By ANDREW FRASER
Bob Turner was my next-door neighbour when I was growing up.
He had been a first-grade footballer with the Manly Rugby Club, a starter for the Australian swimming championships and a premiership coach of the Queanbeyan Whites Rugby Club.
He had also been a Detective Sergeant of Police, a builder and had owned his own cab, which he insisted on driving himself every Christmas Day so that his colleagues with children could have the day off.
To me, after my Dad died when I was nine, he was larger than life, a Chips Rafferty character who taught me to body-surf and a whole lot more.
When I got a cadetship at The Canberra Times in 1979, he was a great supporter but maintained his objectivity.
“I must have been at a different match,” he told me more than once about our then rugby writer.
I was reminded of Bob when I picked up the Sunday papers after Carlton’s great show against Port Adelaide on the weekend.
At the match, my youngest, Stella, 15, in her seventh season at Ainslie FC, and I agreed that three Blues from whom we had previously quite often demanded more had given it in spades against the Power.
Mitch McGovern used the body he’s been given to telling effect in marking and other contests.
Nic Newman went forward, not sideways, and did so with confidence and strength – and a goal!
David Cunningham played strong, used the Sherrin well and took the odd telling pack mark.
We were mightily impressed.
As was their captain, Patrick Cripps, who said, “It was powerful. We have been working on that game all year but sometimes the boys are down a little bit on confidence and probably get distracted.
“If we really just focus on our contest and our pressure, try to be as selfless as we can, it’s amazing that the things we worked on at the start are now transferring in our game.
“It is just fun to play. The best thing is that no matter what the opposition throws at us, we know how to control our pressure and how we can be good teammates. That is the beauty of it.”
No surprise to Stella and I (or Crippa, one assumes) when Newman and McGovern were listed in The Age’s best players. Their absence from the Herald-Sun’s list reminded me of Bob’s take on that late rugby writer.
The special feeling that we had seen something our captain noted was but one great joy of this weekend’s footy trip.
It wasn’t until Sunday lunchtime, when making a solo, pedestrian trek across Fitzroy and then (partially) around the tan track at Princes Park that I realised another joy, or perhaps grateful thanks might be more accurate.
In the shadows of the hospital on Royal Parade, I was reminded that two heart ablations done there make getting to the footy a whole lot easier these days, to say nothing of the two replacement knees that make Sunday walks possible again (and stairs at Marvel no problem at all).
The greatest joy of all, though, was to share Saturday’s great win with not only Stell, but her elder, non-footy-head sister, Charlie, who really got into it, and of course the Bride, Carlton by birth.
Second-quarter wonder, tempered with (at least for me) some continuing doubt, grew and grew as the Blues answered all challenges, increased their lead and played a full four quarters.
While the papers might have had varied reviews, we headed home unanimous and confident that our side is solid across the board and set, after a decade out of business, to make, and (dare we suggest it) do some damage in the finals this year.
CARLTON: 3.6 9.8 14.10 18.14 (122)
PORT ADELAIDE: 2.2 4.7 9.9 10.12 (72)
GOALS
Carlton: Silvagni 4, Motlop 4, C.Curnow 3, Cottrell 2, Cripps, Martin, Cuningham, Fogarty, Newman
Port Adelaide: Marshall 3, Rozee 2, Powell-Pepper, McEntee, Lord, Byrne-Jones, Butters
BEST
Carlton: Cripps, Newman, Silvagni, Acres, Docherty, De Koning
Port Adelaide: Houston, Rozee, Marshall, Drew, Wines
INJURIES
Carlton: McKay (knee)
Port Adelaide: Byrne-Jones (concussion)
LATE CHANGE
Carlton: Jesse Motlop replaces Matthew Owies (calf) in the selected side.
SUBSTITUTES
Carlton: Paddy Dow (replaced Harry McKay in the first quarter)
Port Adelaide: Ryan Burton (replaced Darcy Byrne-Jones at half-time)
Crowd: 34,306 at Marvel Stadium
Read more from Andrew Fraser HERE.
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You almost made me like them. Nice try. I prefer Carlton as hapless losers. But at least it made me like you.
This is the type of match report I like.
A very good read. Thanks, Andrew.