1945 Carlton Football Club season

May 2020 December 2017 Carlton Football Club 1945 Kenneth Luke Percy Bentley Bob Chitty Carlton Oval VFL season 4th (13–7–0) Finals series Premiers Best and Fairest Ron Savage Lance Collins (49) 5,335 1944 1946 The 1945 Carlton Football Club season was the Carlton Football Club's 82nd season of competition, and 49th as a member of the Victorian Football League. Carlton fielded teams in the senior and reserves grades of the 1945 VFL season. Under coach Percy Bentley, Carlton recovered from a middling 3–6 start to win thirteen of its last fourteen games, winning the premiership by defeating in the grand final. It was the 7th senior VFL premiership in the club's history. Club summary The 1945 VFL season was the 49th season of the VFL competition since its inception in 1897; and, having competed in every season, it was also the 49th season contested by the Carlton Football Club. As it had been since 1897, the club's home ground was Carlton Oval in Princes Park, North Carlton. In addition to its senior team, Carlton fielded a team in the VFL seconds. Its thirds (under-19s) team contested the Northern District Football Association, and development teams East Brunswick, Brunswick City and Prince's Hill contested the Victorian Junior Football League.The Herald Melbourne Stars who may shine for Blues 10 6 February 1945 The club reported 4,623 full 10/6 memberships and 712 5/- memberships (total 5,335), up from 3,936 and 489 (total 4,425) in 1944, but still short of its pre-war record membership of 7,700;The Argus Melbourne League Record Membership 29 April 1946 12 but the club saw a profit of only £213, down from £503, owing to the new arrangements for pooling gate receipts across the league.The Herald Melbourne Carlton "lost £700" by pooling gates" 30 January 1946 12 P. J. Millard Senior personnel Kenneth Luke continued as club president through 1945, a position he had held since the 1938 season.Official Website of the Carlton Football Club The Carlton Honour Board https://web.archive.org/web/20120722043041/http://www.carltonfc.com.au/TheClub/History/HonourBoard/tabid/9168/Default.aspx 22 July 2012 Retrieved 19 April 2007. Harry Bell continued as the secretary, a role he had held since 1940. Percy Bentley continued as coach, a role he had held since crossing from in 1941. Bob Chitty, in his ninth season with the club, was appointed the new captain of the club;The Sporting Globe Melbourne Melbourne's Triumph 21 April 1945 3 Bruce Andrew he replaced 1944 acting-captain Bob Atkinson, who returned to captain his former VFA side Coburg.The Argus Melbourne Footballer gains high award Percy Taylor 31 March 1945 12 Bob Green was appointed vice-captain at the start of the year,The Age Melbourne Carlton's list 19 April 1945 5 then Rod McLean took over after Green was transferred on service.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Snapshots from the grounds 28 May 1945 6 Squad and player statistics for 1945 The following is the full list of players who were on the Carlton senior and supplementary lists through the 1945 season. Numbers in parentheses represent games played and goals kicked for Carlton during the season. Carlton Football Club midnightblue white midnightblue white http://afltables.com/afl/stats/1945.html 1945 Stats - Player Lists AFL Tables 12 April 2020 Senior list 1 Ken Hands (18,24) 2 Ken Hopper (15,7) 3 Jack Bennett (23,3) 4 Alec Way (11,8) 5 Lance Collins (17,49) 6 Bob Chitty (21,1) y 7 Herb Turner (16,18) 8 Fred Fitzgibbon (18,0) 9 Wal Alexander (8,0) 10 Clinton Wines (20,7) 11 Ron Hines (20,12) 12 Doug Williams (21,0) 14 Rod McLean (18,10) y 15 Vin Brown (23,0) 16 Jim Mooring (9,18) 17 Don Beauvais (4,5) 18 Arthur Sanger (23,0) 19 Adrian Hearn (3,5) 19 Frank McGrath (8,3) 21 Fred Rose (2,3) 21 Ken Baxter (13,27) 22 Jim Jones (2,0) 23 Bert Deacon (10,0) 24 Ron Savage (22,31) 25 Arthur Hall (3,1) 25 Jim Baird (17,8) 26 Jim Clark (22,1) 27 Cyril Mann (3,3) 29 Les Gregory (1,0) 30 Mick Price (21,32) 31 Charlie McInnes (13,8) 32 Bob Green (5,1) y 33 