COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB

'Collingwood Football Club', nicknamed 'The Magpies', is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League. The players wear black and white striped guernseys, similar to the colours of a 'magpie'.
Collingwood has won 14 VFL/AFL premierships, second to Essendon and Carlton who are on 16. The club traditionally represented the working class inner Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, Victoria, however it has since moved its base to the Lexus Centre in Melbourne and its traditional suburban home ground Victoria Park to the much larger Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Magpies are known for their passionate supporter base, particularly known as "''The Magpie Army''". Traditional Melbourne suburban rivalries Essendon^[1] and Richmond^[2] remain fierce, although the national league may have diluted this feeling somewhat^[3]. The long held rivalry with Carlton, for example, has waned in recent years^[4]. Despite this, Collingwood has gained interstate rivals and has retained the reputation in the national competition as the ''"team everybody loves to hate"'' (except, that is, for the massive number of Collingwood supporters) - jealousy could be a factor in this.^[5]
The club was traditionally known in Melbourne as the "Catholic" club, possibly due to support in the 1920s from the wealthy businessman John Wren, and also due to the support of Irish descendants living in the Collingwood slums in the early years of the 20th century. This was even shown in an Australian version of a play by Adam Kreuzer, based on the film The Wanderers, where the Ducky Boys (The Irish Catholic gang) are all Collingwood Football Club supporters.
Historically Collingwood games attracted large attendances, which in recent times has become a source of pride for supporters who have been starved of true on-field success. In 1970, 121,696 spectators watched Carlton defeat Collingwood in the grand final, the record attendance for a football game of any code in Australia. Collingwood has the largest membership of the ten Victorian clubs.^[6] The average crowd at Collingwood home games in 2006 was 52,883.
The club's motto is "Floreat Pica", translated from Latin as "May the Magpies flourish".

Contents

History

Background; the formation

VFL calling, Pies answering

1950 - 1990

The 1990s

2000s

2001

2002-2003

2004-2005

2006

2007

Off field

Other information

Membership

Records

Current playing list

Individual awards

Best and Fairest

Brownlow Medal winners

Leigh Matthews Trophy winners

Coleman Medal winners

Norm Smith Medal winners

Mark of the Year winners

Goal of the Year winners

Notable records

Records set by players

Team of the Century

Club jumpers

Club song

Notable Fans

See also

References

External links

History

Background; the formation

For several years in the late 1880s the idea of a Collingwood Football Club had been raised but nothing had eventuated. Finally a meeting was held in February 1892 and a large, enthusiastic crowd heralded the formation of the Collingwood Football Club. The club would play at Victoria Park in Abbotsford and the council immediately put in place plans to upgrade the ground to the standard of the VFA. It was decided that the municipality needed a football team to compete against Collingwood's neighbour and rival, Fitzroy. The Victorian Football Association (VFA) was the premier Australian rules football competition in Victoria and Collingwood was accepted into this competition immediately. There were some links to an established junior club, the Britannia Football Club.
The first Collingwood match was played at Victoria Park on May the 7th, 1892 against the Carlton Blues. The new grandstand and players rooms were not yet completed, forcing the players to change at the Yarra Hotel and run up Johnston Street to the ground. A very large crowd of around 16,000 patrons greeted the players. Collingwood lost to Carlton that day but success was not far away as the Magpies defeated Williamstown at Gellibrand Oval 4 goals to 3. (Points were not counted in those days)
The team improved quickly and Collingwood won its first and only VFA premiership in 1896, defeating South Melbourne. At the end of the 1896 season Collingwood and South Melbourne finished exactly equal at the top of the ladder and it was decided that a Grand Final was required to decide the premiership. Collingwood won the first ever VFA Grand Final on October 3 at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, beating South by 6 goals to 5.
Collingwood was not the only professional Australian football club nicknamed the Magpies. In 1997, the SANFL's Port Adelaide Football Club entered the AFL. The Port Adelaide Magpies had to change their name to the "Power" and they also abandoned their previous black and white colour scheme. However, the Power continues to sponsor a SANFL team, under the traditional name of the Port Adelaide Magpies.

VFL calling, Pies answering

In 1897, Collingwood with fellow VFA clubs Fitzroy, Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton, Essendon, South Melbourne and Geelong split from the VFA and formed the VFL (Victorian Football League).

Collingwood is notable for holding the greatest run of successive premierships - four in a row from 1927–1930 and having the longest serving coach in the history on the VFL/AFL, Jock McHale who coached Collingwood from 1912 until 1949 after playing for the magpies from 1902 until 1921. But equally renowned has been their tendency to lose grand finals since the 1960s (after couragesly getting themselves into them).

1950 - 1990

Their 1958 premiership was to be their last for 32 years. The victory in 1958 was an underdog victory, with Collingwood motivated to prevent their opponent Melbourne winning its fourth successive Grand Final. In 1959 and 1960 Melbourne won again, so Collingwood's 1958 victory was essential to protect the club's greatest claim to fame. During this drought, fans remarkably had to endure no less than nine fruitless grand finals (1960, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977 (drawn, then lost in a replay the following week to North Melbourne), 1979, 1980, 1981), inspiring the term "Colliwobbles" to signify a choking phenomenon.

