This thread for posting your faves from Blueseum, an amazing catalogue of the Greatest Football Club in the World.

There's one I found a few years ago that I've told everyone I could about as I believe it is just such an
awesome Testament to the Significance of the Carlton Football Club to the history of sport in Australia.

This gives us bragging rights of a very special kind:

The Carlton football player who almost single handedly 'won' the First ever Cricket Test Match!!!


His name is Tom Kendall.
He played football for Carlton from 1874-1877.
He was described as "a grand back player" and "a decent kick"
https://www.blueseum.org/Tom+Kendall

But Kendall showed he had another string to his bow when he became the 9th player ever to be selected to play cricket for Australia!


The First ever Test Match was played at the MCG 15-19 March, 1877 Australia v England (of course).

After batting first Australia led modestly on the 1st Innings, 245-196
Kendall, a left-arm slow bowler, scored 3 runs and picked up one wicket.

However, things went south in Australia's 2nd Innings with John Hodges joining Tom Kendall at the crease after a collapse that saw them struggling at 9-75.
At this point Australia's lead was a miserable 124 runs.

Kendall & Hodges combined superbly for the highest partnership of the Innings adding a much needed 29 runs in their 10th wicket stand pushing the Innings total to 104.
Kendall scored 17 off 22, ably supported by Hodges' 8 from 18.

This left England needing a modest 154 to claim victory.

ENTER THE CARLTON HERO

Kendall struck immediately, dismissing both openers - Hill for a 2nd ball duck then shortly after Greenwood for 5.
Kendall proceeded to dominate the English batsmen with only three of them reaching double figures.

By the time he clean bowled the last scalp of the match Carlton's Tom Kendall had figures of 7/55 leaving England totally routed and all out for 108 thus earning Australia it's famous 1st Test victory by 45 runs.

(for the non-cricket buffs, remarkably the Centenary Match of 1977 ended in Exactly the same result - Australia again by 45 runs at the MCG.)

Kendall was the dominant bowler in this inaugural 2-Test Series, finishing with 14 wickets @ 15.36, 6 more scalps than any other bowler.

He returned to football ranks in a game against Williamstown on June 30th.

In later years, he notoriously bowled out the famous W.G. Grace on two occasions 18 years apart!
1874 in Melbourne & 1892 in Hobart


Whaddya think - a Unique Carlton story or what!
Comments welcome...

So please, add to our collective knowledge of the Carlton Football Club and post your great stories of achievement here.

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Que Sera, Sera

1877 was indeed a great year for the Carlton Football Club.

Not only were they Premiers in this inaugural year of the VFA (Victorian Football Association) but they also featured in another First in, wait for it, RUGBY.

Incidentally, the foundation clubs of the Victorian Football Association were:
Carlton, Melbourne, Geelong, Albert Park, St.Kilda, Essendon*, Hotham, Ballarat, Barwon, Beechworth, Castlemaine, Inglewood, and Rochester.

They were the elite of the 133 Melbourne based clubs, and the 59 registered country clubs.

Now here are fresh bragging rights that you can use to tease any Rugby stalwarts with...

I've been trying out this one:
Qu. "Who was the first team to travel interstate in Australia to play a game of Rugby?"

Do it. Try a wager. They'll never guess the answer in a hundred attempts!

Answer: The CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB!

from https://www.blueseum.org/1877 ....
June 20 Wednesday
BLUES' SYDNEY VISIT
The Carlton football team arrived in Sydney between 11pm and 12 midnight on the S.S. Barrabool.
(yep S.S. = SteamShip)

Sat. June 23, 1877
Carlton played Waratah at the Albert Cricket Ground, Sydney N.S.W.
The Blues had tried to pick up the finer points of the Rugby game on Thurday and Friday without the benefit of a coach.
"The mysteries of "on side, off side, touches down, and tries at goal," would puzzle our players..."
The match was played under Rugby rules, 15 players in each team.
The physique of the two teams differed, Carlton "small and thick set", while the Waratahs were "tall and wiry."
Crowd; 3,000; the largest crowd to attend a football match of any kind in Sydney.
The "Dark Blues" found the rugby game difficult to adapt to with the off side rule and the cramped style of play.
At one stage 23 out of the 30 players were piled on top of one another in a scrum.
The Blues gave a great exhibition (the best seen in Sydney) with their drop kicking skills for distance and accuracy.

Waratah won by 2 goals and 3 tries - 0 (Half time 1-0)

A couple of days later they swapped codes and They had to play OUR game...

