Oh, what a night indeed!
First off, if any of you get the chance to go to one of these functions in the future I strongly suggest you get along to one of them. The set up of the whole place was well done and I applaud the club for their efforts last night.
Now on to the proceedings of the night...
Since I had bought a Gold ticket which gave me a chance of sitting next to a Carlton player, my table was at the front two tables away from Mikkey and Mrs.Mikkey. Had the priviledge of sitting with Barnaby, Harts, Prender and Davo.
Barnaby - Top bloke. My old man sat next to him and they talked all night about stuff like the Wizard Cup, what Barney was doing before he was drafted to the AFL, my old man telling Barney a bit about glory days of the 70s and 80s etc. From what I could see Barnaby was interested in everything Phoenix Snr had to say.
Harts - Bloody tall bloke. Very easy to talk to and has a great personality to boot. Living with Noof and Callum at the moment. Seems to be really enjoying playing in the "red kit" on weekends and just being at the club. Desperately needs a haircut though.
Davies - As Prender put it, "you won't get boo out of Davo". Not far wrong. When I rocked up to the table he was there and I tried to start a conversation with him but I only got a few one word answers out of him. He really is your typical country kid. But from the times I did talk to him during the night, he seems like a level headed fella.
Prender - Love this bloke. As soon as he sat down next to me it felt like we were old mates catching up. After the formal introductions etc the first thing he said to me was "Hang on a tic, I know your face from somewhere..." I told him I had run into him at the SK Room as he was coming in to have a bit of chat with Harf on Saturday night. Remembered me very well and told me he loved the Fevola chant. Even went as far as saying Mr and Mrs. Prendergast heard it and they too loved it. Got a real winner there TC Squad!
Asked him a few questions about the culture change since Denis had arrived at the club. Said that the changes to the team environment and what to expect of each other had gone up several notches. Team discipline was a factor. Said he has got on really well with Denis since day one and finds him to be a great coach because he is totally honest with you. "If you stuff up, you're going to be told about it" said Prender.
Was asking me all sorts of questions about my footy, TAFE, where abouts in Melbourne did I live etc. The City of Knox used to be an old stomping ground for Prender back in the day so he knew a lot of the places I knew.
Also through my wanderings during the evening I found a table of a few of our future stars. Basically the blokes who weren't able to sit with the supporters. There was Razz, Eddie, Setanta, Aisake, Nick Becker, Jesse D, Batman, Karl, Plemmo and Blackers. All a great bunch of blokes.
Mostly spoke to Eddie and Razz when I was sitting with them but had a bit of a chat to Setanta when I could.
Eddie - I love this little fella. As we were walking into the Victory Room, Eddie dropped his ticket and as myself and Phoenix Snr were walking past him, I bent down and picked it up for him. Replied back with "thanks a lot mate, don't reckon I would have got in without my ticket" to which I replied "Mate, your Eddie Betts, you'd get in without a ticket". Brought a smile to his face a little chuckle as well. Every time I saw him that night, he had a huge smile on his face. I reckon he thinks he's in a day dream. All his dreams have come true and at what a club to start off the dream. Sitting next to him and Razz was great. Like Prender, they basically treated me like one of their mates and included me in everything they were talking about. It was great fun. Doesn't know when he will get a game in the seniors. Congratulated him on his Wizard Cup matches and told him his tackle on Welshy was unreal. Said to me that he got a bit of a rush out of that as the crowd went up as he brought Welsh to the ground.
Raso - If this blokes skills becomes as good as his personality, we will have pulled off the greatest draft smokie in the history of the draft. As I wandered over to their table, he spotted me out, shook my hand and pulled up an empty chair for me. Talked about a few things, mainly footy. Is done and dusted with TAC Cup and will be playing for Haileybury College in the Private School League. Said it's starting to give him the shits because all he wants to do is be at Carlton. Hows that for enthusiasm?!?!
