Sunday Shout: Jon Anderson speaks to former Carlton player Brad Pearce ahead of 1995 premiership reunion
It is three decades since Carlton’s last AFL premiership. One of the architects of that premiership reflects on the anniversary and why his career never reached those same heights.
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The name Brad Pearce isn’t always instantly recognisable to the broader AFL community, yet his role in Carlton’s 1995 premiership was every bit as important as his legendary teammates.
And when the dominant Blues of ’95 gather on Sunday to be feted at the MCG, Pearce’s 52-goal season as a fast-leading, 185cm forward will be spoken of with the reverence it deserves. Pearce, 53, runs a cleaning business on the Mornington Peninsula.
JA: Tell me the Brad Pearce story?
BP: I grew up around Springvale and at age 15 gave up footy when I made the Victorian schoolboy cricket team, but I filled in for my school footy team one day and that’s when St Kilda recruiter John Beveridge recruited me.
JA: Which began a football journey up and down the eastern seaboard?
BP: Yes, St Kilda for three years then to South Launceston under Bob Keddie where Shane O’Sullivan saw me play and got me to the Brisbane Bears in 1993. I tore my groin and missed most of the year, then ‘Shayno’ (O’Sullivan) went back to Carlton and recruited me there. Shane is a great person who I owe a lot to, and that’s why he has lasted so long in the industry.
JA: And then you had your breakout 1995 season?
BP: It was the only full pre-season I had in seven AFL years, and it showed in my play. Plus I was on the end of midfielders like Craig Bradley, Fraser Brown, Brett Ratten and Anthony Koutoufides, but the best pass would be “Diesel” (Greg Williams) ahead of “Kouta”. Ken Judge as assistant coach was great, constantly drilling balls at me.
JA: You had the footy world at your feet, four goals in the grand final, four in the preliminary final, so what happened?
BP: I ruptured a patellar tendon which led to hamstring and back injuries, which basically ended my career at 28. But I’m happy with what transpired given I got that flag.
JA: Importantly for Blues supporters you have a son named Harry and daughter Phoebe in Carlton’s academy?
BP: They both love their footy and are going well. They have got me back to the club because I hadn’t really been around for 20 years or attended any previous 1995 reunions. Again, it was Shane O’Sullivan who invited the kids.
JA: Didn’t Rex Hunt used to have some fun with your surname, such as “Kernahan on, Pearce-off”?
BP: Rex was good value and my name suited his style.
JA: Do you love today’s game?
BP: I don’t love it, and I thought the 1995 style was more watchable. But there have been some better games in the past year.
JA: Do you get recognised often?
BP: No, which suits me, although Carlton people remember my name I guess.
JA: Other 1995 memories?
BP: We played Geelong in front of 30,000 at Princes Park in round 12 and, after kicking two goals early, I got knocked clean out by a Tim McGrath shirt-front. Incredibly, considering today’s world, they put me back on in the last quarter and I kicked two to help us win by three points. I remembered nothing about it.
JA: Who were your hardest opponents?
BP: I only played 79 games but Glenn Archer and Duncan Kellaway stood out. I used to try to get them with speed.
Last time at @FlemingtonVRC these famous silks of @BallymoreStabls - retired as the transition to @lindsayparkrace takes effect next month.
— Bruce Clark (@snowyclark) April 25, 2025
First time Happy Star 1997 Winter Champs before many other inc Brew in The Cup of course.
Nice touch Rupert Legh carrying them Cavalry Man pic.twitter.com/70QLHHzcIA
MELBOURNE CUP-WINNING COLOURS ‘RETIRED’
Racing farewelled the final piece of the Mike Moroney legacy at Flemington on Friday.
Moroney passed away last month, ending a stellar training career on both sides of the Tasman Sea, which included a Melbourne Cup win with Brew in 2000.
Moroney’s friend and long-time client Rupert Legh allowed the family’s silks of light blue with black sleeves to be carried a final time in an Anzac Day race.
Cavalry Man couldn’t notch a poignant win for the colours but Flemington still provided a fitting farewell for the Moroneyf amily silks.
“It’s a sad time, but we can reflect on so many great moments and Mike’s great training career and how well he represented the family colours,” Moroney’s brother, Paul, said.
