Come the third Sunday of winter, Carlton had won a mere four games. Having missed finals the previous year by a single kick deep in the shade of time-on, the Blues were additional proof of history repeating itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
The previous Sunday, Carlton were the footballing equivalent of chewing black rubber in a listless six-goal loss against arch rivals Essendon. The only time the Blues struck sparks that dark night was as they scraped against pre-season expectations.
