AN ANONYMOUS donor has graciously gifted the club a mounted photograph of the 1927 Carlton touring team which met Geelong in an Exhibition Match on the Sydney Cricket Ground, the scene of tonight’s match with the Swans.
The donor left the 96 year-old photo at the Club’s reception desk at IKON Park.
The 18 players, sporting different versions of the famed CFC monogram on their guernseys, are photographed with the then Carlton Secretary Pat Cain at the time of the Sydney contest with the Pivotonians – amongst them the captain coach Cliff ‘Ticker’ Rankin and inaugural Brownlow Medallist Edward ‘Carji’ Greeves - before a crowd of more than 21,000 on the afternoon of Saturday, August 13, 1927.
Designed to promote Australian Rules to a burgeoning audience, the match was held during the fortnight’s break in proceedings between the 15th and 16th rounds of the VFL’s 1927 season.
As fate would have it, Carlton fell 32 points adrift of Geelong in the Round 15 contest at Princes Park, but emerged victorious in the showpiece game at the SCG - 11.10 (76) to 9.6 (60) - with centre half-forward Charlie Davey booting four goals and half-back flanker Fred Gilby adjudged best afield.
Ironically, Davey was yet to make his senior debut for Carlton in a match for Premiership points. That would come in the final home and away round of the ’27 season against St Kilda when the 19 year-old put six over the goal umpire’s hat in a spectacular first-up game at the old Carlton ground.
Standing, l to r: Patrick Cain (Secretary), Joe Kelly, Norman Collins, Frank Irwin, Edward Brewis, Fred Gilby, Vin Arthur, Charles McSwain Middle row: Hedley Blackmore, Maurie Connell, Les Johnson, Horace Clover (Capt.), Charlie Davey, Maurie Beasy, Denis Kelleher Front row: James Hamish Watson, Tommy Downs, Frank Donohue, George Styles
Carlton’s Sydney touring team was captained by ‘Horrie’ Clover, long considered this club’s greatest between-the-wars player. Clover was recently elevated to Legend status in Carlton’s Hall of Fame.
Another team member was Stawell’s Frank ‘Sailor’ Irwin, then 43 games into his senior playing career at Carlton. Regrettably Irwin’s League would end after a spiteful Richmond contest in Round 18, 1927, when the no-nonsense back pocket copped a massive 18-match suspension for striking the Tigers’ ruckman George Rudolph.
Also touring with the team was Norm Collins, the former Fitzroy centreman who turned out in 57 games through five seasons for the Blues to 1931.
Collins crossed to Glenferrie and by ’32 was serving Hawthorn as acting captain until injury brought premature end to his career in ’33. He had only recently accepted the role of Hawthorn assistant secretary when in August of that same year he tragically took his own life.
An unnamed correspondent for The Argus covered the Carlton-Geelong exhibition match at the SCG. His report, which appeared on Monday, August 15, in part read as follows:
SYDNEY EXHIBITION.
Carlton Defeats Geelong.
Followers of the Australian rules football code were present in force at the Sydney Cricket-ground on Saturday, to witness the exhibition game between the Carlton and Geelong clubs. The attendance, which numbered 25,000, was considerably in excess of the aggregate gatherings to be seen at Australian Rules games from week to week throughout the football season.
Many of the onlookers were drawn to the ground either from curiosity or a desire to witness two clubs, whose ability to do so could not be questioned, give a scientific exposition of the game.
It must be remembered that there is in Sydney a latent following of the game which develops only when Victoria and South Australian clubs play in Sydney.
To round out the tour, the Frank Brew-coached Carlton team took on a combined Sydney Metropolis team before an audience of 6000 at Erskinville Oval the following Saturday (August 20). The Blues comfortably won by 57 points, with rover Tommy Downs booting four in a best afield performance.
If you have any historical items you would like to donate to the Club, please get in touch with Club historian Tony De Bolfo via tony.debolfo@carltonfc.com.au
