CARLTON’S spiritual home of Princes Park provided the backdrop for one of the truly cracking encounters of 1991 – the Round 14 match with the highly fancied West Coast where the 10th-placed home team toppled the visiting Western Australian powerhouse.
In a contest boasting more twists and turns than a snakes and ladders game board, Stephen Silvagni was stretchered from the field with a season-ending knee injury after being caught under an oncoming pack in a marking contest – and his replacement Darren Tarczon wasted no time acclimatising, in taking out Guy McKenna with a sickening shirtfront.
The match, so eloquently called for Seven by Dennis Cometti and Bruce McAvaney reached its zenith with four minutes left on the clock, and the Eagles having wrested the lead with a Brett Heady goal to the Garton Street end.
From the ensuing centre bounce, Andrew Phillips took a hit for the team, Adrian Bassett took possession off half-back and a subsequent succession of handballs involving Adrian Gleeson and Glenn Hawker led to a deft short kick from Tarczon to the leading Simon Minton-Connell.
From the 50-metre line in the shadows of the now-demolished Richard Pratt Stand, Minton-Connell threaded what proved to be the sealing six-pointer, with delirious Carlton fans jumping the fence at the Heatley Stand end to join the officiating goal umpire in signalling a sausage.
Carlton v West Coast at Princes Park - Round 14, Saturday 22 June, 1991
Carlton 4.3 9.7 9.10 12.11 (83)
West Coast 3.4 5.7 6.11 11.14 (80)
Goalkickers (Carlton): Hawker 2, S. Kernahan 2, Minton-Connell 2, Tarczon 2, Fotia, Phillips, Rieniets, Sartori
Best players (Carlton): Madden, Bradley, Dean, Phillips
Brownlow Votes
3 - Peter Dean (Carlton)
2 - Craig Bradley (Carlton)
1 - Craig Turley (West Coast)
B: Mil Hanna Peter Dean Tom Alvin
HB: Tim Rieniets Michael Sexton Darren Tarczon
C: Adrian Gleeson Michael James Adrian Bassett
HF: Stephen Silvagni Stephen Kernahan (c) Simon Verbeek
F: Peter Sartori Simon Minton-Connell Brett Ratten
Ruck: Justin Madden Craig Bradley (vc) Andrew Phillips
I/c: Dom Fotia Glenn Hawker
Coach: David Parkin