Ernie Spence (0,0) 34 Bernie Bignell (3,0) 35 Jim Clapton (0,0) Supplementaries 5 Hal Hanton (2,0) 22 Bert Lucas (0,0) 28 Ron Boys (2,0) 35 Len Harris (0,0) A. Bridson (0,0) Jim Davies (0,0) Allan Greenshields (0,0) Alf Green (0,0) Ritchie Green (0,0) Jim Lanigan (0,0) R. Ritchie (0,0) G. Smith (0,0) L. Wade (0,0) Mac Wilson (0,0) Percy Bentley Playing list changes The following summarises key player transfers to and from the club between the conclusion of the 1944 season and the conclusion of the 1945 season. World War II was still ongoing during the season, so the availability of players who were in the military would depend on where they were posted; players who were temporarily gained or lost by the club due to military service are included here. Additionally, the Victorian Football Association returned to competition after three years' recess, and VFA players who had played for Carlton during the war on wartime permits automatically became VFA players; these players needed to be re-cleared to the VFL before resuming with Carlton. 100% 50% In Bernie Bignell (returned from service) Jim Clapton (from Coburg)The Age Melbourne Jim Baird tested 9 April 1945 6 Hal Hanton (from service and Frankston)The Argus Melbourne Position changes at Carlton 20 April 1945 11 Adrian Hearn (from )The Age Melbourne Fitzroy has talent 18 April 1945 5 Ron Hines (returned from service)The Argus Melbourne Football interest in New Guinea 2 May 1945 7 Jim Jones (returned from service)The Argus Melbourne Jim Jones at Carlton 21 March 1945 13 Cyril Mann (returned from service)The Age Melbourne Carlton's coming centre 31 March 1945 5 Fred Rose (from services and Sea Lake) Arthur Hall (from , after Round 1)https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1105640 VFL Permits Granted The Argus 30,784 Melbourne 28 April 1945 27 January 2021 8 National Library of Australia Ken Hands (from North Geelong, and cleared from 's zone after Round 3)The Argus Melbourne Geelong clear Hands 9 May 1945 14 Percy Taylor Frank McGrath (from , after Round 3) Lance Collins (returned from service to Coburg, then cleared back to Carlton after Round 5)The Argus Melbourne Tests for clubs 25 May 1945 12 Percy Taylor Ken Baxter, (returned from service after Round 11)The Age Melbourne Return of Baxter 29 June 1945 5 Bert Deacon (returned from service to Preston, then cleared back to Carlton after Round 13)The Age Melbourne Permits granted 19 July 1945 7 Out Bob Atkinson (to Coburg) Frank Anderson (to Preston)The Sporting Globe Melbourne Coburg offered Fanning £500 Hec deLacy 3 March 1945 3 Bert Butler (to Bacchus Marsh)The Express Melton, VIC Bacchus Marsh F.C. 28 April 1945 6 Jack Conley (away on service)The Sporting Globe Melbourne Conley true blue for Carlton 31 August 1946 5 H. A. deLacy Ollie Grieve (away on service) Ern Henfry (away on service, then returned to Perth)Western Mail Perth, WA Ern Henfry returning 6 July 1945 48 Jack Howell (away on service) Les McCann (away on service) Ken McLean (away on service) Les Marden (to Coburg)The Argus Melbourne VFA Permits 28 April 1945 8 Paul Schmidt (to Devonport)The Advocate Burnie, TAS Cooee & Wynyard only N.W.F.U. teams undefeated 23 May 1945 3 "Half-back" Ted Tuohill (retired) Jack Wrout (retired)The Argus Melbourne Wrout (Carlton) retires 16 April 1945 13 Kevin Brown (to , after Round 3) Cyril Mann (to Brunswick, after Round 5)The Argus Melbourne Mann, Carlton, to play with Brunswick 23 May 1945 7 Roy Shaw Bob Green (transferred on service after Round 7)The Argus Melbourne Carlton say "thanks" 6 June 1945 12 Percy Taylor Les Gregory (to Preston, after Round 9)The Age Melbourne Port Melb. visits Brunswick 20 June 1945 6 Adrian Hearn (to Brunswick, after Round 10)The Age Melbourne Carlton clears Hearn 27 June 1945 6 Other players who were already playing with the Carlton seconds, but who were elevated and made their senior debuts in 1945 were Wal Alexander, Clinton Wines and Don Beauvais. Carlton also notably signed up Jim Davies from Swan Districts, who had won the 1944 Sandover Medal