I am doing a bit of research for an upcoming article and have hit a bit of a snag that I hope the good people of TC might be able to remove.

I am looking at the coaching situation for Carlton at the start of 1978.

I have several books on the History of the CFC and the VFL/AFL and they are at odds.

One side says that Ian Stewart coached the first three games, then Serge coached 3 games and then Jezza coached from that point on.

Another book says that Stewart coached the first 5 games, Serge 1 and then Jezza.

For those of you who were actually there watching the games, what is the true story?

Thanks in advance.

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Stewart was coach for the first 5 rounds.Serg took over for the round 6 clash with Hawthorn but knocked back the full time role.

I can clearly remember Jessa,s first game as coach which was round 7 versus Collingwood at Victoria Park.A great victory was had against the odds....

Spot on 7dom....great memories there!

Jezza the taskmaster was a breath of fresh air.

Just as an added thought - The powers at be at Carlton at the time - (and by that I mean George Harris) offered the Coaching job to numerous other people before finally offering the job to Jezza, who was only thought of as a "last resort" option.

I can remember that Brownlow Medallist Neil Roberts was one of the people who was offered the job and knocked it back, can anyone else remember the others.

And does anyone know the real reason why Ian Stewart "retired due to health problems" and do those health problems relate to Robert Walls breaking his nose after training one night.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

AGRO, it was something to do with Stewart's comments about a player missing training because of a funeral ... or something wasn't it?

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And wasn't it something that was said about Stewie's alter ego Ian Cervi?

That player was Bruce Doull wasn't it?

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

yep brad.

doull arrived late for training as he had been to a funeral. stewie got stuck into doull, resulting in walls getting stuck into stewie!

there were/are various rumours suggesting that stewie's hasty departure wasn't necessarily health related ... but he didn't leave cos of walls as walls had already packed his bags off to fitzroy.

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... an eagle flew out of the night. he was something to observe, came in close i heard a voice, bending stretching every nerve, had to listen had no choice ...

Fancy having a go at Bruce Doull.

Any reason why the supporters didn't lynch Stewart?

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

Ian Stewart for those who didn't know was a 'flasher' amongst other things and although he was a champion footballer - had massive problems off the field. Insulting Bruce Doull was probably his worst mistake - as his flashing of the general public was probably a big reason why Molly Meldrum follows the Saints!

AKA Ian Cervi.

According to Walls,Stewart after the 1st round loss to Richmod cancelled a players and partners dinner.


" He looked me square in the eye and told me i had'nt tried against Richmond.He said he did'nt want me as Captain did'nt want me to attend future match committee meetings ...I was shocked and furious .I told him it was his prerogative to select the Captain ,but he could get stuffed if he felt i had'nt tried"

Robert left after round 5......

We are talking about a bloke who debuted as a 16 year old and bled Navy Blue!
A kid who offered his match payments back because he felt that he had let the side down in a game.


A player who argueably was the best CHF that the Club had produced!

Next time someone has a shot about the #42 perhaps they may need reminding about the guy as a Carlton Footballer!

I agree 7dom....I remember someone in another place saying that RW was a d******d who knew FA because of something he wrote in the Age....yeah....right.....

And if you look closely at the picture of the Carlton Heroes Board in the last edition of Inside Carlton you will notice that one Robert Walls was one of the 1000 x $1000 donors.

So when R. Walls tears strips off us in the media and says he never loses any sleep over Carlton's performances - I would take it with a grain of salt.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

How did Walls compare to Kernahan?

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"We used to sit around and talk about how bad the game plan was." Anthony Koutoufides

Kernahan was a better mark, but I reckon Walls was a better kick.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Yes Walls was a champion Carlton player.............but to leave b/c of some dispute with your coach? There must of been more to it no doubt!

We are talking about Stewart here.A guy with some serious issues on and OFF the field.Read Percy's account of the Stewat days..

Robert Walls was one of my favourites..Played in the hardest position on the field and was a super performer in finals.

He was/and is always a TRUE Carlton man.Anyone who suggests otherwise does'nt understand!

And Wallsy was faster and more mobile.

They were as different to each other as Royce Hart was to Brereton; but both great players.

And of course Wallsy coached us to a Flag in '87.

I like Robert Walls. He has a "no nonsense" approach that would work well with Pagan if they were reading from the same page. I wouldn't mind if Robert Walls came back to Carlton in an official capacity..... maybe as a director or something...

This idea of "who would want to play for Carlton... they're shit..." insults every fibre of my being. You'd want to play for Carlton for the same reason Nicholls, Walls, 2 Silvagni's, Kernahan... why they all did.

I'd like to see a kid like Xavier Ellis (to pull a random untrue example from my bum) walk up to Nicholls and say "Carlton are a shit club, I don't want to play for them"



Perhaps with these blokes around, it'll demand perfection from the both current and prospective players.

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