The day started so well for the Carlton family in Perth.
The day started so well for the Carlton family in Perth. Over 450 Carlton supporters together at the Italian Club for the official Carlton pre-match function. And the function was fantastic, living so far away from the club it is a real treat to meet and hear direct from some of the stars and the function certainly didn’t let anyone down. The interviews alone were enough to make a Carlton supporter very happy and that was on top of the video highlights and chance to be with so many fellow Blues supporters.
The function started with the two emergency players for the game, Luke Blackwell and Paul Bower, being interviewed. It was great to hear from these two former WA boys and interesting to know they had to prepare for the game as if they were playing and then on the morning of the match realise they were still emergencies and would be involved in the pre-match function and watching the game. Of course what many found even more interesting was that the two young players would be heading back to Melbourne with the team, arriving in Melbourne around 1.00am on Sunday and then playing with the Northern Bullants on Sunday afternoon. And as the Carlton official said they will be playing Casey about an hour the eastern side of Melbourne. Not the best preparation for a game!
Immediately following Luke and Paul was a huge highlight for us with a true Carlton legend being interviewed. Former captain and now assistant coach Brett Ratten was the very special guest for the function. ‘Ratts’ spoke a little about his career but mostly on his role at Carlton and what he had done since he retired from playing in 2003. It was great and he gave a sensational insight into how the young players are developing and where the playing list is heading. He also spoke about the game against Fremantle and after listening to him everyone agreed he will make a great senior coach in the coming years.
As if hearing from ‘Ratts’ wasn’t enough, after a short break and lunch it was time to hear from our injured hero, Nick Stevens. Nick was great, very open and honest about his neck injury and the operation and his recuperation. He also spoke about his first skills session with the team, at Subiaco on Friday, although he is not able to do any contact work. We have certainly missed Nick this year and listening to him talk you appreciate how hard it is for him not to be playing. His 20 minute interview was really interesting and he also spoke about being in the coaches box for the first time with Carlton for the Fremantle game having spent one match in the coaches box when he played with Port Adelaide. For those who didn’t have Nick as a favourite before the function, he is certainly a real favourite now.
Great guests and the announcement that Carlton’s WA membership was at a record of over 2,000 helping the club to a record membership of over 35,000 as well as the fact Carlton’s attendance at the first 12 games this year was up by an amazing 41% (compared to the AFL increase of 2.2%) and everyone was feeling happy about the Blues.
And so the scene was set for a successful day for Carlton supporters in WA.
Unfortunately it didn’t last long. All the positive vibes in the build up to the game and the expectation of a change in fortune at Subiaco for Carlton supporters was soon gone. The Dockers got out to an early break but we kept our faith. And we were certainly repaid when the boys hit back and led at half time. However that was it. The rest of the game was so disappointing it is hard to explain. Perhaps it was the build up and the feeling that the Carlton resurgence would flow through on the ground, who knows, the only thing we all know is that it was very tough to sit through. I think we all felt that after so many disappointing results in recent years we finally deserved a victory.
I know the players and coaching staff will be disappointed with the result and I am sure they appreciate how disappointed we are as well. It is just so hard to be so up before the game and to finish the day on such a sour note, we sit through it and now we have to live with it in Perth. We all just hope it is next year that we can enjoy the entire day in Perth, another great pre-match followed by a Carlton victory – now that is something we all remember fondly and look forward to again. We need that victory, if not for ourselves then for our children. It is tough enough living in Perth and not allowing the Eagles or Dockers to infiltrate their minds, a Carlton victory at Subiaco wouldn’t certainly help keep the WA teams at bay.
After the disappointment of the game and knowing we will live with this for a week or two, constantly reminded by Docker supporters, we will remain loyal and be back at the pre-match in 2008 and at Subiaco to support the Blues. Next time we just hope the success and excitement of the pre-match is matched by the on field success to give us a day to savour and a day to remember.