- Brad Waters
NBA STAR’S TIGERS FAMILY CONNECTION
Hours before his shock NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award snub, one of the biggest names in Australian basketball Dyson Daniels was all smiles as he mingled with fans at the MCG.
Much like Cleveland’s Evan Mobley getting the better of Daniels — despite an historic season where he became the youngest player in NBA history to nab over 200 steals in a season, the emergent young Boomers guard watched his beloved Richmond go down to Melbourne.
Draped in a Tigers scarf, the Bendigo-born Atlanta guard, home for a little RnR after a breakout season that helped the Hawks reach the NBA play-in tournament, took selfies with supporters from both teams.
While he’s always been a diehard Tiger, the once talented junior footballer has extra reason to shout “yellow and black” during the theme song, given older brother Kai has switched from the hardwood to the Sherrin and plays for Richmond’s VFL affiliate.
All is not lost yet in the NBA awards races for Daniels — the 22-year-old re
NBA star Dyson Daniels and brother Kai (who plays for @RichmondVFL) are at the 'G tonight 👋
— AFL (@AFL) April 24, 2025
(via: @Richmond_FC) pic.twitter.com/WI6rhscPVS
mains a chance at silverware as a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player Award.
It’s the perfect time for Daniels to take a breath — the Paris Olympian becomes extension eligible with the Hawks on July 6, meaning he can begin negotiations on a new long-term deal that could be worth as much as a mind-boggling $320 million over five years.
LOCAL FOOTY PRESIDENT’S EMBARRASSING ‘STOLEN’ CAR STORY
The president of a local football powerhouse was left red-faced after a recent lunch with friends.
The gentleman in question was out for lunch (a non-boozy one, we’re assured) with a couple of clubmates before getting a shockwhen he left to run errands in the afternoon.
Our man was stunned not to see his work ute in the parking spot in which he thought he left it, sparking a frantic phone call to the police.
But our friend, who was dobbed in to us by his “mates”, soon had to ring the police again to call off the alert.
He finally remembered he had driven to lunch in his wife’s car, which was sitting right where he parked it, sparking many an SMS from his companions.
- Brad Waters
HORVATH JOINS TAR HEELS
Prokick’s Jacob Horvath, who has previously spent two seasons as a punter with Eastern Illinois, has been snapped up by the North Carolina Tar Heels for the next two seasons.
The really exciting part is Horvath, a product of McKinnon Secondary College, will play under the coaching of legendary six-time Super Bowl mentor Bill Belichick, 73, who joined the Tar Heels over the US summer.
THE $7 BILLION HAMILTON IMPACT
Those wondering why Ferrari chose to pay mega-millions for an under-performing 40-year-old named Lewis Hamilton, look no further than the dollars.
Or in monetary terms, following the initial announcement of Hamilton’s signing with the Dancing Horse, the company’s market capitalisation surged by approximately $7 billion, or 10 per cent, for a new high of $69.12 billion.
KB’S TOUCHING JUMPER PRESENTATION
A touching moment at Caulfield Grammar’s jumper presentation during the week when the great Kevin Bartlett handed over a guernsey to the school’s First XVIII captain.
“KB’s” grandson Cal Smith was the recipient. Smith is described as a midfielder with obvious leadership ball-winning ability. Good to see Bartlett out and about, as he’s also appearing on Monday nights at 3AW with Matt Granland.
STACKPOLE’S ULTIMATE XI
Just last week in a conversation over coffee, the late Keith Stackpole was asked to name the best 11 players he opposed during his Test career that ran from 1966-74.
His team read accordingly: Barry Richards, Geoff Boycott, Rohan Kanhai, Graeme Pollock, Ken Barrington, Sir Garfield Sobers, Alan Knott, Mike Procter, Sir Richard Hadlee, John Snow and Erapalli Prasanna.
THE NINE-YEAR-OLD GOLF PRODIGY
Try to think of what you were doing at age nine and it certainly wouldn’t have been playing junior pennant as Jasper Xu has been successfully doing in recent weeks for Spring Valley.
The Nunawading Christian College Year 4 student, who plays off 8.1 and who recently shot 78 at Peninsula Kingswood, won his last pennant match 8&7 and will line up next Saturday in the pennant final.
Originally published as Sunday Shout: Jon Anderson speaks to former Carlton player Brad Pearce ahead of 1995 premiership reunion
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