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Carlton is an existing club that plays in the Australian Football League, and has previously played in the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Association. The club was formed in 1864 and has won eighteen premierships.
Formation[]
According to the Bluseum section of Carlton's website, there were notes of a Carlton FC forming in 1861 from the Carlton Cricket Club. However it would also appear that this earlier club merged with Royal Park. The current club formed in July 1864, with the exact date lost in the midsts of time at present and no notes on the location or reasons for it.
Early years[]
In the early days before 1877, matches were willy nilly and not organised. There were such things as Challenge Cups. In 1865 Carlton played for the Athletic Sports Committee Challenge Cup trying to take it off South Yarra but failing. In 1866 they tried again going through a number of draws caused by the inability to finish the match. In 1870 after winning three early cups in a row South Yarra put up a new cup, the South Yarra Presentation Challenge Cup. It was during this period that Carlton developed a healthy rivalry with Melbourne. Carlton won the Cup in 1871 and won more challenges in 1873, 1874 and 1875.
VFA[]
The success the Blues had in the Challenge Cups carried on into the early years in the VFA. Winning the inaugural premiership in 1877, Carlton were not outside the top three in the first five years of the new competition. A slight dip to fourth in 1882 and sixth in 1884 were mere blips on the radar as after a fourth place in 1885 and a third place in 1886, the Blues annexed their second premiership in 1887. In 1889, 1890 and 1891 Carlton finished second and it seemed a third flag was close at hand. But after dropping to fifth in 1892 suddenly the Blues started to struggle. In the last four years of their tenure in the VFA Carlton finished in the bottom three, including the ignomy of their first wooden spoon in 1894. With recent form like that it was a suprise to some that they were invited to join the VFL breakaway for 1897.
Start of the VFL (1897-1907)[]
True to their VFA form, Carlton struggled over the first few seasons in the new competition. The only team doing worse than them were St Kilda who Carlton defeated every time they met while only winning three other games and playing a draw otherwise in the first three seasons. Things improved a little with six wins in 1900 but they remained in seventh place, and then slid back to just two wins in 1901 - with their losses including their first ever to St Kilda. Finally in 1902 they finished in a different spot - sixth with seven wins.
In 1903 Carlton made the finals for the first time in the new competition finishing third. They lost to the team that would become their biggest rival, Collingwood in the semi final by 4 points. Collingwood would go on to win the flag. In 1904 Carlton finished second and won their first final over Essendon by 3 points and entered their first grand final. However Fitzroy were too good and won by 4 goals. In 1905 they finished third, but they defeated Collingwood quite strongly in their semi final. Collingwood were the minor premiers so Carlton had to defeat Fitzroy to get to the grand final and Fitzroy won well by 27 points.
Finally in 1906 the Blues won their third flag and their first in the new competition. Finishing with the minor premiership, they defeated Collingwood in their semi final and then belted Fitzroy in the big one by 49 points. In 1907 Carlton again won the minor premiership, and faced St Kilda in their semi final - St Kilda playing in their first ever final. The Carlton players even gave their opponents a round of applause before the game. But once the game began the Blues were all business and won easily by 56 points. The grand final against South Melbourne however was anything but, and Carlton had to battle to win their second flag by 5 points.
To World War 1 (1908-1915)[]
In 1908 with the two new clubs, Carlton flexed it's muscles only losing one game on it's way to another minor premiership. Another big win over St Kilda led to a grand final victory over Essendon for it's third flag in a row - a league record at the time. In 1909 though a challenge came from South Melbourne who won the minor premiership on percentage only. Carlton won it's semi final over Essendon, and then defeated South in the final forcing South to use their minor premiership to challenge them. South would win the grand final by 2 points to stop Carlton's run.
But 1910 would be a blight on Carlton's history. They won the minor premiership and but were beaten by South Melbourne in the semi final. They had the right to challenge, but the loss in the semi final came under scrutiny when three Carlton players and a Carlton trainer were investigated by the VFL for being involved in a bribery scandal, being paid to "play dead". Two of the players, Alex Lang and Doug Fraser, were found guilty and banned for five years. All three players had already been dropped from the semi final team by Carlton who were deemed to have acted correctly in the circumstances. The third player, Doug Gillespie, was exonerated along with the trainer. Carlton would lose the grand final to Collingwood.
