Young Carlton supporter Archie Blackwood (front) was pleased with the Blues memorabilia his family bought at auction during Saturday's sponsors day. Captured are (from left) sponsorship officer Troy Notman, guest speaker, former AFL champion and Carlton Hall of Fame member Kade Simpson, and Wes and Chris Blackwood.
Warragul Football Netball Club sponsorship officer Troy Notman with former Carlton champion Kade Simpson.
Former Carlton star Kade Simpson was guest speaker at Warragul's sponsors day on Saturday.
Simpson regaled the crowd with stories from his 18 years in the AFL, including the many coaches he played under, his highlights and even the biggest spray he ever copped.
During an interview conducted by Warragul coach Jed Lamb, Simpson said the thing he most appreciated about his career was the longevity of it.
He joked about having not registered a disposal in his first three games of football and recalled the time he was recalled to the senior team entirely because he got into a scuffle in the twos.
"Denis (Pagan) really liked that, I guess," he said.
Simpson said his biggest 'what if' moment of his career was the 2011 final series, where the Blues were defeated in a semi-final against West Coast by just three points.
Simpson played 342 games for the Blues - the third most of any player in the club's history - and won their best and fairest in 2013.
Over his long and storied career he became a fan favourite amongst Carlton supporters, and he was the final player to retire from the 2002 draft.
Simpson was inducted into the Spirit of Carlton Hall of Fame earlier this year.
He also holds the unfortunate record of having played in the most losses in VFL/AFL history.
These days he is an assistant coach at Hawthorn under senior coach Sam Mitchell.
