Dual Carlton Premiership player Des English, an Assistant Coach to Mick Malthouse at Footscray in 1989, has declared Malthouse “the man” to take his beloved club forward.
English, whose very personal battle with cancer in part inspired his teammates to the 1987 Grand Final triumph, declared his support for the Carlton Senior Coach in a welcome visit to the players’ rooms following Friday night’s match with Geelong at Etihad Stadium.
“If Carlton is to be led into the light then he (Malthouse) is the man. The club needs to persevere with him, just as he needs to persevere with a few players,” English said.
“I follow the team from afar, I watch the players on TV, but I do see progress with this team and I am a fan of Mick Malthouse. Mick is very astute, he knows what he’s doing, he’s nobody’s fool and he’s a terrific fellow.”
In reflecting on his 12 months as understudy to Malthouse at the then Western Oval, English admitted “that’s when I fell in love with Mick”.
“Before that I hated Mick with a chronic passion. But having met him and known what he can do I love him with a chronic passion. He is the man,” he said.
Des English played 104 matches for the Blues. (Photo: Carlton Football Club)
Recruited to Carlton from Eaglehawk (the Bendigo League club which also delivered old timers Fred Jinks and Alf Baud and, more recently, Greg Kennedy and Rod Ashman) English represented the Blues in 104 senior matches through eight seasons in a back pocket, including the 1981/’82 back-to-back Grand Final victories under David Parkin’s watch.
Having rarely set foot back in the place since, English, now 56, expressed his gratitude to Carlton President Mark Lo Giudice for extending personal invitations to both himself and the inaugural Norm Smith Medallist Wayne Harmes as matchnight guests of the club.
“It’s lovely to be back,” English said in the rooms afterwards.
“When I was playing we had a culture of playing finals. We trained every year to play in finals wearing the Carlton jumper, which is a very special jumper, and to wear that jumper was never a right, it was a privilege.”