I asked him what possie he would prefer to play in when he plays for the Ants or for Carlton. Said he doesn't mind playing down back or up forward. Told me he would like to play the same game as Matty Lappin did against the Eagles - start forward, then drift back to help out the others. Spoke about a few of the other blokes on the table with glowing words. Said he would be very suprised if Setanta didn't get a few games this year. Said Aisake has done very well for a bloke who has only played 3 or 4 games of football in his whole life and said his skills seem to be improving with each sessions. Reckons Blackers has done himself a few favours with the coaching staff with his clean disposal and ball winning ability. Just a good all round bloke who I hope to chat with even more during the course of the year.
Setanta - I love this bloke. As soon as I walked over to him he stuck out his big mit and shook my hand with that big vice like grip of his. You really need to be sitting next to the great man if you want some idea of just how much he has grown in size and strength. I remember the first day he rocked up to training and he was as skinny as a 14 year old. 14 months on and he has transformed himself into a big, BIG unit. Was making an appearance at Bridie O'Reillys today for St.Pats day. Was asking me all sorts of questions about my football. Where I played, what possie, how old I was etc Once he found out I was 18, he said I'd definitely get drafted.
Said when I got drafted that I should make sure I get to Carlton. They'd love to have me he said.
Now while Setanta probably doesn't have much of a clue on how the TAC draft selection etc works, the gesture was great. I've said it a lot throughout this post but he really is one of those players who actually takes an interest in what you have to say and trys to get you involved. It's these little things that make you feel good about supporting the club.
Now on to the speeches....
While I had some idea of what happened on that early morning back in '87 when Motts was injured in the accident, I really didn't have that much of an idea of who Peter Motley, the player and person, was.
Last nights speech gave me an insight into it all.
While clearly still suffering from the accident, both physically and mentally, he delivered the speech brilliantly.
Loved his story about getting a lift home from Bruce Doull one day after training.
Motts recalled of how he tried to talk as much as he could while in the car with Bruce and to this day can remember the responses Bruce gave word for word...
Yes, no, maybe, see you later.
Vintage Doully and the crowd roared with laughter.
I'm glad I got Motts' speech on film.
Very emotional and very inspiring.
He said that while he only played the 19 games at Carlton, he was proud that he was good enough to play for them.
One line that he said in reference to Noof and Harts, is one line that I will never forget.
"Not only have you landed in the right tree, but you've landed in the best tree"
Spoke to various former acquaintances of Phoenix Snr and they believed he could have been the Judd of that era, while one familiar one looker and a friend of a famous TC soothsayer said that when the accident happened, he thought it may just be 6-8 weeks before Motts got himself right and back to his best. But it never happened. As said by the same person..."Everyone says Laurence Angwin was a football tragedy, Peter Motely was one of footballs greatest tragedys"
From what I've been told, never a truer word has been spoken.
I know I'll be watching his speech again and again.
Denis' speech...
People say that when great men or a great man speaks, everybody listens. Last night was no different when it came to Denis' speech.
He had the crowd hanging on his every word....that was until he started to talk about his philosophy on sex!
The crowd burst into laughter but Denis soon had things under control.
He spoke about many different things.
Really focusing in on what a team should be, what they should be trying to achieve and said the same for a coach.
Spoke about past players tributes to Geoff Southby at his testimonial.
I will endeavour to go back through the tape, watch it again and post again what Denis actually talked about as I'm struggling atm.
The night ended with a video package that showed footage from the past.
The great premierships.
Footage from 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987 and 1995 were all shown.
The crowd cheered as Jezza brought down that huuuuuuge mark and Harmseys tap in 79.
Then footage of todays team was shown, done to the song "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet".
Brilliant highlights package.
Showed everything from our wins to our pre season of late 2004/early 2005, our Wizard Cup win, Eddie and Callum being interviewed at a club function by Denis with Callum suggesting it would be disappointing if we didn't make finals in 2005.
Got the crowd into a frenzy.
The video was just brilliant.
The guernsey presentation was prior to Denis's speech.
Big cheers for Eddie, Teaguey, Stevo, Fev, Lappin, Setanta, Campo and Kouta.
And yes Campo is apparently going to be having sex with Noof and Harts at some stage during the next 2-3 years.
Looking forward to the report on that one by the Ghost. Oh, what a night indeed!
First off, if any of you get the chance to go to one of these functions in the future I strongly suggest you get along to one of them. The set up of the whole place was well done and I applaud the club for their efforts last night.
