Here, the Blueseum is proud to tell the story of a young player from the era, Max Dixon, who joined the Under 19’s in 1971, and played at this and Reserves level until 1975. Like many other stories of wide-eyed teenagers trying out at the top level, it is one of ultimate disappointment with Dixon not managing a senior game, but it is also one of great historical interest, linking Dixon to many names that embroider a great era for the Carlton Football Club.
Dixon was a 199cm ruckman who was born in 1955. By 1971 he was playing junior football with Newlands Colts, deep in Carlton’s northern zone, and after an Under 16’s representative game, the call came though with an invitation of sorts. “I was told by my Under 17’s coach that I had been invited to training. Carlton had a couple of people going around the area watching junior games, we were in their zone and I think they mainly recruited for the U19s.”
The Kernahan / Ratten equivalent in 1971 was indeed a great of the Carlton Football Club. “The first person I met down at the Club was Bert Deacon,” says Max. Bert was as a true Blue champion; the winner of Carlton’s very first Brownlow Medal in 1947, and a two-time Premiership centre half-back.
During the seventies, three teams were managed by Carlton - the Under 19’s (also known as the thirds) the Reserves (or seconds) and of course, the Seniors. “The Under 19’s trained separate to the seniors so you did not have much to do with them. We trained outside the northern side of the ground. I think some time in 1973 the ground on the University side (Melbourne University) was fixed up for the U19’s. Carlton Cricket Club now use it as their main oval. During the season they selected one or two players to have a train with the seniors every couple of weeks.” Dixon played all through 1972, and after a strong showing in 1973 (he placed third in the U19’s Best and Fairest) he had begun to play in the Reserves fixtures.
It was very common for Carlton thirds players to back-up for the Reserves week on week during the 1960’s and 1970’s. “I played about twelve Under 19 games in 1974, coming third in the Best & Fairest – losing by 2 votes – and had the great honour of captaining Carlton in one of those games. I remember playing some games in the Reserves and then rushing of by car to play with the Under 19’s who played at the same time as the seniors.”
As for specific hands-on coaching like the players have today: “Only once was I ever taken aside for some skills coaching – Big Nick, with a bit of ruck work in ‘75. I think the fact that you just had a coach and an assistant coach (Reserves) did not lend itself to much individual time for anyone. A lot of good players went by the wayside in those days when they just needed a bit of time and development; today’s system is great from juniors up.”
Without specific skills work, training generally comprised “weights, running and sprinting, and during the season lots of circle work mixed in with one on one tackling, bumping, chasing and contesting. A few basic drills, a bit of end to end, and Indian file. We ran plenty of laps of Princes Park, the cemetery and the zoo.” But during this era, there were also plenty of senior Carlton players around to learn from, if only by watching. “I knew Robert Walls through a few of his mates in my cricket club. We played against each other a bit, so I was quite friendly with him. I also got on alright with Vin Waite because I wore number 30 in the Under 19s. I was pretty shy, so Bruce Doull would sit with me some times and we would both say nothing. Jezza was a freak and Swanny McKay was the best mark I’d seen, a real bugger at end to end.”
“Nick was great to talk footy with, or just hang around while he talked to other people; the knowledge that man had was incredible. Jezza was just cool and laid back; it’s funny but at the time I never really took much notice of the fact that I trained with Jezza, Nick, Wallsie, Doull, Crosswell, Jackson, McKay, Percy, Fitzpatrick, Southby and on and on. It’s only as I got older I thought - how lucky was I?”
In addition to trying to push ahead with his own career, Dixon was able to see the beginnings of some other players at Carlton. “I was lucky enough to run the first lap around Princes Park that Mike Fitzpatrick did; I think Max O'Halloran was the other player. We hurdled a small fence and Fitzy got his foot stuck and landed flat on his face, Max and I looked at each other and thought that’s great, we just whipped the star recruit – although he got up and had a fair career!”
Also joining Carlton in 1972 was crowd favourite Vin Catoggio, who played 71 games, plus Alan Mangels and Mark Maclure. Some of the great opponents Dixon faced at Under 19 level included Melbourne’s Robbie Flower, Graham Teasdale of South Melbourne and infamous Bomber ‘Rotten’ Ronnie Andrews.