The 1990s

The 1990 Premiership, coached by Leigh Matthews and skippered by Tony Shaw provided relief via a one-sided affair against Essendon, the Magpies going on to record a 48 point victory.
Unfortunately, however, the club relapsed into a state of decline, their status as a potential powerhouse at the beginning of the decade was reduced with each passing season, the club contesting the finals only twice after 1990 (in 1992 and 1994, losses to St Kilda and West Coast respectively).
With an air of stagnation and staleness sweeping the stands at Victoria Park, the club opted to call time on Matthews’ ten year stay, opting to find a replacement from inside the club, selecting Shaw as the new coach. In hindsight, although he tried his best, Shaw was probably the wrong choice for the club at the time, new blood from another culture at another club the order of the day.
Under Shaw the team developed the habit of beginning their seasons like a house on fire, before tapering off as the year wore on. To make matters worse, the state of the list was in disrepair due to poor blend of veterans past their use by date, poor drafting and bungled trades.
In Shaw's first year as coach, 1996, the team was more attacking than it had been under Matthews, but injuries to skipper Gavin Brown and key players in Graham Wright and Damian Monkhorst derailed the year. The team crept very close to the edge midway through the year, very nearly becoming the first Collingwood team to lose eight games on the trot; a rousing ten goal victory over North Melbourne in round 15, propelled by stunning performances from Nathan Buckley and Saverio Rocca proving the tonic to hold the record at bay. For the time being.
With the recruitment of Anthony Rocca, Saverio Rocca's younger brother, 1997 took on a sense of optimism, and the team appeared a chance of living up to the hype when they reached the top of the league ladder after only eight rounds, losing only two matches to that point in time.
But after leading by 37 points at quarter time on a boggy MCG over the previous years runners up, Sydney, the rot set in for good, the team capitulating to go down in demoralising fashion, only Jason Wild and Richard Osborne looking handy in attack with the Rocca brothers failing to fire a shot.
The loss has been relegated to the history books as just another match, however, when you delve deeper into the annals of Collingwood’s history, it proved much more than just a game.
The Magpies lost to Hawthorn at Waverley Park the following week on a typically wet and miserable day, failing to score a goal in the opening term as the Hawks blitzed all comers. The wheels were again set in motion for another winless June, the team finally snapping out of its slump at the ground it knew like no other, Victoria Park in round 15 against Fremantle. The match took on much relevance, a 100 point victory celebrated in Buckley’s 100th outing, Saverio Rocca scoring nine goals.
The season petered out, the team lacking the polish to crack it for September action, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the side on show in the final two weeks, with a narrow defeat at the hands of Adelaide snuffing out any finals hopes before ending the year on a high note, a strong win over perennial powerhouse North Melbourne. At least the club had something to work with in the future.
Sadly, 1998 proved much of the same for Shaw, but without the rousing finish. Instead, another bright start paved the way for some heavy losses midseason, successive victories in rounds 15 and 16 over Geelong and Hawthorn in the wet the club’s final opportunity to belt out its favourite tune until round eight of 1999.
One loss followed another, as the team plummeted to an all new low, losing the final six matches of the year.
The true bottoming out of the football club occurred after what was dubbed an insipid performance against oldest and most hated rival Carlton in round 21 at the MCG. Scoring a dismal 6.15 for the match, it is remembered by many as the very day the Collingwood Football Club’s nose dive from premiers in 1990 to easybeats was completed. Players struggled for direction as their opponents blew them out of the water.
But as they say, the darkest hour is before dawn, and so it proved for Collingwood. The match paved the way for Eddie McGuire, then a media mogul with Channel 9 and Triple M, to open his doors to the idea of presidency, a position he was elected to after the season concluded, and one in which he remains in today, presiding over the reformation of the Collingwood Football Club.
In one of the only bright moments of the year, Buckley finished second in the Brownlow Medal to Saint Robert Harvey on 24 votes, winning his third Copeland Trophy and relieving Brown of the captaincy.
Although the side may have finished 16th and collected only its second wooden spoon in season 1999, things were changing around Victoria Park, including the ground itself. It now hosted its final two home and away matches (losses to West Coast in round three and Brisbane in round 22), whilst seeing the end of Shaw as coach, Brown as captain and the introduction at season's end of some likely lads in Josh Fraser, Rhyce Shaw and Ben Johnson. Not to mention supercoach Mick Malthouse. But more on that later.
First, the club’s 13-match losing streak (rounds 17, 1998 to 7, 1999) came to an end, Buckley returning from a broken jaw suffered in round two on Easter Monday’s loss to Carlton to pilot the side to a well celebrated win in the mud and slush of the MCG. Buckley’s return to action was heralded with four goals of his own and three Brownlow Votes, and the team overcame fellow cellar dweller Fremantle.
If it wasn’t for his untimely jaw injury, suffered when his head collided with Blue wingman Justin Murphy’s knee, Buckley may well have won his first Brownlow Medal, finishing equal third with Blues ruckman Matthew Allan on 20 votes, eight behind overall winner Shane Crawford.
The team, under the guidance of Shaw for the final time, produced some bright sparks in amongst the smouldering ashes of the 1990s, sparks which morphed over time into phoenixes providing hope of a bright future, in Chris Tarrant, Paul Licuria, Tarkyn Lockyer, Anthony Rocca, Nick Davis, Heath Scotland, Damien Adkins and Rupert Betheras. The eight formed the nucleus along with incoming draftees who joined the club over the next three years as part of the 2001-2003 surge back up the ladder.
As the game farewelled Victoria Park as a league ground in the final match of the year, a damp squib of a match despite the off field staff's best efforts, the day tarred by poor weather and a Brisbane side destined for greater things.
It also signified the end of Shaw after four years and little success, and experienced stalwarts of the decade, Monkhorst, Alex McDonald and Scott Crow, also waved into the sunset (or, in Monkhorst’s case, Moorabbin at St Kilda).
The summer of 1999 also signified a new beginning at Victoria Park, the dawn of a bold, bright and hopefully new era for Collingwood. Mick Malthouse, master coach in the West and successful footballer in his heyday, was lured to the club by McGuire, Buckley re-signed to the tune of five years, and the club finally made good use of its good draft picks after years of frittering away opportunities, snaring ruck protégé Josh Fraser with the first selection in the 1999 National Draft, lightning fast wingman Rhyce Shaw, the son of former club captain Ray and nephew of Tony, his mate from the northern suburbs, the gritty, pacy and daring Ben Johnson and Perth’s indigenous livewire Leon Davis. Interestingly, three of the trio formed part of the club’s leadership group in 2007, with Davis also noted for his growing confidence in a leadership capacity.
With Malthouse unveiled in a Renault alongside Buckley, things were looking up. But he soon realised that there was work to be done, and plenty of it.
The club agreed to play old foe Carlton, rebounding from a Grand Final loss to the Kangaroos only months earlier, on the final night of the millennium on an MCG recovering from the Test cricket played only days earlier.
In hindsight, it may have been dubbed the ‘match of the century’, but it could easily have been known as the ‘mismatch of the century, such was the difference between the two sides. Hardly anything at all could have been read from the night, except that Blues youngster Brendan Fevola (12 goals) had a future, and that there was a long, hard road ahead for the Collingwood Football Club before it reached its glory days of yore once again.

