by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
They called him Adonis after the Greek god because of his physique. Sometimes he was just likened to a Greek god in general. Gods are impervious to harm and injury, but Anthony Koutoufides, despite his on-field feats which sometimes seemed to defy mere humans, is still mortal. His mortality finally caught up with him in the form of a degenerative hip. Although he was keen to see out the season, scans last week revealed the injury to be worse than originally thought. Thus, Kouta has been forced to bring down the curtain on a stellar 278 game career which began in 1992. Those 278 games for Carlton has him listed sixth on the list of games played in the navy blue. He joined the Blues as a young teenager, playing in Carlton's junior side at the age of 15. He worked his way up through the ranks to play in the Under-19s, played in Carlton's 1991 preseason side, and made his senior debut in 1992.
Kouta broke down in tears when he told his teammates ahead of a training session. Afterward, there were hugs and handshakes all around. Kouta said it was all very emotional and a sad day. He said reaching the 300 game mark was a spur for him to keep going. At the start of the season, he needed 33 more games to reach the mark, but deep down he knew his time was coming several weeks ago after the game against Brisbane when he felt his hip tighten up. At first he thought it might just be a muscle strain but it flared again during last week's game and he even had difficulty walking. As the 34 year old Kouta put it, "My body was starting to scream at me". Kouta said he has no regrets, except perhaps the injuries which stopped him from playing the way he used to. Koutoufides has battled injuries since being a Brownlow favorite in 2000. He required a knee reconstruction at the end of 2001 and missed most of the 2002 season. Back and hamstring injuries wrecked the first half of his 2004 season, and he missed six games this season.
He said the 1995 premiership was the highlight of his career. He was an integral part of the 1995 team. That year, Carlton barnstormed the league, winning 20 out of 22 games, losing only two games midseason. After those two losses, they went on to win 16 games straight, including the 10-goal belting of Geelong in the Grand Final.
Carlton football director Stephen Kernahan paid tribute to his former teammate, saying he had never seen a better player than Koutoufides at his prime. Kernahan mentioned the 2000 season, saying he had never seen any other player do what Kouta did in the 14 games he played that year. He went on to describe Kouta as "...a giant of this footy club and a giant of the AFL" and a "...fantastic humble champion..." whom everyone loved.
Former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain said Koutoufides was "probably a better person leaving the game than he was coming in".
Carlton CEO Greg Swann said the entire club was disappointed that Koutoufides’ career had been cut short and described Kouta as an outstanding person. Swann said in part, "...we can only imagine how his career may have been if he had not been cruelly cut down by injuries....in his prime.”
In a Carlton media statement, Koutoufides said the club had been “a second home...for most of my life. I want to thank the club, the players and all the Carlton people for the wonderful support they have given me during my career....I have been very lucky to have been a part of this great club.”
Tributes to Koutoufides began this weekend with a lap of honor at the MCG ahead of the game against Collingwood. There will be a testimonial dinner in two weeks. The club has announced it will retire Kouta's No, 43 next season. Koutoufides wore the No. 43 jumper more than any player in AFL history, a record he took off his Carlton predecessor David McKay.
Wayne Carey did it. Gary Ablett, Sr. did it. James Hird has done it. Chris Judd has and can do it. Every once in awhile, a player comes along who can turn a game on his own. The aforementioned players had and have that ability. So did Kouta. That ability was perhaps most evident in the 1999 preliminary final against Essendon, in which the Blues came back from eleven points down at 3/4 time to snatch an amazing one point win. Kouta was at the center of that epic clash, especially the final term.
Carlton had seemingly blown it after leading by 16 points at 1/4 time and 24 points at 1/2 time. Essendon blitzed the Blues in the third term, kicking 7.7 (49 points) to grab the lead at 3/4 time. At the start of the final term, Kouta was at center half back opposed to Bomber defender Dustin Fletcher of all people, who had been thrown forward. Was Essendon Coach Kevin Sheedy experimenting or desperate? We'll never know. For the record, he finished the game with 29 possessions, 12 marks, and two goals. Seven of those marks were in contested situations against other players, including Bombers.
His next 15 or so games in 2001, when put together the best sequence in AFL history for a midfielder, was Kouta at his zenith. However, that final was Kouta at his all-powerful, outstanding best. As it should be, he was declared best on ground in that game.
