With All The Champions Tony De Bolfo & Howard Kotton

As a youngster Paul Meldrum dreamt of wearing the navy blue jumper. How he eventually earned the right has gone into footy folklore. Between 1982-92 he played 158 games and kicked 140 goals, highlighted by a magnificent 1987 season in which he finished third in the Brownlow Medal and eventually played an important part in Carlton’s 15th premiership.


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Brian Kekovich came to Carlton on the cusp of a golden era at Princes Park. Earning his club’s goalkicking honours with 38 in his maiden season of 1967, the high-marking, long-kicking left footer would again top the tally with 59 through season ’68 – a famous year in the annals of Carlton history. In putting four over the goal umpire’s hat with those prodigious torpedo punts - four of seven in Carlton’s drought-breaking Grand Final victory over Essendon at the MCG - Brian, at 22 years, 264 days, had achieved what every Carlton-supporting kid ever dared to dream. Yet the 1968 Grand Final would cruelly signal his 34th and final senior appearance in the famous Dark Navy strip.


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A slightly built, yet skilful and strong-marking full-forward, Craig Davis was recruited to Carlton from Launceston after the premiership season of 1972. He made his debut in Round 14, 1973, and, in just his fifth senior game, found himself on football's biggest stage, the 1973 Grand Final. The cousin of Blues legend Brent Crosswell, he too was a fabulous football talent, collecting Carlton's leading goal-kicker award in 1974 with 45 majors. His time at Princes Park would end after 42 games in three seasons due to health concerns, though he would give more to the game across three other clubs.


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There were great expectations when Marc Murphy arrived at Princes Park with an outstanding pedigree, but, after 16 years and 300 games, it's fair to say 'Murph' delivered on his promise. The classy, skilful midfielder in the No.3 guernsey won two John Nicholls Medals during his time at Carlton and captained the Club for six seasons.


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A truly agile big man blessed with wonderful mid-air judgment, David “Swan” McKay was a Carlton star for twelve seasons. A crowd favourite in the No.43 guernsey, McKay was a key member of four Premiership teams, including a record three Grand Final victories against Collingwood.

McKay put in perhaps his most complete performance in the navy blue in Round 14, 1975, when he collected 22 disposals, hauled in 14 marks and booted eight goals in an away game against the Bombers at Windy Hill. With coach John Nicholls and stars Alex Jesaulenko and Geoff Southby unavailable due to state commitments, the Blues rammed home 27.13 - a record that still stands.

Yet the game is probably best-remembered for a string of violent encounters that saw eight players reported. Carlton came away with the win, but the ramifications of that blustery afternoon were to be felt for decades to come.


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Jimmy Buckley fronted up to Princes Park on the eve of the 1976 season. He was 16 when he made his debut, appropriately enough wearing the No.16 on his back, in a 1976 Queen’s Birthday Monday contest with Footscray at the Western Oval. 164 games and 15 seasons later, he found his place amongst Carlton’s all time greats. A three-time premiership player, one in the stellar Best & Fairest year of 1982, and a key member of the famed ‘Mosquito Fleet’.

One of football’s most enduring and endearing characters, Buckley was as much at home at the Carlton Social Club as he was on the field, and in both locales he was the life of the party.


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