2000s

Under Malthouse, the club displayed glimpses of what was on offer in the coming years with the young brigade leading the way to a 5-0 start to season 2000, a turnaround previously unheard of from such no names. Buckley was everywhere in the opening half of the year, the Rocca brothers returned to their best form, and the kids, Adkins, Fraser, Johnson and Davis, enjoyed debuts to remember in the round one drubbing of Hawthorn on a sweltering MCG under hot Melbourne skies.
It all came to a grinding halt in round six when reigning premiers brought the kids back to earth with a shudder, giving them an old fashioned football lesson. The rot set in again, albeit somewhat more accepted by the Collingwood faithful than it would previously have been, for they knew Malthouse’s plan, and how pain would be endured before they were rewarded with the promised pleasure.
Minus a breezy win over eventual spooners St Kilda, there was not much to like about the Magpies until the closing stages of the season, when Nick Davis led the side to a rousing victory over the Kangaroos at Colonial Stadium. In the final round of the season, the club bid adieu to two of its finest products in Gavin Brown and Gavin Crosisca against a premiership bound Essendon at the MCG in round 22.
Brown and Crosisca were at the forefront of the club’s quasi-glory days of the late 80s and early, early 90s and were bastions of hope in the dark days of the later decade. They received a stunning goodbye from the crowd and a sentimental and terrifically sporting gesture from Essendon and their coach Kevin Sheedy, who stood nearby and clapped the two Gavins from the ground for one last time on the shoulders of their teammates. Brown would remain to this very day at the club in the capacity of an assistant coach, while Crosisca traveled the state in the same guise, albeit with stints at Hawthorn, North Ballarat, the Kangaroos and now Carlton.
With the final line of Brown and Crosisca’s songs sung, not a player remained on the list from the 1990 premiership side. The era of days gone by had gone, but it wouldn’t be forgotten, however the new blood was coming through, thick and fast. September action was just around the corner.

2001

The season of 2001 marked a whole new beginning for the Collingwood Football Club. Whilst, yes, it had new personal in 2000, the club used much of the year to clean out deadwood which was stagnating at the club. As Brown and Crosisca departed, so to did Brad Smith, Ricky Olarenshaw, Shane Watson and a number of others. But the biggest shocks came in the form of the trading of Paul Williams and the delisting of Saverio Rocca. Although the pair had not seen their best form for a year or two, it still came as a surprise to many at the speed the Magpies gave them away. The club, though, received nothing for Rocca’s services, which was quite absurd, considering the fact that the Kangaroos were able to draft him with the 34th selection in the 2000 National Draft.
To add to the new fresh air passing through the club, the team now donned a newlook jumper. For over 100 years, the Magpies had worn a jumper with black stripes on a white background. Now, it was reversed, the players wearing a black back on their jumper with a white number, and the colours of each stripe were reversed.
The year began brightly, with some promising showings in the Ansett Cup morphing into some heartening displays in the real season, with the youth, in the form of Shane O’Bree, Paul Licuria and Tarkyn Lockyer picking up much of the slack from Buckley in the midfield.
The club’s busy trading in the off season of 2000/2001 also paid dividends, with James Clement, Jarrod Molloy, Shane Wakelin Brodie Holland, Carl Steinfort and Chad Rintoul all having the desired impact, using their matured bodies and desire to make the best of a second chance (or in the cases of Molloy and Rintoul, their third) at league level. Molloy’s bullocking work, in particular, won him accolades from all comers, going on to finish runner up to Licuria in the Copeland Trophy.
Even more important to the club’s future was the youth drafted over the course of the past two seasons, with Alan Didak and Ryan Lonie immediately adding spark to the team, while Jason Cloke and Guy Richards were cultivated with Williamstown in the VFL. Lonie’s meteoric rise, in particular, stole hearts of Collingwood fans around the nation with his daring runs, flashy bouncing and long range bombs from outside the fifty winning plaudits from many up the pecking order in the AFL, nominated for the Ansett Rising Star for his troubles following another night out at the MCG against Richmond in round four.
That match also marked the one, and only, match for highly rated recruit Danny Roach. Selected with the seventh choice in the 1999 National Draft, Roach’s career was curtailed by nagging hip injuries which forced him to retire after only two years in the system.
Under Malthouse, the players began showing greater awareness and maturing, and were now standing their own when the temperature rose in the kitchen. After a narrow loss to Hawthorn due to inaccurate kicking, the Pies went on to win their next two matches against Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs, with Buckley leading the way, winning a remarkable, career high 46 disposals against the Dockers, piloting the way to victory, before playing a large role in the side’s huge victory over the Bulldogs on a sandy Colonial Stadium.

