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Game Review

In this tough contest, Carlton repelled a last-quarter fightback by a finals-bound Essendon, and lit up Princes Park with a victory at last after four straight losses. Concluding a very even season, the top four teams were were St Kilda, Collingwood, Geelong and Essendon, with Richmond and Carlton next. Essendon went on to win the 1965 Premiership - becoming only the second team in VFL history to snatch the flag from fourth position on the ladder, after Carlton in 1945.

Best on the ground, John Nicholls dominated the ruck. Monday's Age said;
"From the first bounce Carlton applied pressure to its more brilliant opponents. Every Carlton player was breathing down the neck of his opponent, but always managed to get to the ball first.
The Blues played a close hard-checking brand of football which worried the Bombers off their natural game, but it was Nicholls who almost sewed the game up single-handed in the first three quarters.
He gave one of the best exhibitions of ruck-work seen for many years, beating two opponents at every ball-up and throw-in from the boundary."

The home side withstood a withering comeback by the Dons. With time starting in the last quarter Essendon were 23 points down, the Blues held on to win by 9 points
After the game the celebrations were like Carlton had won the Grand Final, a sign of things to come.

Berkley Cox, Brian Buckley and Jeff Trotman all retired after this game.

Team

B:	12 John Gill	20 Wes Lofts	4 Brian Buckley
HB:	26 Graeme Anderson	11 John Goold	18 John Lloyd
C:	39 Cliff Stewart	31 Ron Barassi (cc)	6 Garry Crane
HF:	9 Berkley Cox	44 Ron Stone	32 Bryan Quirk
F:	3 Kevin Hall	5 Ken Greenwood	19 Ian Collins
Ruck:	2 John Nicholls (vc)	1 Serge Silvagni	10 Adrian Gallagher
Res:	21 Barry Gill	38 Jeff Trotman
Coach:	Ron Barassi

In: I. Collins, K. Greenwood, B. Gill
Out: M. Sankey, T. Board, B. Schmidt
Ian Collins replaced Terry Board (stomach upset) in selected team

Wes Lofts (Carl) marks in front of David Shaw (Ess), Age Aug 31

Berkley Cox playing his final game, tangles with Alec "Kookaburra" Epis
Nearly 30 years later Alec would become a mentor for Carlton premiership player Glenn Manton

Milestones

Last Games: Berkley Cox, Brian Buckley, Jeff Trotman