Now on to the proceedings of the night...
Since I had bought a Gold ticket which gave me a chance of sitting next to a Carlton player, my table was at the front two tables away from Mikkey and Mrs.Mikkey. Had the priviledge of sitting with Barnaby, Harts, Prender and Davo.
Barnaby - Top bloke. My old man sat next to him and they talked all night about stuff like the Wizard Cup, what Barney was doing before he was drafted to the AFL, my old man telling Barney a bit about glory days of the 70s and 80s etc. From what I could see Barnaby was interested in everything Phoenix Snr had to say.
Harts - Bloody tall bloke. Very easy to talk to and has a great personality to boot. Living with Noof and Callum at the moment. Seems to be really enjoying playing in the "red kit" on weekends and just being at the club. Desperately needs a haircut though.
Davies - As Prender put it, "you won't get boo out of Davo". Not far wrong. When I rocked up to the table he was there and I tried to start a conversation with him but I only got a few one word answers out of him. He really is your typical country kid. But from the times I did talk to him during the night, he seems like a level headed fella.
Prender - Love this bloke. As soon as he sat down next to me it felt like we were old mates catching up. After the formal introductions etc the first thing he said to me was "Hang on a tic, I know your face from somewhere..." I told him I had run into him at the SK Room as he was coming in to have a bit of chat with Harf on Saturday night. Remembered me very well and told me he loved the Fevola chant. Even went as far as saying Mr and Mrs. Prendergast heard it and they too loved it. Got a real winner there TC Squad!
Asked him a few questions about the culture change since Denis had arrived at the club. Said that the changes to the team environment and what to expect of each other had gone up several notches. Team discipline was a factor. Said he has got on really well with Denis since day one and finds him to be a great coach because he is totally honest with you. "If you stuff up, you're going to be told about it" said Prender.
Was asking me all sorts of questions about my footy, TAFE, where abouts in Melbourne did I live etc. The City of Knox used to be an old stomping ground for Prender back in the day so he knew a lot of the places I knew.
Also through my wanderings during the evening I found a table of a few of our future stars. Basically the blokes who weren't able to sit with the supporters. There was Razz, Eddie, Setanta, Aisake, Nick Becker, Jesse D, Batman, Karl, Plemmo and Blackers. All a great bunch of blokes.
Mostly spoke to Eddie and Razz when I was sitting with them but had a bit of a chat to Setanta when I could.
Eddie - I love this little fella. As we were walking into the Victory Room, Eddie dropped his ticket and as myself and Phoenix Snr were walking past him, I bent down and picked it up for him. Replied back with "thanks a lot mate, don't reckon I would have got in without my ticket" to which I replied "Mate, your Eddie Betts, you'd get in without a ticket". Brought a smile to his face a little chuckle as well. Every time I saw him that night, he had a huge smile on his face. I reckon he thinks he's in a day dream. All his dreams have come true and at what a club to start off the dream. Sitting next to him and Razz was great. Like Prender, they basically treated me like one of their mates and included me in everything they were talking about. It was great fun. Doesn't know when he will get a game in the seniors. Congratulated him on his Wizard Cup matches and told him his tackle on Welshy was unreal. Said to me that he got a bit of a rush out of that as the crowd went up as he brought Welsh to the ground.
Raso - If this blokes skills becomes as good as his personality, we will have pulled off the greatest draft smokie in the history of the draft. As I wandered over to their table, he spotted me out, shook my hand and pulled up an empty chair for me. Talked about a few things, mainly footy. Is done and dusted with TAC Cup and will be playing for Haileybury College in the Private School League. Said it's starting to give him the shits because all he wants to do is be at Carlton. Hows that for enthusiasm?!?!
I asked him what possie he would prefer to play in when he plays for the Ants or for Carlton. Said he doesn't mind playing down back or up forward. Told me he would like to play the same game as Matty Lappin did against the Eagles - start forward, then drift back to help out the others. Spoke about a few of the other blokes on the table with glowing words. Said he would be very suprised if Setanta didn't get a few games this year. Said Aisake has done very well for a bloke who has only played 3 or 4 games of football in his whole life and said his skills seem to be improving with each sessions. Reckons Blackers has done himself a few favours with the coaching staff with his clean disposal and ball winning ability. Just a good all round bloke who I hope to chat with even more during the course of the year.