Some more close losses ensued against Richmond and Essendon on Anzac Day; the latter a match which could easily have been won had the Magpies made the most of their opportunities. A strong, nail biting triumph over Carlton the following week on Federation Weekend gave the squad the impetus to mount a finals challenge.
The team stumbled badly in round seven against their favourite bullies from the previous decade, the Kangaroos. With the match there for the taking late in the day, Mrs.Rocca simply did not know which way to look. At one end, eldest son Sav put his side in front with minutes remaining, while in the dying seconds, Anthony had the chance to win it for the Pies. He was unable to convert, the side to rue the missed opportunity much later in the season. The irony that Sav, the man cut loose free of charge by the club only months prior, was the man to win the match was too much to bear for many diehards. The match also marked the debut of 2006 Copeland Trophy winner Alan Didak.
Fortunately, the group was able to turn around their misfortune with a victory over Port Adelaide one for the highlight reels. Despite playing in foreign territory in front of a hostile crowd, the Magpies bit hard all night, with Josh Fraser’s intercept of Brett Montgomery’s handball late in the piece and ensuing goal wrapping up a morale boosting nine point triumph.
The club defeated St Kilda in unconvincing fashion on an overcast day a week later before succumbing to the flooding, negative ways of Rodney Eade and his Sydney Swans. The Swans were ultra defensive all day, flooding so much so to the extent that it was thought that Colonial Stadium would be eroded away into the docklands and beyond!
Swamped by such negative tactics, the Magpies were never able to drag themselves out of the mire, the match memorable only for Paul Williams’ return to face his old side, Buckley’s hamstring injury and Molloy’s spectacular launch over Swan fullback Andrew Dunkley. Sadly, for Molloy, the mark was not paid due to an indiscretion by Rocca, robbing Molloy of one of the marks of 2001.
Two thumping victories over Melbourne and the lowly West Coast followed, with the club now well placed for bigger and better things, only to be struck down by their famed slump not long after. With Buckley back in toe, he led the side to a gritty two point triumph over Adelaide at Football Park, winning 38 possessions in a virtuoso performance.
Times quickly changed, with Geelong, Brisbane and then Hawthorn all steamrolling the young, tiring Magpies, dragging them back into the pack. With September not far away, there was little room for error.
The team suffered a fright in their encounter with the winless Dockers in round 17 at Subiaco Oval, before a loss to the Tigers under lights, a night which saw the side score only six goals (three to Nick Davis), all but put the kibosh on the team’s finals aspirations.
A thrashing of the Western Bulldogs, led by Buckley, Fraser and four Leon Davis goals kept their heads above water for the time being, before they were shoved under by Essendon under lights. Despite the loss, the team gave a proper account of themselves, Rocca leading the way with six goals, before the Bombers crept away late. The Pies victory push was stalled when Molloy looked to clean up Bomber wingman Mark Mercuri, but instead decapitated teammate Tarkyn Lockyer, concussion sidelining the likeable West Australian for the remaining two matches.
Carlton decided the hand the club a walloping in round 21, before the team, minus Lonie for the first time that season, a remarkable effort for a debutant, cruised to victory over the Kangaroos at Manuka Oval, Canberra, a win trumpeted as the changing of the guard by many, with the Roos on the slide, and the Magpies on the rise. It proved the final match for Brent Tuckey and Andrew Ukovic, while Heath Scotland saved his career with a 21 possession afternoon.
And so the season was done with, Collingwood finishing 9th and narrowly missing out on finals action for the first time since 1994. It was their highest finish since their most recent September showing. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long before they again featured in the game’s showpiece.

2002-2003

McGuire, led an on and off field modernisation mission which helped the team to reach the grand final in 2002 and 2003. Ironically, it was Leigh Matthews who coached the Brisbane Lions to victory on both occasions.

2004-2005

The seasons were memorable for all the wrong reasons, with injury and a shallow list seeing the proud club plummet to 13th and 15th on the ladder. President McGuire called for an exhaustive review of the club at season's end, the results bearing fruit in the following years.
At season's end, two likely lads in Dale Thomas and Scott Pendelbury were recruited to the club, the two Gippsland boys symbols of an exciting future.

