Seeing Greg Williams in the news the past few days has rekindled my memories of the last great Carlton Premiership team of ’95.
I heard Mick Malthouse on the weekend say an interesting point. He said that although Sydney are the reigning premiers and the team to look up to, Carlton have some real assets of their own which perhaps should not be ignored, at least internally.
Saying this, where exactly should the current teams model for success stem from?
What are peoples thoughts on a team relishing upon it’s own club culture and success been driven from the “Carlton model” (if such a thing operates) as apposed to looking outside of the club.
We saw how this didn’t work when Pagan came to Carlton. I’m not surprised if there are theorists out there who will tar Malthouse with the same brush as Pagan, though perhaps we’re comparing apples with oranges?
Thinking back to the Carlton ’95 side, is it realistic to draw inspiration from Carlton success or is this too long ago to be thought of as having any possible resemblance to the Carlton team of 2013.
Over to your thoughts…

It's hard to believe that the 1995 premiership team would still have any relevance to the current playing group. Our culture needs to come from within, it can't be based off another team's model. Through the dark days Carlton lost it's culture and it seems like we tried to get it back by inserting people to high ranking positions that were from our last successful period, Ratts, Sticks, Mckay etc. but Ratts wasn't the right man to instill a culture within the playing group. Malthouse has a track record of delivering a winning culture to a football club and that's why he's the man for the job. He's right, our group has a lot of great assets within it, and it is around those assets that the right culture will be found.

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@cecil_anderson

I say 'nay' to inspiration from the 1995 side for three reasons.

1. It was too long ago. A week before the Grand Final was played, Troy Menzel was having his 1st birthday party. That puts it into context for me. I've no problem with Sticks or Andy McKay regaling stories from '95 at a dinner with players and supporters present, but that kind of stuff doesn't mean much to the current playing group - save perhaps for Andrew Carrazzo who grew up supporting the club, yet was just 11 when Carlton won their last flag.

2. This has been drilled into them ad-nauseum for years. I've been at golf days, dinners, best & fairests and every single time a Premiership player steps to the podium he says 'Create your own history..win a flag not just for us but for yourselves' or words along those lines. It's true. They should win it for themselves. But after a while, you'd have to look at each other and say "Well what do you think we're trying to do?"

3. Externally, the '95 side looks like a great bunch of blokes who could get together over a beer and have a wonderful afternoon. The reality of it is that they could still do this - but probably not in each others company - and probably only if the club picked up the bar tab. There are a few factions within that group and I'm not just talking about Brown, Ratten and Kernahan. There's a Silvagni and Bradley one. There's a separate Williams and Madden one...a Whitehead one...a Peirce one, a Koutoufides one, a Camporeale one and a few splinter groups thrown in. All with different grudges and axes to grind. Will they put it all aside for one night in 2015 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that flag? I would hope so - but I'd never put money on it.

The current situation with Malthouse is a little different to Pagan for a variety of reasons, but ultimately this current side has the experience and skill-set to challenge the very best whereas Denis didn't have that at his disposal.

It might be a team game, but no one can tell me the 22 blokes who run out onto the field don't draw from their own individual inspiration. Some may draw it by proving themselves to their new coach, by showing that last year was just an ugly aberration, for the bloke in guernsey number 17 who overcame far greater odds than a game of football or by looking down to their inked arms and seeing children's names, country of origin or some weird Chinese characters that they've been told by a 130kg bearded bikie means 'find your inner strength'.

Good thread BlueJean...

Agree it's a good thread and while I understand the points made by Doc, I think the 95 team can very much serve as a reference point, at least, for any Carlton team, current or future. All our premiership teams can, the ones in living memory anyway. But part of Carlton's allure is its history, so even our first threepeat could be used as an inspiration. True it may not hold the greatest relevance, but if used correctly I believe it could be useful.

There's always going to be factions among the group, it's impossible to expect 30-40 blokes will all get on perfectly. It just won't happen. So if the 95 team is/was as fractured as Doc is suggesting then even more so it can serve to highlight to the current team what can be achieved when their individual goals become united.

I do agree that while footy is a team game at its core are 22 individual egos all there chasing a dream they've held since they were kids, a chance at winning a flag. The trick for Malthouse is to thread all those egos into one beautiful premiership winning flag. How he goes about it is up to him I guess. He has my best wishes.

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We only lost 2 games (was it??) in the whole 95 H&A season. What needs to start happening, needs to start from Round 1. What we've failed to do convincingly over the last few years is win the games that we should win against lower placed teams. Why do we always struggle against the Saints and North, or even the Bombers always in Round 3?? We need to consistently win the games we should, then start looking at toppling over the bigger names. It's about building a solid winning foundation and working up from there. The 95 team had an aura of all conquering self belief, and confidence in your team and yourself counts for a great deal.

Anyway, that's just my 2c worth.

Yes - I think it was only Sydney and St Kilda that beat us.... Even then one could argue they were soft games to lose, especially considering how ordinary those teams were then.....

