Round 19, 2008

Only a few boys down at Carlton can honestly say they were around the last time we had a 10 goal win – Fevola was actually the only player in both (in both Round 19, 2008 and the 2001 Elimination Final), and Houlihan and Wiggins were each on the list. And only one Blue can say he’s won Play of the Week in one of those matches…the Wiggler! We decided to award Simon Wiggins his second Play of the Week for the year after a ripper mark but also some fine form at half forward for the Blues…

Is that the best mark you've taken in your career? Walk us through it, what was going through your head at the time?

I didn’t think it was that good actually – it was a bit clumsy really. I just saw the bloke I was on at the time creeping up on my left hand side, I didn’t know what I was going to do until the last minute..and then just decided to jump. Then I hit the ground – a bit winded actually – and the mark was mine!

We saw you drift into the backline to take a couple of stupidly brave running-with-the-flight marks as well. Did you follow your man down there, or were you shifted back at one stage? Or just felt like putting your life on the line?

No, nothing like that – all I was doing was picking up midfielder to lock them down and the ball luckily came my way. You’ve got to make sure that players in that position are picked up or it’s an easy shot on goal.

Andrew Walker proved a really valuable forward option on the weekend. Was this something that Port's matchups allowed, or do you think we are likely to see much more of Andrew in the forward line from now on?

I knew before the game that Walks would be cherry-ripe for this match – he’s been improving his fitness and coming along really well. He was shifted forward, but he can play forward, as a key defender down back and even in midfield – he’s one of those in-between type players. The match-ups worked really well for us on the day, and we were able to have a midfielder out on the flank and at the end he kicked 3 or 4 and set up a few others.

Brad Fisher has been asked to shoulder a lot more work this year than previously, as a marking option. How do you judge his year to date?

Look half forward is getting harder and harder to play – it is very taxing on the body. Our High Performance Manager Justin Cordy recognised that and he’s arranged a lot of rotations and drills on this part of the game. By swapping in or off you can lose a bit of touch and maybe that’s what you mean. Fish had a ripper year last year, and his body is better this year than last year for sure – he’s in pretty good knick – but he’s still working hard and gives us a lot out there.

The team dominated PA, what was the feeling amongst the group after the game? Elation that you had a big win, or was there some disappointment that you didn't win by more?

Obviously percentage is important, and to kick 24 behinds was a little disappointing for us. But we’ve got bigger things to focus on over the next 3 weeks. As soon as the game was over we focussed on those matches and put this game to the side. Obviously it would have been great to win by more but we have a lot more work to do.

It is an exciting race to the finals. Do you discuss scenarios and results from other teams that would allow you to make the finals, or do you just try and win each game and let the ladder sort itself out?

Look as a player you have a bit of a look, and think about who’s doing what – like for example St Kilda didn’t do us any favours by losing over the weekend, and Brisbane are in there as well, but as a team we’re focussing on what we need to do, and that’s win 2 or 3 of the final matches.

2?

Yes, we might still be able to make it if we only win the 2 – that’ll be 44 points and that might be enough, you never know.

Everyone is aware that Fev is near 100 goals for the season. Playing forward yourself, is it hard not to look for him in 50/50 situations to get him over the line?

The focus is on bringing everyone into the game, whoever it is, and making sure it’s a team effort. Obviously we’d love to get Fevvy up to some more of these milestones but its more about the team.

You are a pretty decent set shot for goal. Is there any tips you have for a couple of your teammates that are struggling?

Ha, look I’m more confident from 50 metres out than I am from 15! When you’re a long way out you can judge the wind and other things better, like your own swing, but if you’re closer….

For most of us it’s all above the shoulders. We do a lot of work on this at training and we’re all trying to help each other get it through. Fisher is normally one of our better kicks for goal, and Jordan has missed a few … but I’m 11 or 12 goals 2 so it’s good to be accurate. Jordan was helping me just the other week on this as I wasn’t following through right, so if we see something that’s going on we try to fix it up.

You've had a more consistent season than ever before. Is that because a better team puts less pressure on you? Are you concentrating on a specific role?

Actually I really like the position I’m in now. It’s more of a burst role and suits my running ability much better. With Fish and Russell and a few others we have pretty good cohesion up there.

Last time we spoke to you it was a bit before your 100th. Did you family and friends come over?

Yeah, I had 20 tickets to the game and a few friends and family came over from Tassie. My Mum, Dad, Brother and a few of my mates were there – it was all pretty exciting and I wanted to make sure it was a big game to be proud of. I was really pumped – it took me a long time to get to this milestone and I wanted to perform out there.

Now you've got the 100, are you getting into Loudy's ear about father-son possibilities?

Ahhh…not yet.

You've always been spoken about as a good clubman in the press. What does that mean? Other than yourself, who would you say is another great clubman on our list?

It’s all of our responsibilities to see who’s up, and who may not be – we all know each other very well and we know when the players are at the top of their game, and if they’re not you’ve got to gee them up. I tell you though these days it’s improved a lot – its much better out there for talking etc.

Were you able to watch the Opening Ceremony? Was it tough for Loudy?

Ohh…still a bit of a sore point really. I mean if it was 6 months out from a grand final and I strained my calf, would I be barred from not making it?

Juddy in this column a few weeks back labelled Aaron Joseph as one to watch. Are you providing him all the advise he needs as a fellow Taswegian in the big leagues?

He’s a good kid for sure, and he has played some important roles in the Bullants. A number of young kids come through and think they can rely on the tactics that got them here, but I tell you AJ has had a number of tight defensive roles and really come up well. It’s a good sign for him to be taking and accepting tasks like that at that level.