in the under-age WANFL competition; but he was transferred away from Melbourne on service before playing a game and returned to Swan Districts in 1946. He later returned to Carlton in 1949.The Daily News Perth WA Davies training with Carlton 6 April 1949 18The Age Melbourne Carlton Signs Up Sandover Medal Winner 6 March 1945 6 Season summary Home and away season The club entered the home-and-away season with an overall inexperienced team, noted as speedy but lacking in big, experienced key position players.The Sporting Globe Melbourne How league teams shaped 25 April 1945 15 Bruce AndrewThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues need big men 14 The highly regarded half-backline combination of 1943 had suffered with the loss of Jim Francis to retirement and Frank Anderson to Preston, and Bob Atkinson had also been lost from the back pocket, leaving Bob Chitty as the only established key defender.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues claim best half-back line 11 April 1945 15 A total of 18 players from the 1944 list were unavailable.The Herald Melbourne Carlton's early losses 1 October 1945 12 P. J. Millard Carlton also had a limited preseason, due in part to the Carlton Cricket Club occupying the ground later than usual as it won its first district cricket pennant (albeit in the unofficial wartime competition); simultaneous intra-club matches were played at 2:45 Saturday 7 April at Princes Park and Ransford Oval,The Herald Melbourne Football practice at peak tomorrow 12 P. J. Millard then again at 2:45 Saturday 14 April at Princes Park and McAllister Oval.The Herald Melbourne Few new players likely in League sides 11 As a result, sportswriters did not have high expectations of Carlton for the season. As such, few were surprised when Carlton's season opened poorly, with three comfortable losses, including a club record 100-point defeat at the hands of , to sit last on the ladder. The club was described as "surely the weakest Carlton team sent out in years", and it was again noted that the small players were reasonable but the lack of key position players was a major problem.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Southerners are strong 2 May 1945 15 "Back Pocket" After the early losses, Carlton started rebuilding, adopting something of a youth policy; no fewer than eight older but underperforming players – Bernie Bignell, Les Gregory, Arthur Hall, Adrian Hearn, Jim Jones, Cyril Mann, Fred Rose, and vice captain Bob Green – were omitted by the end of Round 6; among them, only Jones ever played for Carlton again. Carlton improved over the following six weeks, with three wins and three losses, to move to 9th place with a 3–6 record overall. The three wins were all good wins against , StK, and (who were all in the bottom six after Round 9), and the losses came against , and (who were all in the top five after Round 9). The Round 7 game against Richmond was almost won: holding a one-point lead, Frank McGrath had taken a saving mark in defence, before played on and being caught dropping the ball, Richmond's Bob Bawden kicked the winning goal from the free kick, which was the last kick of the game. Recruits of star key position players as the season progressed strengthened the Carlton team down the spine. The Blues recruited 18-year-old Geelong junior Ken Hands after Round 3, who made an immediate impression at centre half forward, and was touted as a future champion by the press within a month.The Herald Melbourne News and gossip of the game 28 May 1945 10 Coburg key position player Lance Collins, who had played for Carlton on a wartime permit, was cleared back to Carlton after Round 5; and, after making little impact at pivot, was moved to full forward and led the club in goalkicking for the season. Star forward Ken Baxter returned from three years of active service after Round 11. Finally, Bert Deacon, another VFA player who had played with the club on a wartime permit, was cleared to the club after Round 13, immediately became one of the league's best