Footyinfo

Phil Carman

Collingwood, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Essendon · “Fabulous”

AFL career

100 games204 goals

Debut
R1 1975 v SME5 Apr 1975
Most recent
SF 1982 v HAW11 Sept 1982

Stats

1982
NTH
13
6.9
3.3
10.2
3.8
1.4
3.8
2.1
1.2
1981
ESS
6
6.0
1.5
7.5
2.2
1.8
3.0
0.8
1.0
1980
ESS
4
11.0
8.8
19.8
5.3
2.5
2.5
1.8
1.8
1979
MEL
11
9.3
5.7
15.0
5.9
1.4
4.5
2.1
1.2
1978
COL
15
8.7
6.3
15.1
5.1
2.1
3.9
1.5
1.6
1977
COL
20
9.6
6.7
16.3
5.4
1.3
4.2
2.1
1.4
1976
COL
16
11.1
3.5
14.6
5.6
1.8
3.3
2.4
1.8
1975
COL
15
13.7
5.3
19.0
7.3
2.2
4.5
2.7
2.5
League
Season
HAW
MCG
SF
4
3
7
2
3
5
3
1.0
ESS
WP
EF
6
5
11
2
1
4
0
3.1
RCH
AS
R22
6
6
12
4
2
4
1
1.1
MEL
AS
R17
1
1
2
2
0
2
0
1.0
HAW
PP
R16
9
3
12
7
2
1
2
2.4
COL
WP
R15
10
5
15
5
1
8
0
4.2
ESS
MCG
R14
4
3
7
4
0
4
1
2.1
FIT
AS
R13
8
3
11
2
1
5
3
2.0
SYD
SCG
R12
13
7
20
9
2
4
2
2.1
GEE
WP
R9
7
2
9
3
1
3
0
1.1
STK
AS
R8
5
0
5
2
2
2
0
3.2
HAW
WP
R6
8
3
11
3
1
1
1
1.1
COL
AS
R5
9
2
11
4
2
6
8
4.2

Profile

Born
04 Sept 1950 (age 76y 54d)
Birthplace
Edenhope, VIC
Height
188 cm
Weight
87 kg

Teams

Honours

Arriving at Collingwood with a formidable reputation from Norwood in the SANFL, Phil Carman immediately validated the hype with a sensational debut season in 1975. Dubbed Fabulous Phil, he famously donned white boots and displayed a rare combination of athleticism, balance, and goal-kicking flair that saw him win the Copeland Trophy and finish just three votes shy of the Brownlow Medal in his first VFL year. A dynamic centre half-forward who could dominate the midfield, Carman was capable of winning matches off his own boot, but his brilliance was often counterbalanced by on-field indiscipline.

His tenure at Victoria Park is best remembered for the heartbreak of 1977, where a suspension for striking cost him a place in the drawn Grand Final and the subsequent replay loss. Following a fallout with coach Tom Hafey, Carman became a football nomad, serving short stints at Melbourne, Essendon, and North Melbourne. His career ended on a controversial note in 1982 when he received a 20-week suspension for headbutting a boundary umpire while playing for the Kangaroos. He retired with exactly 100 VFL games to his name, remembered as one of the most gifted yet mercurial talents of his generation.