Carlton slipped to third in 1911 losing the semi final to Essendon. In 1912 Carlton would again miss out on the minor premiership by percentage to South Melbourne and would win the semi final over Geelong. But they would be defeated by Essendon in the final who would go on to win the flag. In 1913 Carlton would miss the finals for the first time since 1902 finishing sixth. They bounced back in 1914 with the minor premiership and a semi final victory over Fitzroy. South Melbourne would defeat them in the final but Carlton had the right to challenge and won the grand final by 6 points for their fourth VFL flag. In 1915 they would finish second behind Collingwood and defeat old rival Melbourne in the semi final. Carlton played a final against Fitzroy and won to face Collingwood in the grand final. Carlton would pick up their second flag in a row by 33 points.
Post War (1916-1924)[]
The VFL were reduced to four clubs due to World War 1 in 1916. Carlton were one of the clubs to carry on and won the minor premiership. They defeated Richmond in their semi final, but lost to Fitzroy in the final in a major upset. Carlton had the right to challenge, but lost again to finish runners up. In 1917 with six clubs Carlton finished second but lost again in the semi final to Fitzroy. In 1918 with eight clubs they finished third and lost their semi final to South Melbourne. In 1919 with the full nine club compliment in place Carlton again finished third and were eliminated by Collingwood.
In 1920 Carlton finally got past the first week after again finishing third when they defeated minor premiers Richmond. But they lost to Collingwood in the preliminary final. In 1921 they won the minor premiership and won their semi final against Collingwood. But just like 1916 they lost the final and the grand final this time to Richmond. That exit caused a slight slip to fourth in 1922 and Essendon put them out. In 1923 Carlton missed the finals for the first time since 1913 finishing seventh and then a repeat in 1924 meant two years in a row without finals for the first time since 1902.
To World War 2 (1925-1942)[]
As three new clubs joined the competition in 1925, Carlton slipped to what would have been their first wooden spoon in the VFL if they hadn't come along - ninth. The Blues rose to sixth in 1926 before getting back into the top four in 1927 finishing fourth. They were eliminated by Richmond. The dose was repeated in 1928. Carlton finished second in 1929 and defeated St Kilda in their semi final, but they were eliminated again by Richmond. In 1930 the Blues again finished second, but Geelong upset them to end their season. It had to be frustrating for them.
In 1931 the finals format changed and Carlton finished third and played Collingwood in the first semi final scoring the victory. But they were again denied a berth in the grand final by Geelong. In 1932 the Blues won the minor premiership, but in the new system there was no longer a challenge option and it meant no guaranteed grand final. The loss in the second semi final to Richmond - who had become a bogey team in the finals - meant that Carlton had to rebound and they did defeating Collingwood. But Richmond defeated them again in the grand final. In 1933 the Blues finished third but they lost the first semi final to Geelong. In 1934 they missed the finals by one and a half games finishing fifth, but they were back in 1935 finishing third - only for Richmond to defeat them in a final yet again. In 1936 Carlton again finished third, but they were eliminated again - this time by Melbourne. Another finals miss in fifth spot followed. The Blues were in the top half of the ladder but they just couldn't get that break.
In 1938 Carlton finished on top of the ladder and won the second semi final over Geelong, putting them in the grand final. Collingwood were their opponents and a then record crowd attended the game, with Blues winning their first flag since 1915 with a 15 point victory. The two rivals would not meet again in the premiership decider for 32 years. In 1939 Carlton missed the finals again finishing fifth and this was repeated in 1940 with World War 2 causing everyone grief. Football kept going though as the Blues made the finals in 1941 finishing on top but on equal points with both Melbourne and Richmond. Melbourne defeated Carlton in the second semi final, but the Blues had to be relieved that Essendon won the first semi final eliminating their bogey side. But Essendon defeated them anyway to end Carlton's season. In 1942 the Blues dropped to sixth at the height of the war.
Post War (1943-1959)[]
In 1943 as the war raged Carlton managed to finish fourth but lost the first semi final to Fitzroy. In 1944 the Blues finished fifth as the war started to die down. In 1945 as the war ended the club went on a roll to make the finals finishing fourth. They met North Melbourne in the first semi final, playing their first ever VFL final. Carlton ended their season and then they defeated Collingwood in the preliminary final to advance to the grand final against South Melbourne.
Due to the MCG being unavailable because of the war even though it had ended, the grand final was played at Princes Park - Carlton's home ground. But what happened that day would live in infamy - it would become known as the Bloodbath Grand Final, with the Blues winning their first flag since 1938. Suspensions were handed out to players of both sides. This victory was the first time since the finals format of 1931 had been introduced that a team finishing fourth went on the win the flag.