players, holding down the centre half-back position and giving the Blues the best half-back line in the league. This, coupled with Vin Brown serviceably adapting to his new position at full back,The Sporting Globe Melbourne Magpies or Blues if they make the four 22 August 1945 14 H. A. deLacy gradually turned Carlton into one of the league's strongest teams through the second half of the season, with strength in both key positions and small players.The Melbourne Threat to Footscray & North by Carlton 30 August 1945 7 The line-up became very settled, with very selection changes made in the last two months of the season.The Age Melbourne Carlton should continue winning sequence 20 September 1945 7 Percy Beames This translated into a remarkable improvement in results starting with wins against fourth-placed and first-placed in Rounds 10 and 11. After four straight wins which had seen the club rise to 7th place, Carlton suffered an upset loss against an out-of-form , which itself had lost six straight games,The Argus Melbourne Essendon win in last second 23 July 1945 12 Percy Taylor in a dramatic ending in which Essendon kicked three goals in the final two minutes of the game to snatch a three-point with only 13 seconds left. Sportswriters noted that this loss would likely end the Blues' faint hopes of playing finals, as they were two wins and percentage behind fourth place with six games left.The Age Melbourne Probable composition of final four 26 July 1945 7 Percy Beames However, Carlton's performances continued to strengthen. Over the next five weeks, it recorded narrow wins against finals rivals , and and big wins against the bottom two StK and , to rise to fifth place. This set up, for the second consecutive year, a final round clash against third placed , the winner of which would qualify for the finals.1 Note Footscray had won the equivalent match in 1944 by one point, kicked after the siren by Harry Hickey; but this year, in front of a then-record crowd of 30,000 at the Western Oval,The Argus Melbourne Fanning, 67 goals 3 September 1945 11 Carlton dominated with a seven-goals-to-two first quarter before winning by 53 points. This saw Carlton enter the top four for the first time in the season, in fourth place with a 13–7 record, after winning ten of its last eleven home-and-away matches. RoundDate and local time Opponent Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Ladderposition Home Away Result 1 Saturday, 21 April (2:45 pm) 13.9 (87) 15.18 (108) Lost by 21 points Carlton Oval 13,000 8th 2 Saturday, 28 April (2:45 pm) 16.10 (106) 9.18 (72) Lost by 34 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Hawks have success 28 April 1945 3 "Back Pocket" Glenferrie Oval 10,000 10th 3 Saturday, 5 May (2:45 pm) 22.18 (150) 7.8 (50) Lost by 100 pointsThe Age Melbourne Essendon easily 7 May 1945 6 Essendon Recreation Reserve 15,000 12th 4 Saturday, 12 May (2:45 pm) 12.12 (84) 11.11 (77) Won by 7 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Carlton in first win 12 May 1945 3 Les Carbarns Carlton Oval 10,000 11th 5 Saturday, 19 May (2:45 pm) StK 12.18 (90) 11.13 (79) Won by 11 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Carlton win again 19 May 1945 3 Herb Coombes Carlton Oval 9,400 8th 6 Saturday, 26 May (2:45 pm) 15.18 (108) 12.11 (83) Lost by 25 pointsThe Age Melbourne Magpies a danger 28 May 1945 6 Victoria Park 17,700 9th 7 Saturday, 2 June (2:45 pm) 13.16 (94) 12.17 (89) Lost by 5 pointsThe Age Melbourne Richmond – in the last kick 4 June 1945 6 Carlton Oval 21,000 9th 8 Saturday, 9 June (2:45 pm) 10.9 (69) 14.21 (105) Won by 36 pointsThe Herald Melbourne Carlton better in ruck and air, Geelong dogged 9 June 1945 11 Kardinia Park 11,200 9th 9 Saturday, 16 June (2:45 pm) 11.11 (77) 11.20 (86) Lost by 9 pointsThe Argus Melbourne Collingwood back in four 18 June 1945 12 Percy Taylor Carlton Oval 20,000 9th 10 Saturday, 23 June (2:45 pm) 7.17 (59) 12.12 (84) Won by 35 pointsThe Argus Melbourne Carlton surprised North 25 June 1945 12 Percy Taylor Arden Street Oval 15,000 9th 