Blastfrom thepast

Name: Bret Thornton

WITH LACHLAN ESSING

Games: 189 (Carl 188; GWS 1)

Goals: 30 (Carl 30; GWS 0)

Club span: Carlton 2002-12; GWS Giants 2013

Player honours: Carl pre-season premierships 2005, 2007

6pts: I was born in Melbourne in 1933 and made my VFL debut for my home club at the age of 17 in 1951.

5pts: I played a then league-record 321 matches, winning a premiership, five best and fairests and four club leading goalkicker awards.

4pts: I became captain-coach in 1957 and held that position for 14 seasons.

3pts: I was named captain of the AFL Team of the Century and was made an inaugural Legend in the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

2pts: I was the face of Victorian State of Origin football for almost my entire life, doing anything for my beloved Big V.

1pt: Known as “Mr Football”, I died of prostate cancer in 1995, with a foundation named after me raising money for research into the disease.

Recruited from Mount Waverley Blues and the Oakleigh Chargers, Thornton played 189 games for Carlton and the GWS Giants. Thornton played as an undersized full-back and was used as a forward late in his career. His best season came in 2009, when he finished ninth in Carlton’s best and fairest and led the club in marks and rebound 50s. Thornton left the Blues as a restricted free agent at the end of 2012 to join the Giants where he made one appearance in 2013.