1964 BROWNLOW Medallist Gordon Collis and 1995 Premiership player Adrian Whitehead have been honoured with Life Membership of the Carlton Football Club, at a 40th anniversary reunion luncheon celebrating the 1979 Grand Final triumph.
Collis was presented with his Life Membership by Carlton President Mark LoGiudice before a gathering of almost 1000 patrons in Marvel Stadium’s Victory Room. With Whitehead an apology, three-time Carlton Premiership coach David Parkin accepted the award on the former’s behalf.
Recruited to the club despite Fitzroy’s advances, Collis joined Carlton on the eve of the 1961 season and ironically completed his senior debut against the Lions in the second round of that year.
It’s 55 years now since Collis learned of his Brownlow victory by way of a radio broadcast from VFL headquarters at Harrison House - the votes having been called by the former Carlton dual Premiership coach Perc Bentley the then chairman of the League’s Permit and Match Arrangement Committee.
The 1979 Premiership team (L -R): Ken Sheldon, Robbert Klomp, Peter McConville, Alex Marcou, Geoff Southby, Peter Francis, Peter Brown, Alex Jesaulenko, Rod Austin, Peter Jones, Mark Maclure, Jim Buckley and Mike Fitzpatrick.
Then 23 and a game short of his 70th for the Blues, Collis secured the coveted Charles Brownlow Trophy (the club’s third after Bert Deacon and John James) with 27 votes from Hawthorn’s Phil Hay and Esssendon’s Ken Fraser, the joint runners-up with 19.
Six days later, Collis was named Carlton Best & Fairest ahead of Ian Collins and John Nicholls.
Having earned the respect of the football world for his consistent showings at centre half-back, Collis was destined to turn out in just 26 more senior matches for Carlton, before illness precipitated his early retirement at just 26 following the 1967 Preliminary Final loss to Geelong.
Twenty years after he last donned the boots, Collis was inducted into the Carlton Football Club Hall of Fame.
Adrian Whitehead was the youngest member of Carlton’s all-conquering 1995 Premiership team. Hailing from Wodonga, Whitehead was 18 when he earned his first senior call-up – the Carlton match with Geelong in Round 3 of the previous season – and he lined up on a wing alongside Greg Williams and Milham Hanna.
Whitehead made that match count, racking up 26 touches in the home team’s five-goal at what was then Optus Oval, on the cusp of a history-making 1995 campaign.
In what was one of the most dominant seasons in League history, Whitehead was amongst nine Carlton players who featured in all 25 senior matches through ’95. Along the way, specifically the 15th Round match with Adelaide, Whitehead’s talents were recognised with his nomination for the AFL Rising Star award - and with the Blues’ ten-goal belting of Geelong on Grand Final day, his name and 20 others were forever etched into Carlton football folklore.
Through the pre-season period of 1996, Whitehead began to experience foot pain that was a portent of the personal anguish that lay ahead. Ultimately, serious damage to the tendons in his troublesome foot brought an untimely end to a promising playing career after just 63 games - and at the tender age of 23 Whitehead went back to the bush.
Today, Collis and Whitehead have each been recognised for their significant contributions to the Carlton Football Club with the highest honour the club can bestow.
GORDON COLLIS
DOB: November 6, 1940
Career: 1961-1967
Debut: Round 2, 1961 vs Fitzroy, aged 20 years, 167 days
Carlton Player No. 739
Games: 95
Goals: 40
Last Game: Preliminary Final, 1967 vs Geelong, aged 26 years, 313 days
Guernsey No.: 17
Brownlow Medal: 1964
Club Best and Fairest: 1964
Carlton Hall of Fame: 1987
ADRIAN WHITEHEAD
DOB: August 25, 1975
Career: 1994-1999
Debut: Round 3, 1994 vs Geelong, aged 18 years, 228 days
Carlton Player No.: 996
Games: 63
Goals: 22
Last Game: Round 13, 1999 vs North Melbourne, aged 23 years, 305 days
Guernsey No.: 32
AFL Rising Star Nominee: Round 15, 1995
Premiership Player: 1995
