Round 5, 2007

Carlton fans didn’t come home with the 4 points last Saturday night but they witnessed a great game of football and saw some outstanding individual performances. None more so than Eddie Betts 3 goal virtuoso performance in the 2nd quarter. Mike and Dan caught up with Eddie to discuss the play of the day, his journey to becoming a Carlton fan-favourite and his favourite pizza.

First things first, we couldn’t decide which of Eddie’s goals was the best: the casual pick up and snap over the shoulder from 45m, the classic rove off the pack and weaving through 4 defenders in a Matrix-type moment to slot the goal or the soccer off the ground after Matty Lappin had brought a behind-bound ball to ground under intense pressure. So we asked Eddie to decide.

Which was your favourite goal, Eddie?

You want me to choose? (Laughs) Probably I’d say the snap from 48m (Thanks for the correction Eddie) because I can’t even kick that far with a drop punt.

It was one of those days with no flooding and an old fashioned shootout, especially in the first half, that supporters love. What was it like to be out there playing?

It was amazing; the attitude to the game from the players and the reactions from the crowd. We knew it would be a tough game. We’d beaten Brisbane there in the NAB Cup and Denis told us they’d come out hard. It was great to play in because these days most clubs do flood.

As a small forward, what game plan do you enjoy: the empty forward line running into space or the numbers around the contest and crumbing?

Definitely crumbing off the pack. It’s much more exciting for me doing that with players around the ball and still being able to get through.

Sometimes you appear to be playing CHF with strong leads down an empty forward corridor. Are you competing with Josh Kennedy for the power forward job?

(Laughs) No, certainly not. That’s Josh’s job. I’m happy to play off his feet. I’ll let him bring the ball down for me.

It’s your 3rd season at the club. Most of your time has been spent as a small forward. Is that where you see your future at the club or are you eyeing off the centre square?

Denis is trying to get me to spend more time in the midfield as well as up forward. So hopefully I’ll play as a forward/midfielder.

You have an uncanny knack of reading the ball off the contest and timing your runs to perfection. Is it something you were born with or have you worked on it in junior footy?

Wouldn’t have a clue. It just happens for me.

For a small guy, your chases and tackling are inspirational. How did that come about?

I think that’s one of the things I am in the team for. Denis is always telling me don’t worry about the goals, just keep tackling and keep chasing and the goals will come.

4 players have played 100 games in the No.19 guernsey for Carlton. How many can you remember?

Ian Collins is the only one I can remember. That’s only because he keeps reminding me every time he sees me. “It’s good to see that number 19 jumper running around, Eddie” he keeps saying. (For the record the others are Ron Cooper, Denis Zeunert and John O’Connell)

Blueseum - Locker Number 19

Chris Johnson was at the other end of the ground on Saturday. He started 13 years ago as a small forward. He’s played back, forward and midfield at an elite level since. Is he someone you look to as a role model?

Yes he’s definitely a role model. He can play any position on the ground. Especially as an Aboriginal player coming up, he’s someone I really look up to. Every Aboriginal player coming through the system should use Chris as a role model of how they should handle themselves. Also I admire Andrew McLeod; he’s just an absolute champion.

Who at Carlton do you look up to for what they have achieved?

Kouta, he’s one of the best players at the club with what he has achieved. He trains hard, in fact he’s probably training harder than even now that he’s injured. We definitely need him back in the team.

The Carlton player I look up to the most isn’t at the club anymore, Cory McGrath was just the best guy to have around. He was very professional and worked very hard to keep himself in the best condition. But mostly for me, he looked after me and took me under his wing and I’ll always thank him for that.

Who is your roommate on interstate trips and what can you tell us about them that would embarrass him badly?

This year, I’ve roomed with Cameron Cloke a couple of times. Cam brings everything he can think of from home: his laptop, DVD movies, games the lot. You don’t get bored if you stay with Clokey.

You’re a WA boy but you were drafted from the Calder Cannons. What’s the story there?

It was Mum’s idea for me to come across when I was a teenager. She was worried I was mixing with the wrong crowd and she wanted me to get the best out of myself. I joined up with the Aboriginal Footballers Development Program which is run by Phil Krakouer.

