Believe it or not, throughout history the Blues have at times welcomed the footy playing talents of pop stars, world famous authors and explorers, just to name
Believe it or not, throughout history the Blues have at times welcomed the footy playing talents of pop stars, world famous authors and explorers, just to name a few. Truly. Seriously.OK, don’t believe it then. But we have welcomed players in the Navy Blue who sound as though they were famous for other skills. Our long history in the AFL/VFL has been littered with footballers who share the same name as famous counterparts. We’ve had everyone from US Presidents (John Kennedy), Australian rock legends (Russell Morris, Paul Kelly) to best-selling authors (Steven/Stephen King). But how many Carlton namesakes can you think of?We racked our collective brains for little result, so we asked our good friend FootyGeek to help us out. True to form, FootyGeek delved into the archives and came up with the top 6 Blues namesakes. From a football perspective the players are relatively obscure, however the names and statistics are genuine and we here at The Buzz couldn’t resist adding some comments that are befitting of their more famous namesakes.Tom Jones (1951, 7 games 4 goals): It’s not unusual these days for players to be in the media spotlight, but Tom took this to a new level. A star player when on song, Tom turned in some legendary performances on the green green grass of Princes Park. After particularly good wins, team mates would be showered with praise, while Tom would be showered with underpants from his legion of adoring female fans.Tom Clancy (1910 – 1914, 74 games 10 goals): Had a novel approach to football. Played 74 patriotic games but unfortunately his hunt for a Blue September proved fruitless. His eagerness to put his body on the line always put him in clear & present danger. Unfortunately, in 1914, a knee injury caused the Sum of All Fears and Tom was forced to retire.John O’Keefe (1959, 10 games 3 goals): A flamboyant ruckman/forward, John was known as the ‘Wild One’ due to his tendency to throw his arms up and shout when on a searching lead. John pioneered the technique of rolling the ball down from his palm to his roving brigade, and his ‘ruck and roll’ legacy lives on to this day.James Cook (1994 - 1995, 25 games 35 goals): Sailed through the early part of his career and showed plenty of Endeavour, but his form went to the Dogs. Tragically, the spearhead's career was ended by another spearhead.Bill Collins (1899, 10 games 2 goals): Due to his deadly left foot, Bill was dubbed ‘the accurate one’. A supremely talented man, he played for Carlton whilst deciding whether to pursue a career as a racing commentator or a nostalgic movie critic. He ultimately did both, ending up with golden tonsils and a wardrobe full of pastel suits that could only be rivalled by Richie Benaud.Tom Watson (1902, 14 games 0 goals): A perennially unlucky player, poor ol' Tom was more famous for shanking his shots on goal, mostly into the trees. As legend has it, one of Tom’s shanks was that bad that it actually landed in the old sandpits that used to exist at Princes Park. The fact that the Blues were playing at Victoria Park that day tells you how far off target he was! Also known for his love of checked footy shorts and playing cap, Tom was a master out in the open and at his best on the greener fields of the VFL, however the gulf between his potential and his ability ultimately proved too much.There is more collective talent in these players’ namesakes to beat the top 6 at any other club. So to all footy fanatics like us with far too much time on their hands, we dare you to prove us wrong!
Despite the disappointment of missing the finals Fremantle can take some consolation from their impressive second half of the season where the club won six of t