2006

The season began brightly, a morale boosting win over St.Kilda followed up by a brave showing in Perth against the Dockers, in hindsight, it was only a NAB Cup match, but the victory in extra-time over the Saints really provided us with momentum, something to cling to, and something to fuel the fire for those in need of belief. Wins over quality, finals bound outfits are few and far between for a side coming off 13th and 15th finishes on the league ladder in the previous two years.
The match also gave the side something to work with in close finishes, a win over a more fancied opposition in extra time really was something to get excited about, even if it was only for a few days.
The loss to Fremantle was, again, hardly important, but nevertheless a decent showing against a side equipped to take the next step on their own stomping ground.
And so it was that we faced Adelaide at Telstra Dome on a Monday night. It is madness to play a game on a Monday evening, let alone begin a season on it. The lead up was tormenting, in that we were forced to wait, from the Thursday night prior up until the Monday night for the season to properly get under way.
It eventually came around, and once more we put in a decent showing against a high quality opposition for three quarters.
We trailed by a point at the final break, and ended up six goals in arrears when the final siren blew. At the time, it was hard to asses our fortunes and what the loss really meant. In reality, we ran out of puff (which was somewhat perplexing considering our perfect lead up, injury wise) and were overhauled by a one man band in Mark Ricciuto. The Crows leader was simply superb, doing away with Ben Johnson, Shane Wakelin and even James Clement on his way to winning the game for his side, helping himself to six goals, a limited preparation notwithstanding.
Dane Swan was our best by a street, while Thomas, in game one, provided some glimpses into what looks to be an exciting future.
The following week saw us tackle Hawthorn, and Anthony Rocca eat the unfortunate second gamer Zac Dawson with a team lifting eight goal glut. Off the back of an uninspiring first half in which the side seemed intent on over possessing the ball, seemingly dragged down by playing alongside a ball-hungry Hawthorn, big Pebbles took it upon himself to heave us out of the mire with a seven goal second half from full forward in a welcome return to form.
It really was pleasing to see the big Roc find his feet once more on the big stage, the first time he’d properly cut loose since wreaking havoc in the opening term of round four the previous year against the Kangaroos. With the side sailing home towards what appeared to be our second win on the trot (and for the season), Rocca set off to chase an errant Andrew Williams pass, his season shot, the game shot, and our year over before it began.
I think that it may have proved all he needed, just a chance against someone like Dawson who with he could toy and do as he pleased, akin to an out of form batsman from Australia taking on a minnow country. That isn’t meant to be seen as knocking Dawson, but I feel it’s what Rocca needed to kick-start his year.
And so we rolled on to the Kangaroos in what was dubbed ‘the great jumper clash’ at Telstra Dome on Easter Monday. In ‘protest’, North opted to wear their home jumper, with the blue and white stripes, something they hadn’t done since 2003, and many years prior.
Midseason, I was hoping that I could conclude that this very game was the one which saw ‘the giant reawaken’, the match which saw the club return to its best as it rolled into September and beyond, a la Anzac Day 2002.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be, however it was fun whilst it lasted. Taz snapped out of his kicking woes in sinking six goals (in contrast to his 1.5 the previous week) and passing another six off, while Rocca again proved a force, and unsung hero Nick Maxwell found some touch.
The circus moved back to the MCG for the first time since the Commonwealth Games, and the Magpies christened their home turf with an arduous 17 point win over arch rival Essendon on Anzac Day. Although jumped by the Dons early, the Pies shifted into top gear late in the third quarter, eventually running out victors. Ben Johnson rose to the fore to break the Essendon-James Hird stranglehold on the Anzac Medal, however his victory blemished by the announcer reading his name as ‘Craig Johnson’.
Percentage boosting wins over Port Adelaide and Carlton soon followed, a massive roar resonating around the stands of the MCG on a cold Sunday afternoon as the scoreboard revealed the ladder with 12 minutes remaining in the Pies vs Blues encounter. The ladder displayed the Collingwood name atop 15 others for the first time since 2003. Order had finally, albeit momentarily, restored.
The team made the trip across the Nullarbor to take on the machines from Perth, the West Coast Eagles on a balmy Saturday night in front of a rabid home crowd. After giving the Eagles a dream four goal start, the Magpies fought tooth and nail for the rest of the night, scrapping hard underneath the packs and matching their counterparts blow-for-blow. With Leon Davis and Dane Swan shining under the Western Australian sky, it appeared that an unlikely victory may be in the works.
It wasn’t to be, lamentably, late goals to the home side seeing them prevail by 14 points, but a factor not lost on the visitors was that, the opening ten minute burst aside, they had actually won the match.
‘The Subiaco hangover’ is a curse the West Coast and Fremantle place on their unfortunate opponents on a fortnightly basis, although on this occasion, it was quite a different story. Collingwood, licking their wounds from the 14 point loss, avenged their disappointment in trouncing a hapless Geelong to the tune of 102 points in front of a 63,000 strong crowd under lights at the MCG.
Skipper Buckley returned to the form of yesteryear in gathering 27 priceless touches, while Heath Shaw and Swan enjoyed picnics off halfback, Davis dazzling in attack, and Rocca and Tarrant doing as they pleased in attack. What’s more, Josh Fraser backed up his excellent form the previous week to trample his hapless Cat opponents in the ruck, setting the wheels in motion for a win for the ages.
With this win, Collingwood were once again the talk of the town, and the spotlight honed in on them at the MCG the next Friday night against a rising Western Bulldogs outfit. After a hard and fast start from both sides, the Magpies settled the quickest, setting up the 33 point triumph with strong second and third terms. Although the Dogs crept back late in the third term (forcing me to log on to [b]Nicks Collingwood Page[/b] to check the final scores!), we proved too strong, Swan again rising above expectations to snare a more than handy four goals, chiming in with Rocca’s five.
And so it was on to our favourite bullies a week later, the Brisbane Lions, capping off a month of night matches.
It was here that the season changed, a fork in the road reached. In a bruising encounter, in which the Lions threw everything plus the kitchen sink at us, we stood firm, guided by the skipper Buckley and his six goals to a comfortable 26 point victory. But there were casualties.
But there were casualties.
We lost Guy Richards with a mystery injury for an indefinite period (although it was not revealed at the time), Dane Swan for a fortnight, Brodie Holland for five weeks, Nick Maxwell for six weeks, and Blake Caracella forever.
Chasing a Ryan Lonie pass on the outer wing, Caracella was forced to take a sudden change in direction, only to be met by former Brisbane teammate Tim Notting coming hard in the other direction. A clash of bodies resulted, Caracella’s neck jolted back, his season, and career, over.
And so with Caracella, Swan and Maxwell on the bench, and Josh Fraser on one leg, a brave Collingwood dug as deep as the well would allow them to muster the win, no matter how much Brisbane threw at them.

