AS A worthy winner of his club’s best and fairest award back in 2012, Heath Scotland is always a welcome presence on John Nicholls Medal night.
But the 215-game former Carlton on-baller had extra cause to front with his wife Alisha for last Sunday evening’s count at Crown Palladium. As the games record holder in the No.29, Scotland had an inkling George Hewett might take home the coveted JNM – thereby becoming only the second No.29 in Carlton history to achieve that feat.
And ‘Scotto’ couldn’t be happier for Hewett – so much so that he made it his pains to jump in a photo with the current keeper of the number.
“George had a great season, he was ultra-consistent and he stood out from the pack. I was always confident he’d win,” Scotland said.
“I was really keen to get a photo with George, because as most past players will tell you they follow the players now wearing their numbers. To be photographed with the only other best and fairest to wear the No. 29 is special for me and nice for my kids to see.”
It is patently clear that Scotland is an unashamed George Hewett devotee.
“I’m a big fan. I love the way George plays,” he said. “He wrings the rag dry and he leaves it all out on the paddock regardless of the result. Win, lose or draw, his effort is never questioned. He always has a red hot crack, and he plays for the jumper and for the team.”
Scotland is in no doubt that Hewett, at 29, has a lot of great football left in him – and he’s mindful that with 82 senior appearance to his name, another shared distinction is within reach.
As he said: “Hopefully George will play game No.100 for Carlton and get his name on the locker forever under mine”.
Hewett is now part of Carlton’s much-vaunted list of best and fairest winners - 96 in all since Horrie Clover earned the Club’s first B&F trophy in 1929.
He also becomes the Blues’ second George to achieve the feat, after the 1943 Club Champion George ‘Fibby’ Gniel – and as with Hewett earning the medal at his second League club (120 matches in eight seasons with Sydney), Gneil was similarly honoured after stringing together 51 games through three seasons with Geelong.
But the circumstances surrounding Gniel’s crossing to Carlton were far more complex.
In October 1941, just eight weeks before the Japanese strike on the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Geelong confirmed that it would go into recession due to travel restrictions and the annexation of Corio Oval by the Australian Army.
Geelong then granted its players temporary open clearances to the clubs of their choice (a limit of three per club) until it again fielded a senior team in VFL competition – and Gniel saw fit to join Carlton, together with Neil Tucker and Jim Knight.
The Ouyen-born Gniel, whom the Cats considered a champion in the making, excelled in his 29 matches through the 1942 and ’43 seasons at Carlton – the last of them the 1943 semi final involving Fitzroy. As an aggressive, uncompromising full-back, he won the immediate respect of the Carlton faithful, and was duly recognised by the wiseheads who cast their votes for the ’43 B&F.
Not surprisingly, Gniel was sadly missed at Princes Park after being recalled to ‘Sleepy Hollow’ with Geelong’s returned to the competition in 1944 – and he’d string together another 67 senior appearances there before his retirement in 1947, the season he also served as club captain. Tucker, who managed two games for Carlton (Rounds 6 and 7, 1943) alongside Gniel in a back pocket, also returned to Geelong, compiling another 17 senior appearances on top of the 44 in his first stint.
Tragically, Knight never made it home. Adjudged Carlton’s Best Team Man in 1942, Flying Office Knight was killed in October 1943 when bombs aboard his Douglas Boston bomber (A28-26) exploded after the aircraft crashed during take-off from Goodenough Island in Papua New Guinea.
He was laid to rest in Port Moresby’s Bomana War Cemetery.