11 Saturday, 30 June (2:45 pm) 8.8 (56) 7.8 (50) Won by 6 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues inflict South's second defeat 30 June 1945 1 Herb Coombes Carlton Oval 25,250 9th 12 Saturday, 7 July (2:45 pm) 12.8 (80)12.9 (81)Won by 1 pointThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Carlton by one point 7 July 1945 3 Herb Coombes Punt Road Oval 12,000 7th 13 Saturday, 14 July (2:45 pm) 13.12 (90) 8.11 (59) Won by 31 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Carlton's dash 14 July 1945 3 Bill Easton Carlton Oval 10,250 7th 14 Saturday, 21 July (2:45 pm) 11.9 (75) 10.18 (78) Lost by 3 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Essendon win in time off 21 July 1945 3 Les Carbarns Carlton Oval 13,875 7th 15 Saturday,28 July (2:45 pm) 7.12 (54) 9.4 (58) Won by 4 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues win gives Fitzroy a setback 28 July 1945 1 Frank Walsh Brunswick Street Oval 20,000 7th 16 Saturday, 4 August (2:45 pm) StK 7.15 (57) 11.13 (79) Won by 22 pointsThe Age Melbourne St. Kilda Extends Carlton 6 August 1945 6 St Kilda Cricket Ground 10,000 6th 17 Saturday, 11 August (2:45 pm) 13.11 (89) 13.5 (83) Won by 6 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Magpies' final dash fails 11 August 1945 1 Gordon Rattray Carlton Oval 25,000 6th 18 Saturday, 18 August (2:45 pm) 12.9 (81) 13.15 (93) Won by 12 pointsThe Age Melbourne Carlton battling for four 20 August 1945 6 Percy Beames Punt Road Oval 38,000 5th 19 Saturday, 25 August (2:45 pm) 23.23 (161) 9.13 (67) Won by 94 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues run away 25 August 1945 3 Will Easton Carlton Oval 9,000 5th 20 Saturday, 1 September (2:45 pm) 8.14 (62) 16.19 (115) Won by 53 pointsThe Age Melbourne Carlton in, Footscray out 3 September 1945 7 Percy Beames Western Oval 30,000 4th Ladder Ladder Car Finals series The finals series was staged at Carlton Oval, as a result of the Melbourne Cricket Ground once again being unavailable due to its role in the war effort. Carlton had staged the 1942 and 1943 finals, and the St Kilda Cricket Ground had staged the 1944 finals; but lower capacity and attendance at St Kilda encouraged the league to return the finals to Carlton for 1945.The Age Melbourne Carlton ground for V.F.L. finals 12 May 1945 5 Additional terraces were installed at the ground in August, to increase the official capacity to 62,800.The Age Melbourne Improvements at Carlton 22 August 1945 5 Despite being in fourth place, Carlton's strong form in the second half of the season meant they were considered a genuine premiership threat by sportswriters.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Blues equal to any team in the fight 15 August 1945 15 Gordon Rattray Through the latter stages of the season and into the finals, coach Percy Bentley conducted very limited Thursday training sessions, to reduce the pressure to the team which had played in so many consecutive matches which, had they been defeated, would have ended their chances at reaching the top four.The Argus Melbourne Carlton in semi-final 7 September 1945 12 Percy Taylor Carlton faced third-placed in the first semi-final, which was in its first ever VFL finals series, and whose late season form had been a little bit patchy. Carlton dominated the game and won easily. Although the final margin was only 26 points, Carlton had led 13.7 (85) to 2.13 (25) at three-quarter time, before North Melbourne added respectability to the scoreboard with a six-goals-to-one final quarter. Lance Collins scored a VFL career-high eight goals in the match. The preliminary final against , was a vicious, and famous affair. Collingwood was by far the better team throughout the game, with Carlton not playing as well as it had been; Hands and Deacon both had rare off games.