★ A special mention must be made in relation to Nathan Buckley’s outstanding six goals from full forward when the game was there to be won. There are no finer than one Nathan Charles Buckley.
Despite the nine day break, it obviously wasn’t enough to properly recharge our batteries, Melbourne running all over us on the Queens Birthday Monday at the MCG, rolling us in brusque fashion to record a 47 point leg up.
It was here that we were forced into four changes, with the injured quintet replaced by Travis Cloke, Adam Iacobucci and Julian Rowe, among others, and our lack of depth showed.
I feel that whenever a side loses their top echelon, the cream of its crop, the rest of the side all rise to the challenge, and as a result pull more than their normal weight. But when the second tier (Caracella, Holland, Maxwell, Richards, Swan) drop out, the gaping hole is felt throughout the side. It’s like opening the bowling with Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, but backing it up with underdeveloped U/14s. It just isn’t going to work for you.
The blooding had to happen, though, as players such as Yakka, Rowe and Trav required their chances, having earned them at Williamstown. What’s more, when spates of injury hit, it’s always nice to have players at ready with senior experience capable of filling the breech. As it happened, Yakka and Rowey were cut for good a month ago.
Was the loss an aberration, or a warning of what was to come?
Sadly, it was the latter, albeit two weeks ahead of its time.
Following the bye weekend, we hit Sydney full of running at Telstra Stadium, recording a 13 point win which was worth much more than that, in both the way we dominated play, as well as the impact it had mentally.
The ever professional James Clement was quoted as saying later that the match now validated that the team had re-arrived as a side to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, Clemo’s comments proved to their have an ego effect on the rest of the squad, or they simply came at the wrong time.
The club went on a losing streak of three (would have been commonplace a decade prior), floundering at the hands of an amped up Richmond on a wet, slow MCG track. What do we think of that? Two dismal losses at our home ground in three matches? Once is forgivable, twice is a sin. The ship desperately needed steadying.
It wasn’t to be, instead falling in a heap against St.Kilda at Telstra Dome the following Sunday, after booting three goals in the opening three minutes! It was another trip down the time tunnel, Buckley and Burns left carrying the can ever so resolutely but with little [read: no] back up.
Could it be that we’d fallen in [b]another infamous Collingwood slump? [/b] Every Collingwood supporter remembers these with great regret. For the past ten years, we have begun the season like the proverbial house on fire before falling away into the abyss, our very own bottomless pit.
In 1996, we were 6-2 after eight rounds, our next win recorded over eventual premiers North Melbourne in round 15.
In 1997 we were again 6-2 after eight, again, our next win coming in round 15, this time a 100 point flogging of Fremantle on the hallowed Victoria Park turf [Buckley’s 100th match saw him wrack up 43 disposals, while Sav Rocca made a welcome return to form with nine goals].
In 1998 we were 4-2 after six rounds, and won only twice more for the season, a brief renascence in rounds 15-16 with successive victories over Geelong and Hawthorn in the wet. We didn’t win another match until...
Round eight - 1999, winless 13 matches later over Fremantle on a muddy, freezing, freezing cold day at the MCG [the coldest May day on record, or so they said]. In 1999, it must be said, we simply weren’t good enough for a slump.
In 2000, under Mick Malthouse, we won our first five matches, lost two matches we expected to lose against the Kangaroos and Essendon before copping a pasting from Fremantle on a Monday night at Colonial Stadium, setting the wheels in motion for the rot to set in permanently, winning only twice more for the year, one of which was in yes, you guessed it, round 15 [over St.Kilda, who were eventual wooden spooners].
In 2001 we again began well, and didn’t suffer the dreaded slump until round 14 against Geelong. We started like millionaires and ended up bankrupt, a Clint Bizzell inspired Cat side giving us a bath [as an aside, why in the world was Rupert Betheras kept on Bizzell all afternoon when it was clear that it wasn’t the right match up?]. We lost to the Lions at the MCG a week later, then the world caved in against Hawthorn. Some respite was found in a win over the lowly Fremantle, winning only twice more for the year. I can accept, though, as it was a long season on tiring legs.
In 2002, despite making the Grand Final, the slump factor set in from rounds 15-22, the side losing winnable matches against Geelong, Hawthorn, Essendon and the Western Bulldogs (the West Coast loss in Perth was understandable), wins which would have booked us a ticket for a home Qualifying Final. As it turned out, it was quite pleasent how - the way things worked themselves out.
In 2003, we suffered a minor early season slump, losing three on the trot to Brisbane (understandable), Essendon and Sydney from rounds 4-6, and then going on a win-loss trip up until round 12, before we resurrected our ailing season.
In 2004, we finally got it together, winning three matches in succession at Telstra Dome over Adelaide, the Kangaroos and West Coast after a 1-7 start, before we choked against Melbourne, winning sporadically for the rest of the season.
In 2005, we dropped our bundle completely from rounds 4-9, when a rousing victory over ladder leaders West Coast awoke us temporarily. But, after giving Port a hiding at the Dome in round 14, we not only dropped our bundle but lost the plot, not tasting victory for the rest of the injury plagued way.
In 2006, Collingwood has losted four from five matches midseason. Whilst it wasn’t catastrophic, had we held our line and length we’d have gone on to a top two placing.
The side finally bottomed out against Fremantle at the MCG, of all places. The big guns in attack, Tarrant, Rocca, T.Cloke and Davis (on return from injury) all failed to fire a shot, Alan Didak scoring three goals but lacking his usual influence. It was later revealed that Didak actually tore a ligament in his knee that afternoon, but played out the rest of the season with the pain, a brave effort.
Although Jason Cloke battled ####### Pavlich, he was soon overwhelmed, as was the side, the Dockers running out easy victors on our home patch. It isn’t good enough losing to interstaters in Melbourne, especially at the MCG. I can handle it when we are in a state of rebuild, but as finals contenders? It simply can’t happen.
And thankfully, a week later, it didn’t, against eventual premiers West Coast. In Anthony Rocca’s 200th game, the side showcased its best effort in months, holding a hardworking Eagles side at bay for much of the afternoon, not allowing themselves to be overrun by their more fancied opponents.
