I reckon more than a few of us loved getting autographs as kids from the Carlton boys.

Perhaps plenty still do.

I used to find my way to training (perhaps during school hours), or when even younger players would come out to clinics.

I formed opinions of players so quickly based on that 5 second (although often longer) interactions. If I'm honest I still hold those views today!!

These are just my childhood first impressions. Doesn't mean they're awesome blokes or a bunch of pricks. But it leaves an impression...

The good...

*Sticks was always brilliant
*Harry I remember kneeling down to sign for kids
*Fraser Brown drove off from training one day, realised he'd not stopped for a mate and I, and spun the car around
*Ratts was brilliant. Tried to sign a magazine cover for me on a rainy day. My pen was shit. He went in, got a sharpie or similar and came back out
*Ian Aitken did a clinic out at my school in Knox in his first season and signed for everyone (I remember Darrin Pritchard left early)
*Dominator I just remember being friendly and obliging
*non Carlton, but Dipper was fantastic. Lived near us and was always Really upbeat and friendly

The bad...
* SOS always seemed grumpy and in a hurry. Always remember being disappointed as I really liked him
* Craig Devonport was just a dick to people
* Adrian Bassett just flat out ignored me once when only 4 of us were there
* Matthew Hogg used to always say 'I'll catch you after' and rarely would

I'm old enough now to not judge, but the impressions last!

Who are yours?

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Congratulations CK95

Well, topic title probably too long. But you get the drift...

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Congratulations CK95

Agree with Ratts. One of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet. Ben Nelson was a ripper too. Kris Massie brilliant and Fev as we know, great with kids.

Unfortunately agree re SOS. Massive dick.
JSOS was great in his first season but a bit of arrogance has crept into his game. On field don't have a huge issue with just hope he hasn't become like his old man off field too.

Cee Kay….

didn’t like the book…thought my skin was
better to write on…!

peculiar…!


kindest regards tommi






seriously Bee…even though i had an autograph
book as a kid…i was always far too nervous
to ask for one…!

so it was empty…!

a little sad looking back now…!


plus growing up on the farm…by the time
i was old enough to get to training…I wasn’t
interested…!



i understand asking for an autograph whilst
someone’s having dinner is wrong…but if a player’s at or
around training…it really IS part of the deal…!

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

The thread title is a bad impression of an Italian, I'll tell you that much...

:lol: someone with the power can fix it...

I tried...

"on a young footy fan" was the original...

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Congratulations CK95

They say you should never meet your heroes, but I met Sticks a few times over the years at functions and he was amazing the way he’d find time for everybody. Just came across as incredibly generous with his time.

Pretty much all the guys from the ‘70s and ‘80s are very approachable and happy to talk all things Carlton. They still seem like a really tight group.

The 1995 guys never seemed as open - with some exceptions (Brown, Dean, Sticks) - but that’s OK.

I’m not an autograph seeker and not one to approach players, but I did have an unpleasant interaction with Hamill once. He was in his first or second year (so not famous yet, but I knew who he was). He took a dislike to me in a pub for some reason. Whitehead was there and pulled him away and came over to me later to apologise for Hamill being a tool. I told him it was all good as long as they get a kick on the weekend!

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It's never as good as it looks and it's never as bad as it seems.

Craig Devonport!

There’s a name that hasn’t come up for a while.

I played basketball with him many years ago. He and Shane Heal grew up together.

He could play but the number of simple layups he’d miss because he tried to pass it around his back first did everybody’s heads in.

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“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.”
Turkish Proverb

As a young fella in late 60s, all the players were great in the rooms, then as a kid they would just let you in after games.
My hero Jezza signed my autograph books about 50 times.
The only player who ever knocked me back was Raggsy Goold.... who gave me a swift "not now laddie" and marched out the door, dressed like he was going to meet royalty. Rob Walls was always great, and Barass and Nick never said no.

As a dedicated fan I sometimes went to the opposition rooms.
But usually only after we had a thumping win, and never Pies or Tigers, I had standards.
Remember being really shocked after 1 such thumping of South, hearing Bobby Skilton drop the C word in a tirade.

Brilliant stuff cherry ripe, what a great time to be alive.

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Congratulations CK95

Dennis Lenaghan was the first autograph I managed, was at Waverley in the very early 80s. Looking back, I’m not sure who was more excited, me at getting his autograph or him for having someone recognise him.