In 1946 the Blues slipped to sixth, but in 1947 they were back in the finals again finishing on top of the ladder. They won the second semi final over Essendon and would meet them again in the grand final where they won their second flag in three years. Another slip to sixth followed in 1948, but Carlton were back again in 1949 finishing second. They defeated North Melbourne in the second semi final, but Essendon came through from the first semi (and fourth mimicking Carlton's 1945 effort) to take the premiership.
Years of struggles would follow. The Blues dropped to eighth in 1950 and finished seventh in 1951 before a brief revival finishing fourth in 1952 - only for Fitzroy to eliminate them. Carlton finished fifth in 1953 before dropping to eighth in 1954 and rising to seventh in 1955. A rise to fifth followed in 1956 before a return to the finals in 1957 finishing fourth, only to be defeated by Hawthorn who were making their VFL finals debut. In 1958 the Blues dropped back to seventh before a massive jump with their best season since 1947 finishing second. But they would fail to win a final, losing the second semi final to Melbourne and the preliminary final to Essendon.
1960's[]
The Blues started the new decade with another slide to seventh in 1960 and then eighth in 1961. But they rebounded again in 1962 finishing fourth and defeating Melbourne by just 2 points in the first semi final. Carlton met Geelong in the preliminary final and the two sides played a draw requiring a replay. The Blues won the replay by just five points to make their first grand final since 1949 but Essendon were too good on the day. A slide to sixth followed in 1963 and then a drop to tenth followed in 1964 - the lowest finish for the club since the VFA days.
That alarmed the club, and in response they scored what was seen as a huge coup - the recruitment as captain coach of Ron Barassi. It took a couple of years to bear fruit as the Blues finished sixth in both 1965 and 1966, but in 1967 they returned to the finals finishing second. It wasn't a great finals campaign as they went out in straight sets courtesy of Richmond and Geelong. However they were back in 1968 again finishing second. A strong win over Essendon in the second semi final put them into the grand final where they met Essendon again. This time they held on in the last quarter in a defensive slog to avenge the 1962 defeat and win their first premiership since 1947.
In 1969 Carlton again finished second and this time eliminated Collingwood in the second semi final. Many expected them to meet Collingwood again in the grand final but Richmond snuck through to challenge them instead. Trailing at half time the Blues struck back to lead at three quarter time but the Tigers got away again in the final term and Carlton were defeated.
1970's[]
In 1970 Carlton finished second for the third year running and again faced Collingwood. This time the Blues would be defeated and they had to face St Kilda who they defeated handily. They would face Collingwood in the grand final for the first time since 1938, and at half time it looked like they would be beaten again. But Barassi turned the game by instructing his players to handball at all costs - and changed the game forever. Carlton came back and won the flag by 10 points.
In 1971 the Blues would miss the finals finishing fifth, but they were back in 1972 finishing on top of the ladder. The VFL had introduced the final five and Carlton had the first week off before facing Richmond in the second semi final. The two sides played a draw and a replay was required with Richmond getting up comfortably. The Blues had to eliminate St Kilda again to get to the grand final and another coaching master class followed, this time courtesy of John Nicholls. The result was a goal glut unprecedented in a grand final and Carlton winning with a score of 28.9 (177) - a record for the VFL Grand Final - by only 27 points as Richmond also scored heavily.
Carlton finished the 1973 season in third place and faced Richmond again in the Qualifying final, winning by 20 points. They then pushed past Collingwood by the same margin to enter the grand final again. Richmond would come through to challenge them, and stinging from the 1972 loss proceeded to rough up the Blues. It worked and Carlton suffered a 30 point defeat. That seemed to really hurt them as they slipped to sixth in 1974. But they roared back in 1975 finishing second, only to go out in straight sets beaten by North Melbourne in the Qualifying final and then Richmond again in the first semi final. In 1976 the Blues finished on top of the ladder, but would again go out in straight sets losing the second semi to Hawthorn and the preliminary final to Hawthorn.
In 1977 Carlton were fifth with a round to go, but an upset loss to Footscray and South Melbourne's big win over North Melbourne would see them finish sixth. In 1978 the Blues finished fourth and defeated Geelong in the Elimination final, only to be defeated by Collingwood in the first semi final. But in 1979 Carlton wuld have a fine season finishing on top of the ladder with only three losses. They defeated North Melbourne in the second semi final to progress to their first grand final since 1973, and they would find themselves faced with Collingwood for the first time since that fateful day in 1970. The Blues led well at three quarter time but had to withstand a Collingwood fightback. They did and Carlton were premiers again, and again at the expense of the Magpies.