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Carlton's win in "miracle" class 26 September 1945 16 Collingwood held a 28-point lead at quarter time, a 9-point lead at half-time, and opened up a game-high 34-point lead after kicking the first goal of the final quarter. At the same time, the Blues engaged in rough play to try to put their smaller Collingwood opponents off their game, and melee involving twelve players broke out early in the final quarter.The Herald Melbourne Carlton, South for Grand Final 22 September 1945 12The Argus Melbourne Rough game won by Carlton 24 September 1945 15 Percy Taylor After the melee, Carlton mounted a massive comeback, and kicked the next five goals in a fifteen-minute purple patch, to reduce the margin to two points. Then Lance Collins, who had kicked the first goal of the rally, was again the hero, kicking the last two goals of the game late to steal a ten-point win. The roughness of the game drew condemnation, but only one player – Fred Fitzgibbon – was reported and suspended. Carlton faced minor premiers in the grand final. Played in blustery, then rainy conditions, it was a low quality and rough game better remembered for its violence than its gameplay, and eventually gaining its nickname "the Bloodbath" from the several melees which broke out. The game was closely fought through the first half, Carlton holding a two-point lead at half time. Carlton pulled away with a five-goals-to-two the third quarter to lead by 23 points at three-quarter time, and managed to keep at least a two-goal buffer through the rough final quarter before winning by a game-high 28 points. Three Carlton players were suspended: captain Bob Chitty and Don Grossman for eight weeks, and Fred Fitzgibbon – who was already suspended after the preliminary final and who ran onto the ground from the outer to join a melee – for four weeks. Four South Melbourne players were also suspended.The Argus Melbourne 6 league players suspended 3 October 1945 1, 7 Bob Chitty's strikes behind play of two of South Melbourne's young stars were the main instigators of the game's violence, and – by the later admission of South Melbourne star Laurie Nash – successfully did much to distract South Melbourne from its game in the second half.The Sporting Globe Melbourne I clocked Chitty 21 May 1955 11 Laurie Nash Vin Brown was the best player on the ground, and the win gave Carlton its seventh premiership. WeekDate and local time Opponent Scores (Carlton's scores indicated in bold) Venue Attendance Home Away Result First semi-final Saturday, 8 September (2:45 pm) 8.20 (68) 14.10 (94) Won by 26 pointsThe Melbourne Carlton's convincing win 10 September 1945 7 Percy Beames Carlton Oval 54,846 Preliminary Final Saturday, 22 September (2:45 pm) 12.8 (80) 13.12 (90) Won by 10 pointsThe Age Melbourne Carlton's sensational finish – vicious and spiteful game 24 September 1945 7 Percy Beames Carlton Oval 41,305 Grand Final Saturday, 29 September (2:45 pm) 10.15 (75) 15.13 (103) Won by 28 pointsThe Sporting Globe Melbourne Title to Carlton in win over South 29 September 1945 3 Bruce Andrew Carlton Oval 62,986 Premiership team The Carlton premiership nineteen was as below. Among them, five players – Bob Chitty, Rod McLean, Ken Baxter, Mick Price and Charlie McInnes – had previously played in the club's 1938 premiership win. McInnes was the reserve in both games. #FFFFFF Carlton Carlton Football Club #0E1E2D Arthur Sanger Vin Brown Jim Baird Bob Chitty (c) Bert Deacon Jim Clark Doug Williams Clinton Wines Herb Turner Alec Way Ken Hands Lance Collins Rod McLean Ken Baxter Jim Mooring Ron Savage Jack Bennett Mick Price Charlie McInnes Percy Bentley Fred Fitzgibbon was missing from the premiership team, after having been suspended for four matches for striking 's Len Hustler in the preliminary final;The Argus Melbourne Fitzgibbon disqualified for four weeks 26 September 1945 12 McInnes came into the team as 19th man to replace him. Three players had been injured in the preliminary final and were doubtful for the grand final: Jim Baird (concussion), Ron Hines (thigh) and Ron Savage (rib). Of them, only Hines failed to recover and he was omitted on the morning of the match, replaced by Alec Way as the emergency.The Herald Melbourne Carlton win premiership 