I have this little saying "Winning is a bonus but effort is non negotiable" Too many times last year and in the past have there been evidence of the team plahying lazy, heartless football with no effort. You are not going to win too many games of footy with that type of mindset. We can argue about why that happened till the cows come home, but to me you play with 100% effort all the time every time and I reckon it might help to make winning less of a "bonus" and more of an expectation.

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Cripps is the man

The way footy was played in 95 was totally different. In the GW thread I posted the full match video. One thing stands out. The game was far more physical and bruising then, than it is now. It also looks a bit faster. More collisions. It looks like it was harder to play then than now. Geelong went the man pretty hard in the opening quarter (probably because of the bruising we copped against North). The planets aligned big time in 95.

95 should remain as an homage to a great team, and the current playing group should use the entire rich history of Carlton to aspire to be as great as any of the 16 flag bearing teams that played before it. The ingredients for success are different now than they were then.

Today's game flows more like basketball in comparison.

The ones in living memory Camel? That's my point....the majority of the current list a) supported another team other than Carlton and/or b) are too young to remember mid-90's football and quite rightly need to create their own history.

I tell you what - if you know of a player that needs motivation during the year - let me know and I'll arrange a visit to a bar where they can sit down and have a chat and a beer with Michael Young. I guarantee you - 30 minutes is all they'll need to realise that what they have right now won't last forever and they need to make the most of their window of opportunity.

Sometimes the best motivation can come from the guy who missed out on being a multiple Premiership player, rather than the guy who was one.

Have a look at Diesel beaten around the head in the first quarter in '95. You can understand why he is suffering now. But he got straight up every time


As a special treat for Teddy Jnr's birthday we had a father/son bonding weekend and I took him up to Sydney to watch the blues smash the swans in '95. Yeah that was one of the 2 games they lost that year. At least we stuffed ourselves with hot dogs and pies to make up for it.


No wonder I have a heart condition now.

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"Get ready, Teddy - you're on": Ron Barassi half time 1970 Grand Final

By living memory I meant the flags we have easy access to documentary footage of, or players/coaches still alive.

It's a very good point you make about having a non-premiership player come and speak to the group too.

In a way, it's all part of indoctrinating the culture into the playing group.

Marty Mattner was in the box during the NAB Cup game and the commentators asked him about how the Bloods culture is introduced to the new players at the Swans. He mentioned that, first of all, it's a 24 hour responsibility to be a Swans player, not just when you're at the club.

I understand culture can be a bit of a wank and is often very fluid, dependent on the staff of the day, but that was one small insight into what can make an assorted group of individuals share and work for a common goal. My point is Carlton's history has plenty of reference points which can be used to support the building of a club culture, they should be embraced when appropriate and not denied just because our kids weren't around when Sticks lifted the cup.

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Happy to read the informative replies so far.
"Get with the times!" one can be heard to say in response to my '95 remark. I think by and large reminiscing of the good old days has little impact on the teams successes today. I agree with the idea of building on what you have at your disposal right in this very moment. "The sky is the limit" is a popular term used by those in high positions and I can see it's merits. One who accepts who they are at this very moment has the potential to grow in a very positive and powerful manner. By having the knowledge and understanding of each player's strengths and shortcomings, a winning team can be formulated.

If we didn't need or want to reminisce about the good times I probably wouldn't exist.

From the Blueseum

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You'll always have a place in my heart BZM.....................

Let's not build a shrine to '95
Wonderful memories yes, but too much rear view mirror gazing
We need a 17th so badly as a once proud club that our sole focus should be on that
Now a shrine to the 99 Prelim.....that's a different story

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The 99 Prelim is eternal because it made Essendon* supporters cry.

Fact is over 150 years in the game (VFA/VFL/AFL) Carlton is known as a premiership team regardless of the fact we haven't won one since 1995 (was that an AFL flag?).

The 1995 flag and team is remembered for what Carlton stands for...a force to be reckoned with...and we play to win flags...yes we've been caught bending the rules to win won...pity we didn't though.

That legacy (live to win flags) is still commented on despite anyone younger than 25 not really remembering any Carlton flags..but they know Carlton's success is revered by those older than 30...and those over 40 still fear our rise and pass on that fear to their kids when kids ask why they hate Carlton so much when they were on the bottom of the ladder between 2002 and 2008.

Furthermore, if we can win the 17th in 2013 or 2014 (against formidable opposition) then we might snag another after that before GC and GWS mature....surely 1995 will be discussed with relevance thereafter....and what we stand for.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

I can't remember which Geelong player it was that I heard interviewed, Bartel maybe, but it was in about 2010 & the reporter asked how the Cats did it mentally. He simply answered with 'we're addicted to winning'. It always stuck in my mind that he said that.

I believe if this team is to win a flag or 2 we have to get that same mindset, addicted to winning. Getting to that stage is the hard part & as it stands we are a long way off it.

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#DonTheStash

Playing your home games in Geelong can't hurt either.

Yeah, with all the finals they played there...

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@cecil_anderson

And we were only good in 95 because we played at Princes Park.