The win was one for persistence and resilience, giving us some breathing space up near the top end of the table.
A week later our tenth win was achieved in an elementary triumph over Hawthorn in a match which never rose to any great heights, despite Travis Cloke’s best efforts in attack.
With the ship back on course, the top four still in reach, all was well in Magpieland...or was it?
Unfortunately, no. Melbourne awoke to the news on radio station SEN that two well known footballers were involved in an altercation the evening prior and were now property of the police. I recall that sickening feeling, thinking “Surely it can’t be us? Not again, surely they’ve learnt”.
But alack and alas, it wasn’t to be, the news soon coming out that Chris Tarrant and Ben Johnson were the players in question. And didn’t the media whip themselves into a frenzy? The day was littered with Collingwood coverage, and for all the wrong reasons. The same afternoon, Blake Caracella announced that his neck injury would never heal well enough to take to the field in the Black and White, his career cut short on 187 games.
It was, indeed, a tumultuous day for the club, the Herald Sun littered with prior Collingwood indiscretions, stretching as far back as 2000, as well as dragging up the memory of Darren Millane, which was simply not on in anyone’s books. The Age, too, had their say, the front cover of the sports liftout reading: “Ben and Chris Behaving Badly”.
To be blunt, the media circus went too far, and should have been held back until all facts had been released.
Nathan Buckley was forced to defend his teammates on The Footy Show during the week, attempting to keep a lid on the fiasco as best he could.
And so it was, seemingly under the eyes of Australia, that Tarrant and Johnson took to the field in a must win clash with Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. What’s more, Sam Iles, an 18 year old Tasmanian drafted in the pre-season draft, was named to make his debut in an Adelaide cauldron.
All three’s performances ranged between very good to serviceable, with Johnson proving the best of the trio, named in the best for his work off the halfback flank.
When it all boiled down, it was Tarrant again, who was the centre of attention with a minute remaining on the clock. Marking on the fifty meter line on an acute angle, Tarrant’s suspect footskills were put through a stern workout. The ball dipped, turned and swung both ways before Crow Martin Mattner got a fingertip to it as it crossed the goal line. The Pies had fired their final shot, Tarrant so close to completing an amazing turnaround.
A week later, things went from bad to worse under the Friday night lights of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, as the side put in one of their worst performances for the season to go down to lowly Essendon, who tend to save their best for matches against us.
The Bombers came out all guns blazing and didn’t let up, a Dane Swan led fightback resulting in us drawing level through the man himself midway through the final term, the relief factor felt as the weight of defeat lifted from my (and everyone else’s) shoulders. But, sadly, the best team won on the night, some late goals earning Essendon their much deserved third win of the season.
With our backs to the wall, the side again made the trek over to South Australia to take on new rivals Port Adelaide on Friday night football. As we have a habit of doing over there, we burst from the blocks to open up a five goal lead midway through the second quarter.
But it was a matter of when, not if the Power fightback started, with pocket rocket Brett Ebert winning Port back the lead late in the term in a stunning four goal burst opposed to third gamer Iles.
But when push came to shove, who else was going to stand up to take the match by the scruff but Nathan Buckley? The captain took it upon himself to turn the match, and did so, through winning 28 disposals and hauling in one of the best marks of his illustrious career over Troy Chaplin [he has a habit of taking screamers against Port, see his hanger over Shane Bond in round one, 1997] and goaling from the resultant kick, the Pies back in business.
Then, it happened. Scott Burns, one of our best all night, crumbed a loose ball within 15m of goal, and decided not to opt for a risky handball to a loose Chris Egan but instead take it upon himself to bury the Power. His kick never looked right, and slammed right into the point post.
The vision of Burns’ piercing, shocked stare moments later will never be forgotten, nor will the reaction of the normally ice-cool Malthouse, who threw, it’s fair to say, one hell of a tantrum in the coaches box, slamming his headphones on numerous occasions at the desk before setting down to see...
...Alan Didak again step up to the plate to mark in attack, go back and coolly, calmly, slot the match winner to give Collingwood the lead with 19 seconds remaining on the timeclock.
Port fired one last shot in the dying seconds, the ball falling through for a behind, Heath Shaw holding onto the ball to ensure a gallant two point victory.
And so it was on to the old foe Carlton on a sunny MCG afternoon for a day of high drama.
The flickering flame of passion between the two sides was ignited by an Alan Didak shirtfront on former teammate Heath Scotland midway through the second quarter, sparking a melee, and plenty of spite for the rest of the term, both on the field and in the stands. As it was in the 1990 Grand Final, it was Collingwood who settled the better, turning a four goal deficit into a handy half time lead, going on to win by 44 points, a score boosted by six Anthony Rocca goals in a welcome return to form.
With one more week remaining before the September action began in earnest, it was pivotal that the Magpies hit the ground running in their clash with the Kangaroos on a Sunday afternoon in round two. But for a while, it seemed that they wouldn’t even celebrate the win, the Roos pushing the side all the way, before three quick goals late in the third term set up a whopping 68 point annihilation to dose the flames of Saverio Rocca’s final league match, fittingly played against his former side [Collingwood: 1992-2000] and his brother Anthony. The MCG was on its feet as it cheer and clapped off the big Sav one last time, both sides forming a guard of honour as the man of the moment headed off the field and onto a plane, bound for an NFL tryout in America.
It was on to the finals and a meeting with the young, brash Western Bulldogs. We opened proceedings with a five goal first term, in opposition to the Bulldogs four. But from then on, things changed.
The second term bordered, hovered, wavered on dangerous, scoring 1.3 to the Bulldogs 4.5. Trouble loomed. The third stanza would prove terminal, the men from the west nailing an unbelievable six goals to out zero, to eventually run out 35 point victors. A disappointing end to a season which promised so much, yet delivered little, ultimately finishing 7th on the league ladder.