THE KOUTA FILE
GAMES: 278
GOALS: 226
Premierships: 1995
All-Australian: 1995, 2000
AFLPA MVP: 2000
Preseason Premiership: 1997, 2000, 2007
B&F: 2001, 2005
Club Leading Goalkicker: 1997
Captain: 2005-2006
Carlton Life Member
Source: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, AFL Record Season Guide 2007
They called him Adonis after the Greek god because of his physique. Sometimes he was just likened to a Greek god in general. Gods are impervious to harm and injury, but Anthony Koutoufides, despite his on-field feats which sometimes seemed to defy mere humans, is still mortal. His mortality finally caught up with him in the form of a degenerative hip. Although he was keen to see out the season, scans last week revealed the injury to be worse than originally thought. Thus, Kouta has been forced to bring down the curtain on a stellar 278 game career which began in 1992. Those 278 games for Carlton has him listed sixth on the list of games played in the navy blue. He joined the Blues as a young teenager, playing in Carlton's junior side at the age of 15. He worked his way up through the ranks to play in the Under-19s, played in Carlton's 1991 preseason side, and made his senior debut in 1992.
Kouta broke down in tears when he told his teammates ahead of a training session. Afterward, there were hugs and handshakes all around. Kouta said it was all very emotional and a sad day. He said reaching the 300 game mark was a spur for him to keep going. At the start of the season, he needed 33 more games to reach the mark, but deep down he knew his time was coming several weeks ago after the game against Brisbane when he felt his hip tighten up. At first he thought it might just be a muscle strain but it flared again during last week's game and he even had difficulty walking. As the 34 year old Kouta put it, "My body was starting to scream at me". Kouta said he has no regrets, except perhaps the injuries which stopped him from playing the way he used to. Koutoufides has battled injuries since being a Brownlow favorite in 2000. He required a knee reconstruction at the end of 2001 and missed most of the 2002 season. Back and hamstring injuries wrecked the first half of his 2004 season, and he missed six games this season.
He said the 1995 premiership was the highlight of his career. He was an integral part of the 1995 team. That year, Carlton barnstormed the league, winning 20 out of 22 games, losing only two games midseason. After those two losses, they went on to win 16 games straight, including the 10-goal belting of Geelong in the Grand Final.
Carlton football director Stephen Kernahan paid tribute to his former teammate, saying he had never seen a better player than Koutoufides at his prime. Kernahan mentioned the 2000 season, saying he had never seen any other player do what Kouta did in the 14 games he played that year. He went on to describe Kouta as "...a giant of this footy club and a giant of the AFL" and a "...fantastic humble champion..." whom everyone loved.
Former Carlton coach Wayne Brittain said Koutoufides was "probably a better person leaving the game than he was coming in".
Carlton CEO Greg Swann said the entire club was disappointed that Koutoufides’ career had been cut short and described Kouta as an outstanding person. Swann said in part, "...we can only imagine how his career may have been if he had not been cruelly cut down by injuries....in his prime.”
In a Carlton media statement, Koutoufides said the club had been “a second home...for most of my life. I want to thank the club, the players and all the Carlton people for the wonderful support they have given me during my career....I have been very lucky to have been a part of this great club.”
Tributes to Koutoufides began this weekend with a lap of honor at the MCG ahead of the game against Collingwood. There will be a testimonial dinner in two weeks. The club has announced it will retire Kouta's No, 43 next season. Koutoufides wore the No. 43 jumper more than any player in AFL history, a record he took off his Carlton predecessor David McKay.
Wayne Carey did it. Gary Ablett, Sr. did it. James Hird has done it. Chris Judd has and can do it. Every once in awhile, a player comes along who can turn a game on his own. The aforementioned players had and have that ability. So did Kouta. That ability was perhaps most evident in the 1999 preliminary final against Essendon, in which the Blues came back from eleven points down at 3/4 time to snatch an amazing one point win. Kouta was at the center of that epic clash, especially the final term.
Carlton had seemingly blown it after leading by 16 points at 1/4 time and 24 points at 1/2 time. Essendon blitzed the Blues in the third term, kicking 7.7 (49 points) to grab the lead at 3/4 time. At the start of the final term, Kouta was at center half back opposed to Bomber defender Dustin Fletcher of all people, who had been thrown forward. Was Essendon Coach Kevin Sheedy experimenting or desperate? We'll never know. For the record, he finished the game with 29 possessions, 12 marks, and two goals. Seven of those marks were in contested situations against other players, including Bombers.
His next 15 or so games in 2001, when put together the best sequence in AFL history for a midfielder, was Kouta at his zenith. However, that final was Kouta at his all-powerful, outstanding best. As it should be, he was declared best on ground in that game.
THE KOUTA FILE
GAMES: 278
GOALS: 226
Premierships: 1995
All-Australian: 1995, 2000
AFLPA MVP: 2000
Preseason Premiership: 1997, 2000, 2007
B&F: 2001, 2005
Club Leading Goalkicker: 1997
Captain: 2005-2006
Carlton Life Member
Source: Melbourne Age, Herald Sun, AFL Record Season Guide 2007
Article last changed on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 1:49 AM EDT
