation future prospect in the Carlton midfield. I along with many other Carlton fans wonder had Ellard not been a rookie listed player if he would have gotten an opportunity in the senior team this season. His play in the Bullants was reportedly worthy of a game or two. To see him star in the game against Williamstown and putting the Ants into the preliminary final was outstanding news. I hope he stays on at the club next year and that he can crack the senior team.
#47 – Greg Bentley – Thanks for the effort you put in on the paddock each and every week. I don’t know if Greg will be at the club next season, but if he’s not I would like to take this opportunity to wish him the very best.
The Coaches
You started with the mission of getting the club into September action. Had it not been for a disappointing final quarter against Brisbane the team would have made it to the second week of the Finals, possibly more. This in itself is a success. To see the way in which some of the young kids have come on and become better players as the year has gone on is excellent. I for one believe that the final game plan was shelved this season in favour of trying to eek out a win or two more. I believe injuries limited what the coaching staff tried to do. I believe in this coaching staff so long as we add some quality thinkers to the core group.
Thank you to all of the coaches on achieving the stated goal. Good luck next season in reaching even higher goals- a home final (5/6) at the very least, if not a more likely target, a top four AFL finish.
The Recruiters
I find it to be absolutely fascinating that in the years of 2001 to 2008 (not counting players still at the club) that the club had less than 20 players IN TOTAL that we now view as serviceable parts to a good team who are no longer with the club. We lost our premiership side from 1995 and essentially had to start from scratch. While the job is far from done and there is still a lot of work to be done, it is wonderful what the recruiting officers and player development has achieved in the years. I thank each and every one of you for what you have accomplished. It’s a delight to watch.
Management
Thank you for helping raise Carlton from the dead. The future is now very bright and given a couple of years could very well deliver a premiership to the club. While a lot of the work was performed by Pratt I still wish to thank each member of the management team for their hard work in putting the product out there and increasing the Carlton brand name.
The Fans
It is an absolute privilege to be a fan of the Carlton Football Club. While we’ve gone through a whole heap of shit it fills me with pride to see how many true Blue Carlton fans have stuck with the team through thick and thin. We don’t jump on and off the bandwagon unlike fans of other clubs- we gather together when times are bad to truly understand and be able to appreciate life when things are good. You band together for each other in support of one another like few clubs in any sporting code throughout the entire world do. Your personal contributions to Talking Carlton, your voice at he games, at training sessions, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thank you all very much.
Dick Pratt
The great man has departed us, but I don’t think that if I spent an entire life time I would ever be able to truly appreciate what he was able to do with the Carlton Football Club. The club was dead on its feet when he arrived at the club and in the short time that he was with the team he was able to turn it around again and build it back up to the status that it has once again attained. It is sad that he will not see Carlton win the premiership that he so longed to see, but I’m sure that he will be watching it from up above. Thank you, Mr Pratt, I salute you.
As much as this 2009 Carlton season has come to an end I see this as merely being the beginning of a wonderful journey – the start of a new dynasty of the Carlton Football Club.
Yours sincerely,
Ytoojae
