Blue Vain wrote:
The auctions alone raised up near $20,000.
Only one of the Captains guernseys was available for this event.
The entire day was a huge success with nearly all current players and an unbelievable array of ex champions participating.
It was a fantastic day for the Club. It was co-ordinated by Bob Lowrie and Geoff Southby. The support the past players gave to the concept was simply incredicle - Fitzy, Walls, P Brown, Marcou, Maclure, Parkin, Evans, Naley, Kourkomelous ( bad spelling) - I could go on. Over 35 PPs were involved and the whole senior list was in attendance. Past greats were matched with current players - Parkin went around with Murphy, Gibbs was going to play with Walls until he did his thumb.
The theme of the day was how the past players can play a more active role in helping our current guys through their careers and importantly instill the "Spirit of Carlton" into the Club.
At the dinner afterwards, Robert Walls and David Parkin spoke at different times about what the Club meant to them. Walls focused on how quickly things can turn once everyone is aligned. He also told the players that the PPs are there to help them and that a lot of them know what it is like to feel bad about the teams performance - that even though they have been finished a long time - that it kills them that the players have gone through such a bad trot.
Parko gave an absolute special - arms moving, veins pumping, about how the performance of our team will be determined by whether "you are willing to get hurt for your mate". Essentially the 1% ers. It was a great talk. I had Stevens, Gibbs and Thornton at my table and there is no question they were moved by the talk. Nick Stevens told me so later.
I am sure the "Spirit of Carlton" event will become annual. All the Past Player I spoke to were genuinely delighted to be there amongst their old mates and the current players. Mark Naley even flew over from Adelaide for the event.
Very Special Day
I know that the Past Players association has not been supported by the club as well as it probably should have been in the last few years and it has suffered as a consequence.
It would be great if the club could turn that around and again create a strong bond between the two organisations.
It is a very important part of the club and an asset that could be used by the club for mutual benefit of both parties.
Looks like that might be happening which is great news.
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