When he chests the banner at the SCG on Friday night, Michael Jamison becomes the first Carlton player in the No.40 to play 100 games – and no-one before him has really come close.
The first keeper of the No.40 was the late Don Rainsford, who wore the number into three games through 1959. Rainsford is probably best remembered as the Seven Network’s voiceover man whose dulcet tones can still be heard in old clips of Seven’s “Violent Saturday”.
Jimmy Plunkett, with 37 games from 2001 to 2003, is the previous keeper of the No.40 games record in the pre-Jamison years, while Brett Ratten wore 40 into his first senior match against Fitzroy in the final home and away round of 1990.
The No.40’s only Premiership player is Scott Howell, whose negating work on Collingwood’s Peter Moore went some way to Carlton’s winning of the ’81 Grand Final.
With Jamison’s name soon to be emblazoned onto the No.40 locker, only one other locker in Carlton’s “Top 40” remains vacant – that of the No.38 of Jeff Garlett.
But “Jeffy”, with 88 games to his name, is closing fast in typical fashion.
The No.40
Don Rainsford 3 games (1959)
Bruce McMaster-Smith 26 games (1962-64)
Paul Constance 3 games (1966)
Scott Howell 26 games (1980-82)
Daryl Gilmore 1 game (1983)
Peter Kenny 11 games (1986)
Gerard Butts 2 games (1989)
Brett Ratten 1 game (1990)
Andrew Cavedon 23 games (1991-94)
Tony Bourke 4 games (1998-99)
Jim Plunkett 37 games (2001-03)
Adam Bentick 34 games (2004-06)
Michael Jamison 99 games* (2007- )