In 1992 when I was work at the Grainstore Fraser Brown came in. He mistook me looking at him for aggression rather me simply being awkward about approaching him. He got a bit agro but when I explained I was just a mad supporter and wanted to wish him well he was fine.

Sticks was awesome, as everyone has said. I remember my niece being about 6 or 7 and being painfully shy and in his best baritone voice said ‘come here sweetheart’ and she just melted. Put to rest any doubt as to who she barracked for and who her favourite player was.

Witnall, Scotland and Stevens used to show up at Plenty cricket games and were very easy going and happy to talk shit.

Unfortunately, had a pretty unpleasant experience with Simpson, was just unnecessarily rude. Was at a Carlton function so wasn’t like we encroached on his personal time.

See….

you’re at a social function for the club…just be
polite…!

as for Fraser Brown…he was always a different
cat…we played a couple of gigs for the club
late 90’s…Fraser was a bit of a loner…and got
the “stares” on…yes Dessie…i get ya…!

I’ve mentioned “The Bolt” before…(Glen Manton)…
always came across as the cool hip dude…
but for mine…far too up himself…
couldn’t take a joke…!


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Oh no.

You didn't do the old..

"Magnet to the groinal region" did you?

DID YOU?

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Congratulations CK95

My mum used to go to Bingo on Sydney Road in front of Barkley Square and there was a red Rooster. Us kids used to hang out together outside. One day Steven Kernahan walked into Red Rooster and I yelled Kernahan. So us kids ran into Red Rooster and got some servietes and he walked with us outside and signed them and talked to us.

On the flip so a not so pleasant experience, out at princess park. During a game, some players were in the heatley stand, and one of them was SOS. I asked the players sitting next to him to get him to sign something, he was so grumpy and unfriendly. Bradley was another unfriendly one. I loved SOS still as he was Carlton royalty to me. But Bradley i could never get over it.

Yeah…

pretty kaka bloke hey…his wife goes
alright in the crap stakes too…!


kindest regards tommi

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that'siti'mnotchangingthistagain......!

Never had the opportunity to hunt autographs while I was a kid but I did get my copy of The Blue Boys signed by a bunch of players at a family day thing.
Most were great, but SOS was aloof and basically looked over my shoulder while grunting answers to my few polite questions.

Lil' Miss Wojee II got some stuff signed by a few players at an AFLW match in 2017 and they were all fantastic but she was too scared of Harry McKay to get his. A bit too tall for her liking.

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"One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people's minds." - Frank Zappa

My first signature was Teddy Whitten senior...next door neighbour.
What a fantastic man he was with all us Europeans around him, and he knew I loved Carlton after the 1968 GF (my first ever VFL game), and he got me autographs of my Scray faves, Bissett, Round, Sandilands, Dempsey...

My 2nd sig was the late Bert Deacons. I met him through the husband of the lady who worked in our shop. He was a gentleman.

Alex Jesaulenko was the best. He invited me and my son into his house at Altona, and on my son's birthday Alex sent him an autographed photo of Jezza over Jenkins with a lovely note. My son's name is Carlton, but in my phone I have saved his name as Alex Jesaulenko, such has been Alex' impact on him.

Goold, Don Scott, SOS, Bradley pompous types. Have only heard bad things about Simmo.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

Grainstore

We must have met each other plenty of times Des. I was next door at Inflation and you guys had the best ice machine in the business...saved our arse plenty during summers...I enjoyed hanging out there to watch bands...gosh I cant remember the manager's name with the disfigured fingers, but he looked after me and my staff whever we ventured over.

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

My first autographs were at an act v Fitzroy game. Perhaps it was a split round as it wasn't due to a team having a Bye when some clubs would travel to Canberra to play. Got a bunch of fitzroy players autographs as they were leaving the ground. Vfl players autographs...amazing! Also got Phil Carmen's autograph when he was having a kick of the footy after the game (tip given to me by the old man). The amount of hours i spent looking at the cover and going through the team lists. Wow. I wonder where that record is today? Hopefully not in landfill or recycling.

As an adult, either before or after training Glen bowyer came up to my mate and I out of the blue. We were just standing in the car park and he had a quick chat which was very kind during a difficult time for supporters of the club. Nice (extremely buff) bloke.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

Has anyone got any good Braddles, SOS or Simmo stories?

I want to have my mind changed....

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Congratulations CK95