29 September 1945 12 The premiership players each received a silver teaset valued at ten guineas from the club as a reward.The Argus Melbourne Rewards for win – Carlton records 1 October 1945 15 Leading goalkickers Despite coming to the club only after Round 5, and initially being recruited to play centre, Lance Collins ultimately moved to the forward-line and was Carlton's leading goalkicker for the season. It was the only time Collins won the award, in what was the only of Collins' three seasons with Carlton in which he played more than ten games. Player Goals Lance Collins 49 Mick Price 32 Ron Savage 31 Ken Baxter 27 Ken Hands 24 Team awards and records Game records Round 3 – Carlton's 100-point loss against set a new club record for the heaviest defeat in its history, breaking the previous record of 94 points set in 1904.AFL Tables Carlton – Game Records 13 April 2020 http://afltables.com/afl/teams/carlton/gamer.html Round 3 – As of 2023, Carlton's 100-point loss holds the record for the heaviest loss in a match by a season's eventual premiers.AFL Tables Game Records 13 April 2020 http://afltables.com/afl/teams/allteams/gamer.html Season records Carlton became the first club to win the VFL premiership from fourth place on the ladder under the Page–McIntyre system, and the first under any system since 's 1916 premiership from fourth place under the Argus finals system. Individual awards and records Robert Reynolds Trophy The Robert Reynolds Trophy for Carlton's senior best and fairest was awarded to ruckman Ron Savage. It was Savage's first and only best-and-fairest for the club, won in his eighth and final year with the club. Ken Baxter, despite playing only thirteen games after his return from service, finished second.The Herald Melbourne Savage, Carlton best and fairest 2 October 1945 12 P. J. Millard Other awards presented by the club were: Arthur Sanger – most consistent Vin Brown – most improved Bert Deacon – most serviceable Clinton Wines – best first year player Ken Hands – most promising Rod McLean and Mick Price – best team men Lance Collins – inspiring play Jim Baird – consistent play Doug Williams – improved play Jack Bennett – special efforts Representative honours One Carlton player – Ron Savage – was selected for Victoria for the interstate match against South Australia on 7 July. Selection policies dictated that two players would be selected from each of the top eight clubs, and one from each of the bottom four – which was where Carlton was positioned at the time of selection.The Age Melbourne V.F.L. side for Adelaide 26 June 1945 5 Two Carlton players – Ron Hines and Jim Clark – represented the North-of-the-Yarra team in the charity match against South-of-the-Yarra on Monday 18 June.The Sporting Globe Melbourne Football games for charity 16 June 1945 5 Two others – Ken Hands, Ron Savage – were selected in the team but withdrew due to injury.The Age Melbourne North v. South to-day 18 June 1945 6 Other Percy Beames of the Age named Bert Deacon as the most outstanding player in league football for the year, despite having played only ten games for the year, ahead of Des Fothergill (). Described him as "great versatility and sustained brilliance through each game", and "perhaps the best key player since the early days of L. Nash".The Age Melbourne Season's best 6 September 1945 6 Percy Beames Seconds The Carlton seconds team finished sixth out of twelve teams with a win–loss record of 12–8, two games and percentage outside the final four.The Herald Melbourne Doubtful places in seconds 30 August 1945 P. J. Millard 12The Herald Melbourne League seconds 1 September 1945 12 Footnotes 1.1 could still have played finals with a loss against Carlton if had also lost in Round 20. North Melbourne ultimately defeated by six points, kicking the winning goal inside the final minute, resulting in Footscray's elimination.The Age Melbourne North's last minute win 3 September 1945 7 Percy Beames References 30em Category:Carlton Football Club seasons Category:1945 in Australian rules football