1980's[]
The summer before the 1980 season was a forgettable one for the Blues. The club President was replaced leading to an exodus of important people including playing coach Alex Jesaulenko. Peter Jones took over as coach and led the club to second spot, but poor fitness led to a straight sets exit courtesy of Richmond in the qualifying final and Collingwood in the first semi final. In 1981 David Parkin was appointed coach, and the Blues finished on top of the ladder thanks to a last round victory over Richmond and a loss by Collingwood to Fitzroy. In the second semi final after the week off they scored a strong win over Geelong to go straight to the grand final where they met Collingwood again. Trailing by 9 points at the last change Carlton came home with a wet sail and defeated the Magpies yet again in the big one.
In 1982 the Blues finished third and scored a very strong win over Hawthorn in the qualifying final. Richmond defeated them in the second semi final but Carlton hit back again over Hawthorn to reach their third grand final in four years. Behind at half time by 11 points the Blues had a strong third quarter and then finished it off for their second flag in a row by 18 points. A slight slip to fifth followed in 1983 with Carlton elimimated in the first week by Essendon. The Blues rose to third in 1984 but were four games behind Hawthorn who beat them in the qualifying final. Collingwood then completed a straight sets exit in the first semi final. In 1985 Carlton finished fourth but North Melbourne ended their season.
In 1986 the Blues finished third and in the qualifying final locked horns with the Swans for the first time since the infamous 1945 grand final. It was a different club now, playing out of Sydney. But that didn't phase Carlton who dealt with them by 16 points. They followed that with a big win over minor premiers Hawthorn to head straight through to the grand final. Hawthorn though came back and handed the Blues their first grand final defeat since 1973. Rebounding hard, Carlton finished on top of the ladder in 1987 and met Hawthorn again in the second semi final repeating the 1986 result. In the grand final though the result was different as the Blues effected a 33 point victory.
In 1988 Carlton finished third and won the qualifying final over Collingwood, ealding to the third second semi final in a row against Hawthorn. But the Hawks got the win this time, and the Blues exited the finals when Melbourne defeated them in the preliminary final. In 1989 Carlton failed to make the finals for the first time since 1977, finishing eighth - their lowest finish since 1964.
1990's[]
In 1990 in the first season of the AFL nothing improved as the Blues again finished eighth. It got worse in 1991 finishing eleventh, their lowest finish since their VFA days. Things improved in 1992 with a return to the finals on the cards, only for Carlton to lose in the final round to West Coast and coupled with Hawthorn's victory over Melbourne the Blues finished seventh - out of the six as it was by now by percentage.
Carlton were back though in 1993 finishing second. In the final six they playing top side Essendon and got a narrow 2 point win to progress to the second semi final where they met and defeated Adelaide and entered their first grand final since 1987. But Essendon were way too good on the day. Another second place finish followed in 1994, and with the debut of the original final eight Carlton played Melbourne in their qualifying final. The Blues suffered a shock defeat and proceeded to exit in straight sets with defeat at the hands of Geelong.
In 1995 though Carlton came back snarling - only losing two games during the season to finish on top of the ladder, four games clear of second. The qualifying final against Brisbane wasn't easy but the Blues won to get the week off. Carlton then faced North Melbourne in the preliminary final and scored a strong win to take on Geelong in the big one - and leading by 40 points at half time wasn't enough as the Blues won convincingly for the premiership.
In 1996 Carlton finished fifth and had to face West Coast in Perth in their qualifying final - they were beaten. Brisbane ended their season in embarrassing fashion to the tune of 97 points. In 1997 the Blues were involved in a battle for a spot in the eight but a loss in the last round to Richmond left them eleventh again, but only half a game outside the eight. It was eleventh again in 1998 but this time three games out of the eight.
But in 1999 Carlton regained a spot in the finals finishing sixth. They faced Brisbane in the qualifying final and lost again although not by as much as they had against the Bears in 1996. Luckily they got another chance and eliminated West Coast in the semi final that was played at the MCG even though it was an Eagles home game due to the agreement with the MCG at the time. Carlton took that good fortune and turned it into the upset of the season eliminating minor premiers Essendon in the preliminary final by a single point. But their luck ran out in the grand final with North Melbourne winning comfortably.
2000's[]
The new millenium would herald a period of horror for Carlton. It started fine with a second place finish in 2000. The final eight changed and the Blues played Melbourne in their qualifying final and were beaten. The Blues bounced back with a win over Brisbane in the semi finals but this time Essendon were too good in the preliminary finals. In 2001 Carlton finished fifth and defeated Adelaide in the elimination finals only to be beaten by Richmond in the semi finals. This would be the last appearance in the finals for the Blues for awhile.
