In 2004, the Robert Reynolds Trophy – so-named in memory of the club’s former Vice-President Cr. Robert Reynolds, was renamed the John Nicholls Medal, in honor of the club’s five-time Best and Fairest, three-time Premiership captain and most capped Victorian footballer.

While the first recipient of “Big Nick’s bauble David Teague was adjudged Best and Fairest in ’04, the renaming applied to all previous winners in each season as far back as 1934 when Creswell “Mickey” Crisp took out the first RRT, and the year of 1929 when Horrie Clover was declared Club Champion in the annual report.

For whatever reason, the club’s best players for the remaining League seasons of 1897-1928 and 1930-33 were never honoured with an award. But it’s worth exploring what might have been if the medal was in place for those “lost” years.

And it seems the counts would have been kind to Ernie Walton, Rod “Wee” McGregor and Creswell “Mickey” Crisp - Walton in the historic season of 1897 and again in 1899 and 1902, McGregor as a three-time Club Champion in 1906, ’09 and ’17, and Crisp (later a two-time official Best and Fairest in 1934 and ’38) in 1931.

The following list of “unofficial” Carlton Best and Fairests and second and third placegetters was finalised with the assistance of the Spirit of Carlton’s Jamie Sanderson and the club’s statistician Stephen Williamson, based on games played, any known club awards and inter and intra state games.

Working on the aforementioned criteria, 27 players shared the spoils over the 36-year period in which there was no official award presented.

Unofficial Carlton Football Club Best and Fairests, 1897-1928 & 1930-1933

* Clover was officially adjudged Carlton Best & Fairest player in 1929, with Martyn Second Best and Fairest and Gilby Most Improved