Career : 1991 - 1992
Debut : Round 12, 1991 vs Collingwood, aged 20 years, 100 days
Carlton Player No. 973
Games : 11
Goals : 5
Last Game : Round 9, 1992 vs West Coast, aged 21 years, 78 days
Guernsey No. 45
Height : 183 cm (6 ft. 0 in.)
Weight : 80 kg (12 stone, 8 lbs.)
DOB : 28 February, 1971
A tough and determined utility recruited from VFA club Port Melbourne, Darren Tarczon played 11 games and kicked five goals for Carlton during seasons 1991-92. In the highlight of his career, he is still fondly remembered for inspiring the underdog Blues to a sensational upset victory over the West Coast Eagles in round 14, 1991 at Princes Park.
Early in the second quarter of that match, Carlton was already trailing the undefeated Eagles when champion full-back Stephen Silvagni limped out of the contest with a season-ending knee injury. Earlier, Tarczon had started in defence, before being benched by his coach David Parkin for a pep talk. With Silvagni finished for the day, Parkin asked Darren for a special effort – and got more than he hoped for.
Charging onto the field, Tarczon crashed through Eagle Guy McKenna with one of the best shirt-fronts of all time. Then, while McKenna was in the hands of the medicos on the sidelines, Darren kicked two goals in the space of 90 seconds to get the home crowd roaring with delight. The Blues were inspired, and at three-quarter time, Carlton was ahead by 17 points before West Coast came surging home and almost pinched the match. In the last minute of the game, the Eagles were up by three points before Tarczon sent a skimming pass to Simon Minton-Connell and the Blues’ full-forward kicked truly for a sensational victory.
By coincidence, Tarczon played his last game for Carlton against West Coast just a year later in round 9, 1992, when Stephen Silvagni – back to his brilliant best – kicked 8 goals but the Blues were beaten by 24 points.
Prior to joining Carlton, Tarczon had spent some time playing at North Melbourne with their Under 19 and Reserves teams, so after departing from Princes Park he briefly returned to Arden Street, where he was re-united with his younger brother. Later, he lined up for Kensington in the Western Region Football League, and in 2002 he saddled up with Aberfeldie in the Essendon District Football League.
Links
Articles: The BIG NumbersBlueseum Summary of Tarczon's playing career | Tarczon's Blueseum Image Gallery