Lance Whitnall
| Lance Whitnall | |||
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| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 23 August 1979 | ||
| Original team(s) | Lalor / Northern Knights | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 31 March 1997, Carlton vs. Essendon, at Melbourne Cricket Ground |
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| Height / weight | 192cm / 100kg | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1997–2007 | Carlton | 216 (348) | |
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1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2007.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Lance Whitnall (born 23 August 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer, and the ex-captain of the Carlton Football Club.
Debuting in 1997 as a 17-year-old, the young Whitnall was recruited in the 1996 AFL Draft under the father-son rule, with his father Graeme having played 66 games for Carlton in the 1970s and 1980s.
The young red-headed, freckled Whitnall, known as "Banger", "Big Red" or simply "Red", quickly established himself in Carlton's best 22, kicking four goals on debut, and missing only a handful of games in 1997 and playing every game in 1998 and 1999. He became a vital part of Carlton's forward line, and in Round 17, 1998 against the Western Bulldogs, the then-19-year-old Whitnall became one of the youngest players to kick 8 goals in a game. It was in this match that he well and truly had established his presence. Whitnall finished with 46 goals for the 1998 season, followed by 55 goals in 1999.
In 2000 Whitnall had his best ever season when he kicked 70 goals, including his career best 9.4 against Brisbane in Round 16, and was named in the All-Australian Team.
However, From there, the talented Whitnall had suffered a number of setbacks in his career, with ongoing injury and weight problems.
In 2005, Whitnall turned around his previous weight problems and came out looking as fit as he had ever been. He performed very well during 2005 and 2006, playing predominately as the senior member of the Blues' young backline. He capped off a solid 2006 with victory in the Blues' best and fairest (the John Nicholls Medal), and at the age of 27, Whitnall became the second youngest Carlton player (after Robert Walls) to play 200 AFL games.
A long term member of the leadership team, and widely regarded as having one of the best football brains in the game, Whitnall first took over the captaincy of the team during Anthony Koutoufides' hand injury in 2006, and became the full-time captain in 2007 after Koutoufides relinquished the position. However he struggled in 2007 with ongoing problems with a degenerative condition in his knee. At the completion of the 2007 season, concerns by the club about his degenerative knee being able to stand up to the pressures of AFL football forced Whitnall into retirement, bringing his 11 season, 216 game career at Carlton to an end at 28 years of age.
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