It’s nigh on 40 years to the day since Carlton’s full-forward from across the Nullarbor, Ross Ditchburn, put 12 over the goal umpire’s hat.
That happened in Round 16 of the back-to-back Premiership year of 1982 - Saturday 10 July, to be precise - in the contest with St Kilda at that most inhospitable of football venues, VFL Park.
In just his third game for the club, the Western Australian wheat farmer methodically went about his work in booting five of the team’s nine for the opening quarter - most of them despite the best efforts of Ditchburn’s direct opponent, Australia’s future Test and one-day international cricketer Simon O’Donnell.
In a match called for the ABC by the late Doug Heywood and Clarke Hansen (father of Carlton’s Senior Assistant Ashley), Ditchburn banged home 12.2. In doing so, he matched full-forward Greg Kennedy’s 12-goal haul against Hawthorn in the penultimate Round of 1972 – both Carlton players falling just one short of Horrie Clover’s Club record 13 from centre half-forward against the Saints at the Junction Oval in Round 12, 1921.
In the end, the David Parkin-coached Blues emerged 76-point winners, with Ditchburn - having doubled his six-goal haul against Melbourne the previous week - not surprisingly adjudged best afield and Rod Ashman accumulating 32 touches for his troubles.
Carlton v St Kilda
VFL Park
Saturday 10 July, 1982
Carlton 9.1 12.5 16.10 21.13 (139)
St Kilda 4.1 4.5 7.8 9.9 (63)
GOALS
Carlton: Ditchburn 12, Johnston, Marcou 2, Jones, Fitzpatrick, Bosustow, Meldrum, Ashman.
BEST
Carlton: Ditchburn, Ashman, Perovic, Buckley, Southby, Johnston, Bortolotto, Jones.
The Carlton team
B: Harmes, Southby (vc), Bortolotto
HB: Hartney, Perovic, Doull
C: Maylin, Sheldon, Marchesani
HF: Johnston, Maclure, Bosustow
F: Fitzpatrick (c), Ditchburn, Marcou
R: Jones, Buckley, Ashman
I/C: Klomp, Meldrum
Coach: David Parkin