You're the type of bloke who loves a challenge. Will you be putting up your hand to play on Buddy in round 22?

• Laughs * I think he’s 6 inches too tall for me and too fast. Probably be Waite, although Jamo and Thornton are in good form back there too.

Actually ‘Mike’ from Mike & Dan is Tasmanian and we’ve worked out before that we must be related. Are you in any way related to any other Tasmanian AFL player?

Well….my Dad is Royce Hart’s third cousin….and Max Walker’s Mum is a Wiggins!

And to finish up…A bit of quiz for you… you were only the 7th Tasmanian to play 100 games for Carlton. Can you name any of them?

Well I love my Carlton history, and Glenorchy history, and so Berkley Cox, E.Huxtable, Chick…Percy Jones…me…that’s 5. How many were there?

2 more….

Ahhh..

We thanks Wiggins for his time and gave him the final two in Viv Valentine and Maurie Sankey, wishing him well for the final 3 weeks. Who knows, there’s 3 more Plays of the Week to go and if he keeps his year up he could get another one before we’re done (not that ‘Mike’ is biased at all).

It has been while. I’ve aged more than a Richmond coach and unlike Richmond coaches, being a Bluebagger is for life.

I remember the days of glory. I was there in ’68 standing beside my dad as the Bluebaggers won their first of eight in my lifetime. I was there, watching Lofts (and yes it was a free) who dad knew - I think from the old days at Mush & Miller. I was there watching new stars shine bright and Big Nick stride the earth like a Titan of old.

I was lucky. Dad came from Tasmania and could have fallen in with any old mob but his heart belonged to my mother and her dad was that Ernie the barber that Wallsy mentioned in his article this week. Pop cut the players hair in his shop in Lygon street and any bloke dating his daughter had better accept that there was only one cut in town and that was being a Bluebagger. The rest, as they say in the classics, is history.

My brothers and I grew up Bluebaggers. There was never any other option. Football should never be a democracy (no matter what Grant Thomas says). Dad pressed his thumb against all the bairns’ new foreheads and said ‘Go Blues’ and that was that.
So in ’68 I saw my first flag against the Bombers, who whinged after they lost - some things are as perennial as the Pyramids.

Saw my first loss against the Tigers the following year and began to understand this supporter thing. During the next eight flags and several September losses I learnt a lot but at the core of all those lessons was the idea that Carlton was the greatest: We were the Ali of the comp. You might knock us down but never out, we might fall out of condition for a time but we’d always come back.

Then the new millennium started and the wheels fell off. In the dark times the thing (well one of the things) I found hardest was that when watching a game, even one we won, we walked the knife’s edge. The other side was always in it. All games have been like that great game in ’68 when, as the wind tossed the ball around like a ping pong, when the ball headed for goal then took a right turn, when we seemed on top and then them, the nerves of a ten year old took a beating, though my dad all the way through that game kept up his smile and would give me a nod and wink and say, ‘we’ve got it, no worries, we got it.’

Well one close game is hard but season after season of struggles creates a whole other dimension. My son has not sat through an easy game, not since he was about 4. His whole Bluebagger existence has been a dour struggle. So how good, then, was this week’s win.

Some say bad kicking is bad football, but it is not as bad as no kicking at all – remember that horrible Tigers game at the MCG – remember that horrible scoreboard at halftime! I’ll take 8:16 any day of the week.

So we kicked poorly, but for the rest we shone as bright as any Bluebagger team. Tex snapping goals: Griggsy streaming out of the middle: Gibbsy handballing to Murph: Captain Marvel and his Shazam goal! Simmo, Jammo, Carrazzo - every bloody o in the side ‘o!

My brother and I sat and enjoyed that game like we haven’t been able for far too long. It was evident very early on that we would win and win by a lot. Now fair enough, it should have been 20 goals, but I’ll take that 66 point flogging to ease my nerves. It’s good to have a win you can enjoy, a game to sit back and savour like a fine red wine.

So it was that we won easily last week and I was able to watch the lads, to see the development of the kids, to see the old firm who have endured so much enjoying themselves and playing elite football at last. The drought has burst and we are moving closer to the harvest moon time!

Pop’s scissors can be heard in the distance, clicking away in joy that we are returning to our former glory. Dad’s jig is close by, he too, can see that we’ve turned the corner.

And so we come to this week’s game. A bottler! North is on the up, cock-a-hoop and ready to rumble but we’ve got that Ali belief back and this time we’ll not be coping any George Foreman knockout. Our blokes are ready to fight, Carlton bumbaye! Carlton bumbaye!

Watch us absorb all that the Roos can throw our way and then, then as they tire, watch, watch the boys start their assault and watch, watch the look of horror and disbelief in the North players’ eyes.

Carlton bumbaye! Carlton bumbaye!

Murph, Judd, Stevo, Griggsy and Gibbsy, Simmo and Tex, Fev and the Kruise, Hammer in the ruck with Clokey, Jammo and T-Bird down back with Waitey cutting a swathe through the middle. Oh Carlton bumbaye! Carlton bumbaye! This is it folks, this is our Rumble in the Jungle!

Win this and the rest better look out! So I’m going for Carlton to win running away. Close for a half, but watch, midway through the third when they’ve given all they’ve got, watch our boys lift and while we are still running light across the turf, watch the Roo boys sink into disbelief.

Carlton, my friends, is well and truly back! Not that we ever left, we just took it easy for a time, but soon, very soon, we’ll be holding that silver cup aloft once again.

Carlton bumbaye! Carlton bumbaye!

Fev for 7
Tex 3
Gibbsy 3
Griggsy 2 from the centre

and Tex bog.

Go Blues!