Setanta - I love this bloke. As soon as I walked over to him he stuck out his big mit and shook my hand with that big vice like grip of his. You really need to be sitting next to the great man if you want some idea of just how much he has grown in size and strength. I remember the first day he rocked up to training and he was as skinny as a 14 year old. 14 months on and he has transformed himself into a big, BIG unit. Was making an appearance at Bridie O'Reillys today for St.Pats day. Was asking me all sorts of questions about my football. Where I played, what possie, how old I was etc Once he found out I was 18, he said I'd definitely get drafted.
Said when I got drafted that I should make sure I get to Carlton. They'd love to have me he said.
Now while Setanta probably doesn't have much of a clue on how the TAC draft selection etc works, the gesture was great. I've said it a lot throughout this post but he really is one of those players who actually takes an interest in what you have to say and trys to get you involved. It's these little things that make you feel good about supporting the club.
Now on to the speeches....
While I had some idea of what happened on that early morning back in '87 when Motts was injured in the accident, I really didn't have that much of an idea of who Peter Motley, the player and person, was.
Last nights speech gave me an insight into it all.
While clearly still suffering from the accident, both physically and mentally, he delivered the speech brilliantly.
Loved his story about getting a lift home from Bruce Doull one day after training.
Motts recalled of how he tried to talk as much as he could while in the car with Bruce and to this day can remember the responses Bruce gave word for word...
Yes, no, maybe, see you later.
Vintage Doully and the crowd roared with laughter.
I'm glad I got Motts' speech on film.
Very emotional and very inspiring.
He said that while he only played the 19 games at Carlton, he was proud that he was good enough to play for them.
One line that he said in reference to Noof and Harts, is one line that I will never forget.
"Not only have you landed in the right tree, but you've landed in the best tree"
Spoke to various former acquaintances of Phoenix Snr and they believed he could have been the Judd of that era, while one familiar one looker and a friend of a famous TC soothsayer said that when the accident happened, he thought it may just be 6-8 weeks before Motts got himself right and back to his best. But it never happened. As said by the same person..."Everyone says Laurence Angwin was a football tragedy, Peter Motely was one of footballs greatest tragedys"
From what I've been told, never a truer word has been spoken.
I know I'll be watching his speech again and again.
Denis' speech...
People say that when great men or a great man speaks, everybody listens. Last night was no different when it came to Denis' speech.
He had the crowd hanging on his every word....that was until he started to talk about his philosophy on sex!
The crowd burst into laughter but Denis soon had things under control.
He spoke about many different things.
Really focusing in on what a team should be, what they should be trying to achieve and said the same for a coach.
Spoke about past players tributes to Geoff Southby at his testimonial.
I will endeavour to go back through the tape, watch it again and post again what Denis actually talked about as I'm struggling atm.
The night ended with a video package that showed footage from the past.
The great premierships.
Footage from 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987 and 1995 were all shown.
The crowd cheered as Jezza brought down that huuuuuuge mark and Harmseys tap in 79.
Then footage of todays team was shown, done to the song "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet".
Brilliant highlights package.
Showed everything from our wins to our pre season of late 2004/early 2005, our Wizard Cup win, Eddie and Callum being interviewed at a club function by Denis with Callum suggesting it would be disappointing if we didn't make finals in 2005.
Got the crowd into a frenzy.
The video was just brilliant.
The guernsey presentation was prior to Denis's speech.
Big cheers for Eddie, Teaguey, Stevo, Fev, Lappin, Setanta, Campo and Kouta.
And yes Campo is apparently going to be having sex with Noof and Harts at some stage during the next 2-3 years.
Looking forward to the report on that one by the Ghost.
Well, that probably just about covers it.
Will endeavour to get the limited photos up on here that I took.
Nothing special really as my preference was to use my video camera.
Perhaps soon I could upload Motts' speech up onto the site.
You really all have to see it.
Great night, great laughs, great company.
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Wish I hadn't spent so much money recently and could have afforded to go!
The players were having a good laugh about that one!
).