I played at Templestowe and Phil contacted Calder and asked them to give me a go. I ended up there for 2 years, played back to back flags and got picked up by Carlton in the Pre-season Draft. (Mike and Dan would like to extend a big thankyou to Mrs Betts and Phil Krakouer on behalf of all Carlton fans)

Your player sponsors include a poultry shop. Do you get a roast chook for every goal?

Yeah, they told me to come over whenever I want one but then I found out they kill and pack the chooks not cook them. Maybe I should pick a couple up this Sunday for roast.

Brett Ratten is the forwards coach at the club, which is interesting given he started as a defender and ended up a midfield champ. What influence has he had on you forwards this year?

He’s awesome. We can learn a lot from Brett. He’s a club champion and he’s got a lot of new ideas and game plans that have really helped us out. All the new coaches have brought a large difference from last year.

In your career you’ve won the 2005 Best First Year Player at Carlton, the 2006 AFL Goal of the Year and a 2007 NAB premiership. What’s your favourite achievement and what’s next?

All of them are pretty good. Hopefully next is to play finals footy with Carlton.

Now the most important question for a Carlton player to answer. What is Melbourne’s best pizza?

Hawaiian.

Eddie Betts is many things; a more than handy footballer and goalscorer, an ‘excitement machine’ for the fans, a rising role model for young Aboriginal footballers and a pretty decent bloke to spend 10 minutes with. Now we can add to that list that he’s a ham and pineapple man…

You don’t have to be Einstein to know that we live in a risky world, Digs and Bluebelles. When the phone rang at half-time on Saturday night, I took a risk in answering it. I did not rush into this risky decision to invite chaos theory to enter my living room that night.

First I consulted the entrails of the chicken breast sanga I was hoeing into; and, my trusty moon chart to observe the closeness of the New Moon waxing over Lygon Street. We were 13 points up and I was very comfortable where I sat on my Fat Albert bottom. There were ladders and black cats between me and the phone. It wasn’t worth the risk. It kept ringing, more in hope than the anticipation that I would eventually answer it…

It was my former good friend Seamus whose veins course with thick blue blood. He was marooned in Percy’s Bar and confirmed that the New Moon loonies had indeed arrived for ante natal drinks before their moon chat assigned ETA on Wednesday, May 2. He was watching the game under these appalling conditions and begged me to let him come in from the cold.

I relented. It was a mistake. It was bad risk management. In my book, risk can never be eliminated entirely; and it doesn’t obey the usual rules of mathematics – or “math” as Seamus would say as he was born in New York City where they speak funny.

He entered the hall with half the showroom from Dan Murphy’s cellars under his arm just as the green maggots bounced the ball for the third quarter. For me, the game was entirely spoilt from that moment on. I could smell a rotten egg – and not all of it was coming from the smelly runners that Seamus removed on his arrival.

Seamus tried to bamboozle me into believing that it was a game of two halves, or a Curate’s Egg of a game, as my hands began to tighten on his throat at the final siren: “Oh, no, my Lord, I assure you that parts of it were excellent!”

I remain to be convinced, Digs and Bluebelles, that a good first half can in anyway make up for a bad second half. Einstein’s first law of football science states: “Show me a loser and I’ll show you a loser.” Winners can not be partial losers, like Seamus.

The lesson from the game against the Brisbane white shoe brigade is that if there are ten things you could do to minimise your risk and you forget to do one of them, you are not 9/10ths risk-free: you are as at much risk as if you had forgotten to do all ten. It simply can not be the best of times and the worst of times in risk management. There isn't a continuous spectrum of risky-to-not-risky along which you can step your way at your leisure, pausing perhaps at an agreeable mix of risky and non-risky as a nice compromise: Like becoming a little bit pregnant.

Gold skull cap goes to Simmo with Silvers to Big Red, Eddie, Hoops, Skinny and Cloakroom. A big cheerio goes to Jacko, the rookie who broke his hand in his second senior game and Fish, after Fev accidentally rearranged his facial features.

I will not speak to Seamus again until Friday night when we plan to restore equilibrium to our azure karma by nicking the halo from the sanctimonious ones at the Optus Dome. Carna Blues! Ring 1300 72 79 81 if you want to pick up the few remaining seats in the peanut gallery. I will not be answering it. – TERRY MAHER and JAMES McCAUSLAND