In the old days Carlton had it all, more money, more supporters and better players. They were the VFL powerhouse, rarely missing the finals and routinely winning premierships. On the street they were hated as much as Collingwood, but the Magpies could never be described as arrogant, insufferable or charmless.
The Blues, in an era long ago reminded other clubs and supporters what they didn’t have – money, and showed rival clubs how to assemble a list capable of winning a premiership. It all came down to money.
With a bevy of powerful coteries driving the club and high profile supporters, the Blues prospered, almost revelling in their arrogance. Looking back on the era from 1968 to 1987, it is impossible to be critical of Carlton’s success, because their administration did the best they could for the club.
They promised more money, which was within the rules, and it netted them champions who helped them win premierships, seven of them from ten grand finals.
Now that’s class.
Before the draft and salary cap, when the chequebook ruled football, Carlton’s cash lured plenty of interstate stars and champs from other clubs. Under the old, unrestrictive regulations, cash won grand finals, and the Blues kept winning premierships.
The decree, though, that they bought premierships, rings hollow. In the seventies and eighties, money bought every premiership. Clubs with the most money bought more than the others.
There was much criticism of the capitalists, but it was built on jealousy. Without regulations, clubs did as they pleased. Carlton did it better than everyone else.
Back then, though, it seemed Carlton operated differently to other clubs. They weren’t just recruiting the best players and winning premierships, it was more than that. It was about building for the future rather than leaving a grand legacy behind, so the incoming players wanted to emulate those who went before them.
It wasn’t always a glorious existence. There were dark times. After winning the premiership in 1947, the Blues endured a horror run. By 1964, after seventeen years without a premiership, Carlton’s hierarchy was fed up.
They wanted to reclaim the past, and to do that, Carlton proved they operated differently from all other clubs. Instead of appointing one of their own as coach, they went out and poached the biggest name in football – Ron Barassi…
Back in 1964, Barassi was fresh off another premiership with Melbourne. Though possessed by vast ambition, a volatile temperament and unrelenting desire, Barassi needed convincing to go to Carlton. He’d just won his sixth premiership in ten years with Melbourne. He’d be turning his back on everything he had learnt, loyalty to club and jumper, loyalty to coach and mates and his love of the Demons.
The deal was good, the role as playing-coach and a neat wage, so Barassi quit Melbourne and embraced Carlton. Success wasn’t immediate, he took three seasons to get Carlton into the finals, but in 1968, his fourth season as coach Barassi led them to a three point victory over Essendon in the grand final.
It was Carlton’s first premiership in 21 years. The mediocrity was finished, but there would be further heartache. In 1969, the Blues couldn’t defend their mantle, losing the grand final to Richmond by 25 points.
The loss stung Barassi, but the following season he created his legend by coaching Carlton to the 1970 premiership. The ten point win over Collingwood wasn’t without drama. Carlton trailed by 44-points at half time. It remains the most famous grand final in the history of the game, and one of the best coaching performances.
The grandeur couldn’t last, and after finishing fifth and missing the finals in 1971, Barassi quit.
In seven years Barassi coached Carlton through four finals appearances, three grand finals and won two premierships. It is probably Carlton’s most significant coaching appointment ever, and it set the benchmark the club followed for decades.
After outsourcing for Barassi, Carlton looked within. John Nicholls, the captain and ruckman, was appointed playing-coach. Big Nick was an immediate success, delivering a premiership, a 27-point victory over Richmond, in is his debut season.
Unfortunately for Nicholls and the Blues, there was no more glory. Richmond gained grand final revenge in 1973, Carlton missed the finals in 1974 and finished fourth in 1975.
Heading into the 1976 season, things, glory aside, weren’t so bad at Princes Park, but Nicholls shocked the Blues on the Thursday night before the 1976 season started. Just two days before round one, instead of naming Carlton’s team to play Collingwood, Nicholls announced he was quitting as coach, just like that.
There are suggestions Nicholls, who worked in a bank, was being investigated for embezzlement. Such an investigation might explain his hasty resignation. Nicholls, anecdotally at least, was convicted of embezzlement and never coached again.
His assistant, Ian Thorogood, who wasn’t being investigated by the police, stepped into the role two. Carlton won their first seven games to be clear on top then lost their next five, slumping to third.
They wouldn’t lose another game for the season, the only blot being a draw to Footscray in the last round, and finished on top.
A 17-point loss to Hawthorn in the semi final was followed by a one point loss to North Melbourne in the preliminary final. Thorogood was one straight kick from leading Carlton into a grand final in his first season in charge. It was a good debut year.
In 1977, Carlton finished sixth and missed the finals. Thorogood was sacked for that infraction, just one year after leading the Blues to the minor premiership.
Ian Stewart was appointed but health reasons forced his retirement early in 1978. Alex Jesaulenko took over as playing-coach and Carlton finished fourth. A year later, Jesaulenko became the last playing-coach in the history of the game to win a premiership.
The five point triumph against long time rival Collingwood became Jesaulenko’s last significant moment as a footballer. What should’ve been a glorious summer descended into farce as Carlton was wracked by a power struggle. The board was divided. Fighting was bitter.