Dixon’s arrival at Carlton also coincided with two big events – Carlton’s exciting 1972 Grand Final victory over Richmond, and the follow-up 1973 loss to the Tigers - when Richmond set out to physically punish as many Blues as possible. At U19 level, these events gave rise to some useful fringe benefits which some – not all – players took up. “In 1972 I think the Under 19s were given one ticket each for the Carlton finals games - I went to the semi but not the Grand Final, I had only just turned 17 and I think I gave the ticket to one of my mates’ dads who supported the Blues and had driven me around a bit.” Unfortunately for Dixon, he didn’t get to join the celebrations after the 1972 win either. “I could not get to the ground for the celebrations after, and started pre-season with the Under 19s so I didn't have much to do with it.”
As for the pain of the 1973 loss, Dixon advises “I think I did pre-season training for 1974 with the seniors and don’t recall much being said about what had happened a few months earlier; I think they just wanted to forget about it, I don’t remember it being used as motivation either.” Dixon’s Coach at Under 19’s level to this point was Chris Pavlou, a former senior player whose career had been shattered by injury in the early sixties. “He was the best coach I ever had. I still keep in touch with him.”
After approximately 50 reserves and Under 19 games through 1972 – 1974, Dixon’s career took a number of hits from 1975 onwards. “At the start of ‘75 I had badly twisted my ankle in a pre-season match. Vin Waite went one way with my ankle, and I went the other. It took about 6 weeks before I could play, so I missed the rest of the pre-season and the first couple of matches. Years later, for a work physical, the break was discovered."
Inset: Dixon's 1975 Group Certificate
A pivotal day in Dixon’s career was the Reserves fixture on Round 10, 1975 against Fitzroy (which incidentally, was the same day as the senior debut (and only game) for Wayne Deledio – father of Richmond’s Brett). “I was starting to play okay and then I was knocked out three times at the Junction Oval against Fitzroy; once for each goal I kicked. On the third time I was actually king hit from behind by my next door neighbour's cousin, would you believe…I can remember laying on my back and Greg Kennedy jumping over me to get to the other player.” In a sign of how much the game has changed over the decades, the emergency umpire reportedly turned to our trainer he was sitting with and commented on what a good punch it was. In those days the emergencies could not place a report.
The incident seemed to have other connotations to the coaching staff. “I played the whole match and in the rooms Keith McKenzie came up to me - I thought he was going to see if I was okay - and gave me a spray about "nice guys come last". Our relationship went downhill from there. The next match, I was on the bench and in the last quarter, Brian Walsh was injured and wanted to come off, but McKenzie left him on. At the end of the match Brian went crook at Keith, and said ‘why didn't you bring Max on?’ To which McKenzie replied that I was sick - it was bull s*&% and the four or five of us standing there knew it. “
This incident appeared to be the final straw for Dixon’s career. “A couple of weeks later they got Rod Galt from St Kilda, and I was asked to go and play for Maryborough – where Big Nick came from and where Bryan Quirk was going to Coach – as I was getting ready to play against Collingwood. I said “No” and McKenzie said there was a bloke here to drive me to Maryborough and that I was out of the team. I was shocked and didn’t go.”
“The next day Golden Point asked me to play there for the rest of the season for $100 a game - good money in ‘75. Carlton were not going to clear me to them, because they wanted me to go to Maryborough; they cleared me anyway.“
“In February 1976 I dropped into training at Princes Park to see a few of the boys, and was greeted by the secretary who said to me "where the hell have you been?" I was a bit stunned and said that I didn’t know I was wanted back, and had not received any letters about training. I was taken out onto the Oval and introduced to the new senior coach Ian Thorogood. I was asked if I had my gear to join in training. I didn’t so I was told to roll up on Thursday to start training - which I did - but after training I knew it was useless, as I was four months behind every body. I went home and had a think about it, and knew it was an uphill battle and didn’t go back.”
Some of us learn that we aren’t going to play football at the top level as soon as we pull on a footy boot, others do so during our teenage years. In Max’s case, that realisation came after an unfortunate injury and a tough year in the Reserves. Those were the factors which brought about the end for Dixon. “I always loved Carlton from a kid, so I was not really interested in playing after that.” It’s an age-old story across all professional sports, but an engaging one given the era, and the club we all know and love. At the Blueseum we’re also proud to tell the story, as Max has been of great assistance to this site, working tirelessly to help us explore the rich and diverse history of the Navy Blues. Now, with a bit of help from the great Carlton names of the 1970’s, that task has been accomplished.