Bill Redmond

A promising defender whose VFL career was abruptly curtailed by bureaucratic red tape, Bill Redmond holds a unique place in Carlton history as the club's oldest surviving player and the final living link to the 1947 playing list. A local product recruited from Brunswick, Redmond progressed through the Blues' inaugural Under-19s squad in 1946, where he won the Best and Fairest award. He broke into the senior side the following year as a back pocket, playing two matches during the club's premiership campaign, though he missed selection for the Grand Final triumph over Essendon. Just as he established himself as a regular fixture in the defensive unit alongside Ollie Grieve in early 1948, his career at Princes Park was ended by a zoning dispute; North Melbourne lodged a successful protest claiming he lived on the "wrong" side of the street in West Brunswick. With the Shinboners refusing to grant a clearance, Redmond was forced out of the league after just seven games, subsequently carving out a decorated career in the VFA with Williamstown and becoming a coaching legend in the Bendigo Football League.