The Australian Football League (AFL) tonight announced that four-time Carlton premiership player and the man immortalised for perhaps the most famous mark in VFL Grand Final history -- Alex Jesaulenko -- had been made a Legend of the Game.
Jesaulenko, a member of the winning Carlton teams of 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1979, was named as the 22nd Legend in the game's history at tonight's Australian Football Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, held at the Palladium Room in Melbourne.
A further eight people were inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at tonight's function -- three-time Collingwood best and fairest Gavin Brown; four-time Geelong best and fairest Garry Hocking; dual West Coast premiership centre half-back Glen Jakovich; 1965 Brownlow Medallist Noel Teasdale; former Collingwood captain Des Tuddenham; nine-time Port Adelaide SANFL premiership star Geof Motley; four-time Essendon premiership coach Kevin Sheedy and long-time Queensland umpire Tom McArthur.
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996 and serves to recognise players, coaches, umpires, administrators, and media representatives who have made an outstanding contribution to Australian football.
LEGEND OF THE GAME: ALEX JESAULENKO
Played 279 games, kicking 444 goals for Carlton and St Kilda, 1967-1981
Carlton Premierships 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979
Carlton Best and Fairest 1975
Carlton leading goalkicker 1969, 1970, 1971
Victorian State Representative on 15 occasions
All Australian 1969, 1972
Carlton Captain 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979
St Kilda Captain 1981
Coached Carlton 1978, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990
Coached St Kilda 1981, 1982
Carlton Team of the Century
AFL Team of the Century
Inducted into Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996
Read what The Bluseum has to say about the great Alex Jesaulenko:
John Nicholls is rightfully regarded as Carlton’s greatest player. A giant of a man in every way, Big Nick was an inspirational leader who made every member of his team stand tall. However, when it comes to sheer football ability; to that rare spark of genius that sets champions above mere greatness, the immortal "Jezza" - Alex Jesaulenko – had few peers.
The son of Ukrainian migrants who settled in Canberra, Alex played soccer and rugby as a boy. He was 14 before he discovered Aussie Rules, and only five years later he was a star in the local competition. Carlton soon had him in their sights, but North Melbourne swooped first and signed him on a pre-contract agreement.
Carlton's recruiters were certainly miffed, but they could not be deterred. After convincing Alex and his parents that Princes Park offered greater opportunities than Arden Street, they found a loophole in the regulations, and, much to the disgust of the Kangaroos, successfully appealled to have North's agreement ruled invalid by the ANFC. In the summer of 1966, Alex arrived at Princes Park, where his form in training and pre-season trial matches was nothing short of sensational.
He was named in the team for the Blues' first match of 1967 and went on to play in all 20 games that season, including two finals. Wearing the number 25 that became his icon, and playing mainly as a half-forward flanker, he kicked 34 goals, won Carlton's Best First Year Player Award, represented Victoria in that year's Interstate Carnival - and finished third in the Brownlow Medal count - some kind of debut!
In subsequent years the crowd roar of "Jezzzaaa!" swelled from the terraces at every Carlton game. It was a golden era for the Blues, and Alex led the way. A fabulous high mark, brilliant at ground level and deadly around the goals, he was also remarkably versatile. Although at 183 cm and 83 kg his build was more suited to the flank or the centre, during his career he played in every position on the ground except first ruck. And when he went to full-forward in 1970 he kicked 115 goals - still the only occasion a Carlton player has slotted the "ton". On his way to that remarkable achievement, he scored 10.2 off his own boot in round six against Fitzroy.
Jezza played 256 memorable games for Carlton - none more so than the fabled 1970 Grand Final, where took his glorious "Mark of the Century" over Collingwood's Graham Jenkin. However, perhaps the match that demonstrated his freakish ability best of all came in July, 1972 against Essendon at Princes Park. Essendon held a four-point lead at quarter-time that day, before a human cyclone in navy blue number 25 tore the game from the Bombers’ grasp in a few unbelievable minutes. A contemporary report from the game said; ‘In just eleven minutes in the second quarter, Carlton wizard Alex Jesaulenko kicked six goals in a show-stopping demonstration of football magic.’
‘Few, if any, more devastating bursts of play have been seen in the long history of football at Princes Park. Essendon players literally seemed to be mesmerised by Jesaulenko, as he flew, wriggled, jinked, dodged, escaped and wove his way through packs of parked Bombers, as if he were Houdini himself. Jezza also gave away another couple of goals (to David McKay and Brent Crosswell) in the Blues total of 12 straight for the quarter.’
Jezza was a star in four Carlton Grand Final victories; in 1968, 1970, 1972 & 1979. He was our leading goal kicker in 1969 (66 goals), 1970 (115) and 1971 (56), Best & Fairest in 1975, captain in 1974 & 1975 and captain-coach in 1978 & 1979. A truly outstanding record.
Then in 1980, after an acrimonious split with the club, Jezza was cleared to St Kilda where he played a further 23 games as captain-coach. A decade later he returned to Carlton as coach to replace the sacked Robert Walls part way through season 1989, but only held the position until the end of 1990. Of interest is that both Jezza and Robert Walls would both finish with 444 goals from their league careers.
Nevertheless, in September 1996 there was jubilation again at Princes Park when Alexander The Great was rightfully named on one half-forward flank in the AFL's Team of the 20th Century. After being inducted into the Carlton Hall of Fame in 1987, he was also selected in Carlton's Team of the Century in May, 2000.