Ian Rice and George Harris tried to divide and conquer. When Rice replaced Harris as president, Jesaulenko quit in disgust and went to St Kilda.
Peter Percy Jones, a four-time premiership player was given the job as coach of a divided club and lasted just one season. Under Jones, Carlton finished second but didn’t win a final, going down to Richmond by 41 points in the qualifying final and losing to Collingwood by 50 points in the semi final.
Jones was unceremoniously dumped after one season at the helm. His semi-final dust up with Richmond counterpart Tony Jewell probably didn’t help, but his treatment, ostensibly due to the long running feud between board members, was shocking.
Enter David Parkin…
Enter another golden era…
Parkin had five years at Princes Park. In his first two seasons he delivered two premierships. During Parkin’s first stint at Carlton they never missed the finals, but in his last three seasons, they played four finals and couldn’t win one.
Naturally, Parkin had to be sacked. Making the finals wasn’t good enough. Cue Robert Walls, a former Carlton premiership player and hardline coach at Fitzroy.
Walls, with beginners luck that seemed to be bestowed on Carlton coaches, guided them to the grand final in 1986. The defeat, a shattering 42-points, forced Walls to sack his captain Mark McLure.
The playing group responded the following year, and the Blues gained revenge over Hawthorn, a 33-point win in a lacklustre grand final.
By 1989, Carlton had crashed, losing their first five games. After nine rounds the Blues were third last with two wins. A three-point loss to Brisbane was unforgivable and Walls was sacked two years after winning a premiership for the Blues.
Alex Jesaulenko came back and lasted two years before he was sacked, in favour of David Parkin, who entered Princes Park with the club much worse off than it had been ten years earlier.
It took Parkin three years to rebuild Carlton, but even then fragility remained. Essendon thrashed the Blues in the 1993 grand final. In 1994, the Blues were humiliated in the finals, losing to Melbourne and Geelong, clubs Parkin considered inferior.
By 1995, though, Parkin righted all the wrongs. The Blues were back with a vengeance, a 61-point win over Geelong in the grand final.
Parkin remained in charge until 2000, then stepped aside for Wayne Brittain, a man who never played VFL/AFL football.
Brittain lasted two seasons before he was sacked after Carlton won the wooden spoon in 2002. The once proud club descended into chaos again, until Blues President John Elliot went out and poached the best available coach.
The appointment of Denis Pagan harkened back to the past, when Carlton went out and got what they wanted, damn the money, just sign here. Pagan, a dual premiership coach with North Melbourne, was going to set things right.
Not long after Pagan’s appointment, the Blues were found guilty of salary cap rorts. The fine was a million bucks and banishment from two drafts. John Elliot, the president who lured Pagan, was forced to resign. Pagan, denied the high draft picks he’d been promised, was sacked five years later after winning two pre-season grand finals and two wooden spoons.
Brett Ratten, a favoured son, best and fairest winner and premiership player accepted the dream gig after Pagan’s demise. Ratten, despite his pedigree, lasted five years, and now he is gone…
Carlton wasn’t the only club to buy premierships in the unregulated era. Just five clubs won premierships between 1968 and 1987, Carlton, Richmond, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Essendon. It was a dynasty lasting until 1990, when Collingwood became the sixth club to win the premiership since 1968.
Unrestrained spending, however successful it was, ensured clubs were commonly in debt. Crowd numbers declined. The competition was almost bankrupt. The VFL expanded regardless of finances and introduced the draft and salary cap.
Rich clubs no longer had clout. Recruiting became technical instead of financial. Powerful coteries and supporters could no longer help. Carlton, aside from the 1995 premiership, foundered, and coaches came and went.
Since Ratten was sacked, much has been made of Carlton’s constant quest for greatness. They’re said to be a club that doesn’t tolerate failure, but they’re no different to many clubs who go through coaches regularly in that frustrating search for a premiership.
The list below shows the number of coaches clubs have had since 1968. Only St Kilda has sacked more coaches, and they haven’t won a premiership in 36 years Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have gone through a bevy of coaches too for no reward.
That the Blues are talked about in such ruthless terms shows just how much respect they once had. If they get Mick Malthouse, as expected, it’ll be another appointment that shows how great Carlton is at getting what they want.
Money or nothing can stop them, and coaches become collateral damage.
| Club |
Coaches |
Premierships |
| St Kilda |
14 |
0 |
| Carlton |
13 |
8 |
| Melbourne |
13 |
0 |
| Western Bulldogs |
13 |
0 |
| Richmond |
12 |
4 |
| Sydney |
12 |
1 |
| Collingwood |
11 |
2 |
| Geelong |
11 |
3 |
| North Melbourne |
10 |
4 |
| Hawthorn |
9 |
9 |
| Fitzroy |
8 |
0 |
| Essendon |
8 |
4 |
| Brisbane |
7 |
3 |
| Fremantle |
6 |
0 |
| West Coast |
5 |
3 |
| Adelaide |
5 |
2 |
| Port Adelaide |
4 |
1 |
| Gold Coast |
1 |
0 |
| GWS |
1 |
0 |