Monday June 25, 1877
Carlton played the Waratah at the Albert Cricket Ground, Sydney N.S.W.
This match was played under Australian Football rules.
W. 'Bill' Newing captained the Waratah club, their colours being dark blue and red.
Crowd; 1,500
The Blues were rarely troubled by Waratah, in fact it was a reverse of the previous rugby game with both clubs being unfamiliar with the rules and nuances of the game.

Carlton won: 6-0

June 26 Tuesday
The Carlton football team took a rail trip to visit the Zig-Zag railway in the Blue Mountains.

June 27 Wednesday
The Carlton football team departed Sydney for Melbourne on board the steamer "You Yangs".

June 30
The Australian Town & Country Journal (N.S.W) reported in detail on the two Sydney matches that Carlton played.
To read click here> http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70602414

June 30
The Carlton football team arrived in Melbourne on board the 552 ton S.S You Yangs.

I also searched the forum here and found way back in 2008 that 'AGRO' had also posted a fascinating story about the same trip involving our best player George Coulthard and a SHARK on Sydney Harbour!

Yep, you read correctly - a shark.
It seems the incident may actually have prevented Australian Rules Football pushing Rugby aside in Sydney!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23321&start=9
(Thanks AGRO)

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Que Sera, Sera

Official Founding of Collingwood FC is 1892.
However, it seems there was a previous attempt...

August 31, 1872
"Carlton 16 played Collingwood 20 at Royal Park.
The Blues were ready and waiting, but only 8 Collingwood players turned up.
There seems to have been some confusion as to where the match was to take place, The Age mentions North Fitzroy.
"It is very galling to be treated in this way, and if the members of a club like the Collingwood cannot manage to turn up when chosen, other clubs will not be so willing to arrange matches with them. There is no excuse for them in regards the weather, as it was a beautiful afternoon for playing. A disappointment of this sorts spoils an afternoon which might have been profitably devoted to another match. The Carlton men did not waste the afternoon, but amused themselves with some good practice."

No wonder it took them another 20 years to get their Shit together.

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Que Sera, Sera

RE the shark story ... a a time before Rugby League started and NSW was looking at adopting Australian Rules footy as their preferred fotball code.

Shark scared the shit out of the Voctorian, never to return again....love telling that story in Sydney.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Yeah, fittingly happened right near "Shark Island"!

Go figure.

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Que Sera, Sera

From the beginning, the first two clubs in Melbourne had a huge rivalry and drew great crowds.

This report from the Hobart Mercury observed:
"So strong a hold has football taken upon the public of Melbourne, that on special occasions, such as the Melbourne vs Carlton matches, nearly 10,000 persons have assembled to witness the contest, each well placed kick being greeted with ringing cheers and cries of "Forward, Melbourne!" or "Go it, Carlton!" "

Carlton v Melbourne matches were so popular that back in the pre-VFA "Challenge Cup" days on one occasion in 1875 the East Melbourne v Williamstown game was cancelled when the East Melbourne players decided that they would rather watch the Carlton v Melbourne game instead!

one of my Favourite stories!

That same year, admission was first charged at an entry price of Sixpence (5c).

"The Australasian" reported that- "as only £105 was taken, many people had "jumped the fence." "

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Que Sera, Sera

RICHMOND WERE ALWAYS THUGS

Technically speaking, this story from 1871 doesn't involve the Richmond of today (founded 1885)
As with Collingwood, there were previous 'incarnations' of clubs using the same name that did not survive.

But, "what's in a name" eh?

Well in Richmond's case, the same thuggery we've all witnessed in our own lifetimes.


July 15, 1871
A Carlton (15) played a Richmond (20) at Richmond paddock.
The Melbourne ground was not available and the second best spot in the paddock was secured by a Richmond representative who arrived very early on Saturday morning to deter the junior teams from the using the site.

"Only 13 Carlton players turned up with Guy and Hillsden being absent. The loss of these two made Richmond the favourites.
The Blues played with 13 and Richmond trimmed their numbers accordingly to 18."

"3000 spectators witnessed a riot at this game when the playing area was invaded by 400 Richmond roughs who refused to move.
The mob hindered the Carlton team at every opportunity and got between them and the ball whenever Richmond were near to it.
Almost every player on the Carlton team was bashed, wounded, tattered and torn, one player having thrown one of the mob to the ground turned to see how the game was going and was then struck with knuckledusters to the face knocking him out.
Conway called a count of his players, then with agreement with the Richmond side the game was called off."

The Leader said "There is no doubt Carlton would have come off victorious had a fair field been given to them."
Match drawn. 0-0


Thus, by comparison, our boys today are practically kept in cotton-wool!

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Que Sera, Sera