In an appalling slide, Carlton dropped to the bottom of the ladder - the first time that had happened ever in the VFL/AFL and the first time since 1894 in the VFA - in 2002. What made it worse was the club were also discovered breaching the salary cap, costing it draft picks. As the Blues had not adjusted to the draft, preferring to use it's cheque book in recruiting, it was seen as something of an act of karma for their handling of operations. Off field changes were quickly made, but the penalties would have a long term effect. In 2003 Carlton finished fifteenth and in 2004 they rose to eleventh only to drop back to their second wooden spoon in 2005, the same year the club played it's last game at Princes Park.
In 2006 the Blues got their second wooden spoon in a row before finishing fifteenth in 2007. They rose to eleventh again in 2008 and finally returned to the finals in 2009 finishing seventh, only to be beaten in the elimination final by Brisbane.
2010's[]
Another finals appearance followed in 2010 with an eighth place finish. But Sydney ended their season in the elimination final. In 2011 Carlton finished fifth, the highest spot since 2001. They won their first final since that year defeating Essendon in the elimination final, only to have their season ended by West Coast. A slip to tenth followed in 2012. Carlton would have missed again in 2013, but Essendon's penalty for drug use opened up eighth place. They took advantage, beating Richmond in the elimination final. However Sydney defeated the blues in the semi final.
That would start another period of struggle for Carlton. In 2014 the club finished thirteenth before dropping to another wooden spoon in 2015. A small recovery in 2016 put the club fourteenth, but a slip to sixteenth followed in 2017 and then another wooden spoon in 2018. At the end of the decade in 2019 the Blues finished sixteenth.
2020[]
The COVID-19 pandemic hit as Carlton started the 2020 season with a loss to Richmond before no fans. But it was a promising performance. When the season resumed in June the Blues started to pick up a few wins, highlighted by a 52 point thumping of the Western Bulldogs - a win that had Carlton in the eight. They stayed thereabouts but four losses in the last five rounds left the Blues in eleventh place at the end of the season. That was however their best return since their last finals appearance in 2013.
2021[]
Season 2021 began with two straight losses but then two wins had Carlton in the eight again. However they couldn't maintain it only garnering two more wins before the mid season bye. But there were no thrashings amongst them. Another loss was followed by two wins and then two of each had the club twelfth. However the season finished with three straight losses including a 95 point thumping at the hands of Port Adelaide. A full club review followed with a new president, CEO and head coach.
2022[]
The review seemed to bear fruit with Carlton starting the new season with three straight wins. An upset loss to Gold Coast put a stop to that but the promising performances continued with only one loss in the next six rounds to be third on the ladder. But a loss to old rivals Collingwood leading into the bye started a frustrating trend of a win and then a loss through to round 19. But they were still seventh with four rounds to go. Then - disaster. Four straight losses, with the last round 1 point defeat at the hands of Collingwood putting the Blues out of the finals when they had been in the top group all season. A repeat of what happened in 1977.
2023[]
There was an air of determination this season for Carlton, although the opening round draw with Richmond didn't help the mood. But three straight wins after that had the Blues up to second spot on the ladder and they had everyone talking. However that all fell apart with eight losses in the next nine games to plummet to fifteenth where they stayed after the mid season bye following a recovering win over Gold Coast.
But the bye was just what the doctor ordered. Carlton won the next eight games in a row including a confidence boosting victory over old rivals Collingwood and they knotted up fifth spot before the final round with the loss to West Sydney having no effect. The Blues were in the finals for the first time since 2013.
In the elimination final they scrambled past Sydney to advance to the semi finals where they met Melbourne. They took advantage of their poor conversion to secure a 2 point victory and a berth in the preliminary final for the first time since 2000. A grand final against old rivals Collingwood beckoned, but Brisbane were in the way and ended Carlton's season by 16 points.
Reserves[]
Carlton were a part of the VFL Reserves competition from it's formation in 1919. From that time until 1999, the Blues won eight flags - in 1926, 1927, 1928, 1951, 1953, 1986, 1987 and 1990. In 2000 the reserves were a stand alone team in the VFL until 2002. In 2003 the reserves aligned with the Northern Bullants, taking it over in 2012 as the Northern Blues. This arrangement ended after the 2019 season with no reserves in 2020. The 2021 VFL season was abandoned.