An explosive biography about a footballer unlike any other. Phil Carman was capable of tearing a game apart. Despite his talent, he tore his own career apart.
When Phil Carman was a kid in Edenhope, he thought he wasn't good enough to play VFL football. But when Carman's father died in a Melbourne hospital, friends noticed a change. While his mates were hanging out together, Carman, at 14, was running long distances around his home town. At 16, he kicked six goals in a half for Edenhope in a trial game against Collingwood. A few months later, Carman was training with Collingwood.
But Carman later defied the VFL's zone system that tied him to Collingwood and went to Adelaide at Norwood's invitation. Carman and Norwood officials deliberately broke the rules, paying off a police officer to ensure they obtained a clearance. Incensed Collingwood officials launched the biggest interstate war ever seen in the VFL, forcing Carman out of football for two years.
A massive salary convinced him to move to Victoria in 1975. Carman's debut season is remembered as one of the best in VFL history. He was quickly dubbed Fabulous Phil. Despite missing eight games through injury, he won Collingwood's best and fairest, the Copeland Trophy and missed out on the Brownlow Medal by three votes. But the brilliance was punctuated by trouble.
Fabulous Phil is the story of a football nomad, a man craving success and determined to do it his own way. Carman amazed and frustrated teammates, coaches, officials and the fans. In Fabulous Phil, former players, coaches and umpires give insight into why success ultimately eluded Carman. And Carman tells his story, how it all happened.
