Phil Carman's playing career was laced with controversy from the start. In 1970 he joined Norwood from Edenhope, which was zoned to VFL club Collingwood, and although the ANFC initially approved the arrangement it later rescinded his permit to play after the Magpies appealed. An interstate, inter-club tug-of-war then ensued, which eventually saw Carman cleared to continue his career with the Redlegs. He played a total of 58 games for the club, as well as representing South Australia, and earned a reputation as a dynamic, audaciously skilled, occasionally fiery performer. Collingwood kept close tabs on his progress, and when he finally decided to give the VFL a try at the end of the 1974 season it was the Magpies who procured his signature. His stupendous form over the first two-thirds of the 1975 season made him just about the league's most newsworthy property. Had injury not intervened to bring his season to a premature end, there seems little doubt that he would have won the Brownlow. As it was, he finished with 17 votes, just 3 adrift of winner Gary Dempsey. Hardly surprisingly, he won the Copeland Trophy, Collingwood's best and fairest award.

Although he intermittently continued to play some fine football, a combination of injuries and regular visits to the Tribunal ensured that he never quite recaptured the consistent brilliance of his debut season in the VFL. In 1977, he incurred a suspension for striking Hawthorn's Michael Tuck in the 2nd semi final, and was ruled out of both the grand final and the grand final replay against North Melbourne. To this day, Collingwood fans remain adamant that his enforced absence cost their team the flag.

In 1979, after 66 games and 142 goals for the 'Pies, 'Fabulous Phil' crossed to Melbourne, where he added another 11 games and 23 goals. A two season stint at Essendon followed, but a 20 week suspension, imposed after he was found guilty of head-butting a boundary umpire, restricted him to just 10 appearances and 11 goals. Carman finished his VFL career with North Melbourne where he played 13 games and booted 27 goals in 1982. He then played briefly for Eastlake in the ACTAFL, followed by a succession of country clubs, before retiring.

Phil Carman returned to top level football in 1995 as coach of Sturt. In seven seasons at the helm he helped elevate the club from perennial wooden spooner to regular finals contender, although a losing grand final against Port Adelaide Magpies in 1998 was the closest the Blues came to a flag.

There can be little doubt that Phil Carman possessed enough raw talent to have become one of the all time greats of the game. As it was, however, owing to a mixture of ill discipline and bad luck, he ended up as one of the many footballers whose final report card read 'could have done better'.


*Courtesy of John Devaney at www.fullpointsfooty.net

<< Back