Carlton greats person paid tribute to nine icon and erstwhile president John Elliott pursuing the erstwhile Liberal powerbroker's death.
Elliott died aged 79 astatine Epworth Hospital successful Richmond aft a abbreviated unwellness yesterday, and was Blues president for a grounds 20 years, starring the nine to 2 premierships successful 1987 and 1995.
The nine icon passed conscionable hours aft Carlton appointed Michael Voss arsenic their caller coach and conscionable 2 days earlier the Melbourne Demons instrumentality connected the Western Bulldogs successful the AFL expansive final.
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He was 1 of galore palmy businesspeople successful the 1980s to steer their concern acumen into sport, transforming Carlton into a juggernaut connected and disconnected the field. While his tenure wasn't ever smooth, helium was seen arsenic 1 of the salient advocates to grow the VFL into a nationalist competition. Yet his relation successful delivering 2 premierships to Carlton volition ever enactment with the players and fans.
Carlton fable Stephen Kernahan paid tribute to a "great Carlton man" successful Elliott, revealing the archetypal clip helium met the antheral who was known for his triumph astatine each costs cognition successful signing footballers to the club.
"I was 15, oregon so, and kept getting summoned to the Elders boardroom successful Adelaide erstwhile they utilized to alert over," Kernahan told Radio 3AW.
"It frightened the s--- retired of maine a fewer times erstwhile those guys came implicit – I had to instrumentality Mum and Dad with maine each the time."
Kernahan went connected to make a large narration with Elliott, who Elliott erstwhile described arsenic his favourite ever player.
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"Whilst helium upset a few, had cigarettes wherever helium shouldn't have, helium ever remained existent to what helium was. He was a large antheral to each of us," Kernahan told SEN.
"He was charming, a precise astute man, evidently a large businessman successful his day.
"We'll miss what John was successful those days and we each deliberation precise fondly of him today, fto maine archer you.
"He was a truly almighty man. He did polarise a fewer on the mode and I don't deliberation that disquieted him 1 small bit.
"He was Carlton done and done until the end."
AFL fable David Parkin, who coached Carlton portion Elliott was president, described him arsenic a "unique person".
"John astir apt publically was seen arsenic an autocrat but I had the privilege of moving with him president to manager astatine Carlton for rather a play of time," helium said.
"I'd person to accidental that [he was] 1 of the much intelligent radical I've met successful my lifetime.
"Not casual to enactment with unless you could supply the statement connected a dependable basis, not truthful overmuch to bushed his argument, but to lucifer the things helium was saying."
He said during his clip astatine the Carlton Football Club, Mr Elliott was "the champion lieutenant anyone could ever have".
"It is simply a bittersweet day, we hatred losing leaders and John was an unbelievable power connected Australian society, whether it's political, concern oregon shot done the Carlton Football Club," helium said.
"He was a unsocial and precise peculiar person."
Ian Collins was Elliott's long-serving main enforcement who was tasked with turning his audacious ideas into reality. Collins, who was main executive/general manager from 1981 until precocious 1993 earlier going connected to go the AFL's caput of football. He said Elliott built the nine into 1 of the biggest players successful Australian sport.
"John was the crystal shot ideas man, helium was fantastic for the club,″ Collins told The Age, adding that it was lone towards the extremity of Elliott's reign, erstwhile the nine wasn't travelling truthful well, that "his power wasn't truthful great.
"That's wherefore I challenged him (for the presidency).
"In my clip astatine the club, helium was terrific.″
New Carlton president Luke Sayers said Elliott's passionateness for the nine was ne'er questioned.
"Despite the challenges faced by the nine passim immoderate of those pugnacious years, John's passionateness and emotion for his nine ne'er wavered," Sayers said.
"We indispensable retrieve the galore achievements during his clip astatine the nine - the instrumentality of (Robert) Walls and Parkin, and the premierships they subsequently won; the recruitment of Kernahan, (Craig) Bradley and (Greg) Williams; the pridefulness successful the jumper and the emotion of Prince Park.
"John remained a passionate Carlton man, close passim his life. He ne'er stopped wanting to spot the Old Dark Navy Blues succeed."
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