2007

Season 2007 shaped as an important one in the future of the Collingwood Football Club. Expectations of the team were varied. Many wrote off the side, mainly on the basis of the poor showing in the previous year’s Elimination Final against the Western Bulldogs.
At the time, it was said that the side had finished 7th for a reason – it was a team in decline.
Why was this?
Those who subscribed to this theory believed that the current team, one we shall call ‘2001-2005’, was reaching the end of its supposed era together. When Mick Malthouse took charge of the club at the conclusion of 1999, the club was expected to reach the finals of 2002, make a decent fist of 2003 and from 2004 to 2006, challenge for a premiership.
As has been well documented, the Magpies contested the 2002 and 2003 Grand Finals against the might of a Brisbane Lions team as good as any other of the past half century. The successive defeats on the last day of September were followed by dismal years in 2004 and 2005. Many believed that injury had played its role, and, admittedly, the side was decimated to its bare bones due to ailments suffered by stars in Nathan Buckley, Anthony Rocca, Chris Tarrant and a host of others, the issues ran deeper, the psychic of the playing group scarred by the successive defeats, ending at both ends of the emotional spectrum.
However, what was not known during the summer was that regeneration was well and truly the flavour of the month, and that by midseason, the results of the club’s well planned drafting were beginning to bare fruit.
The season began at North Sydney Oval, the Pies tackling Grand Finalists of the previous two seasons, Sydney, in a 15-a-side scratch match in place primarily to allow youngsters a start and veterans an opportunity to do away with summer cobwebs.
The Pies went down by ??? points, though not much was to be read into the result of the night, the focus shifting to the untried Ryan Cook, and Irishman Martin Clarke, who had only started playing the game eight months prior.
Collingwood opened the pre-season competition, the NAB Cup, against the Kangaroos at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast in front of a healthy crowd. It was the Woods first showing at the venue since 1991, when Peter Daicos single-handedly dissected the Brisbane Bears with 13 goals.
A loss eventuated, though again the emphasis was placed squarely on the shoulders of youth, with Nathan Brown, Brad Dick, Alan Toovey and Cook all wearing the club colours for the first time in an official capacity. The match is also notable as the return of master Channel 7 sporting commentator Bruce McAvainey to calling league football after a five year spell out of the game due to Seven relinquishing the broadcast rights from 2002-2006.
The loss sent the Magpies onto the NAB Challenge Practice Match circuit, where they once again came up against Sydney in regional Victoria, Richmond in Bendigo and finally St Kilda at MC Labor Park, where they cracked it for their first win of the season. Josh Fraser starred with four goals, while Toovey and Sam Iles both staked their claims for a berth in the senior side for round one.
Speaking of round one, only weeks later, the Pies again met the Kangaroos, this time at the MCG, to open proceedings for the Home and Away season. Taking the NAB Cup into account, it was Collingwood’s third match against the Roos in its past four matches.
The side wobbled early on against a Dean Laidley-led Kangaroo outfit which played far better football, their only fault their inability to put the Woods away. Five goals in arrears, Collingwood stormed back in the final term, reversing their form in the most dramatic fashion possible. Team leaders Fraser and Ben Johnson, both dragged and chastened by Malthouse in the third term, responded when it counted in the fourth, Johnson’s miraculous, Daicos-like banana from the forward pocket helping propel his side to the lead.
With minutes to play, it seemed the Magpies would defy the odds, though there was still one more twist to come, in this case surrounding the footskills of veteran Roo Shannon Grant. Normally one of the game’s cooler customers in front of goal, Grant marked 45m from goal, before receiving a 50m penalty against Heath Shaw for infringing upon the mark. However, umpire Stuart Wenn only paid what was effectively a 35m penalty, and not the extra 15m which would have taken Grant to the goal square and victory. Instead, Grant slammed the ball into the post from a regulation kick, one you’d assume he would swallow 99 times from 100 attempts. The Pies, sensing that they had slipped the hangman’s noose, ran down the clock, securing a memorable 3 point victory. Dapper stand-in skipper James Clement was awarded the Jason McCartney Medal as most courageous afield, and in his post match interview with Channel 10’s Christi Malthouse made a point of the fact that this was only the side’s second first round victory since 2001.
First blood drawn, the Magpies crossed the Nullarbor to tackle the reigning premiers West Coast at Subiaco Oval, where they unveiled their premiership pennant in front of their adoring fans. Although the Eagles were widely tipped to walk over the Pies, Malthouse’s men showed more mettle than expected, Anthony Rocca and Leon Davis leading a charge which saw the Woods lead at halftime, only to go down by 12 points after a dominant final term by the Eagles.
And so it was to the Friday night lights of the MCG, Collingwood facing a Richmond team yet to register a win for the season. This week marked the moment when the coaching staff began to rejig the system, blooding three Western Australians, Alan Toovey, Shannon Cox and Brad Dick (the former two both testament to the rookie list and its wonders), and allowing prized kids Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury extra authority in which to weave their talents.
And weave their talents they did, overrunning the Tigers in the second half, Thomas and Pendlebury, teammates in Gippsland’s victory over Dandenong in the U/18 TAC Cup of 2005, again put the wide expanses of the MCG to full advantage, leading the victory charge. In a real success for the recruiting staff, Docker recruit Paul Medhurst, the entrée to the main course (Draft selection 8, Ben Reid) from the Chris Tarrant trade, sunk four goals while the unheralded Toovey snagged three of his own on a memorable evening.
The following week saw Port Adelaide notch its fourth win of the season, overrunning the young Magpies to the tune of 21 points on a wet and muddy Melbourne afternoon which harked back to the days of yore. A bright start, which saw Anthony Rocca’s hands sweat glue on such a greasy day, faded badly in the final term as the Power’s runners outdid the Pies at their own game.
Casualties were suffered, too, with Paul Licuria (hamstring), Simon Prestigiacomo (groin) and Dale Thomas (ankle) all suffering the effects of a bruising encounter. Fortunately, the latter two were available within four days to take on Essendon, though Licuria was absent until round nine.
The four day turnaround experienced by both the Magpies and the Bombers received much publicity in the lead up to the traditional Anzac Day blockbuster; with many believing Essendon’s supposedly ‘fresher’ legs were far superior to the tiring young Magpies.
It proved quite the opposite. After withstanding a blistering Bomber onslaught in the opening quarter, the Pies steadied, and, thanks to youngsters Heath Shaw and Travis Cloke pushed to a 16 point victory. The margin could have been far greater had the team managed to kick with accuracy in front of goal, a deficiency which would continue to plague them as the season wore on. Shaw was named the Anzac Day Medallist as the best player on the day, many believing the recognition for his sterling efforts on the day a victory for persistence, for Shaw was unfortunate to miss further accolades the previous season, when he missed winning the NAB Rising Star by a whisker to Port’s Danyle Pearce.
With pep in their step, Collingwood returned to their favourite interstate hunting ground, AAMI Stadium, to face Adelaide in front of their rabid home crowd. As is so often the case with the Magpies in their travels to South Australia, little was expected but much was returned, the Pies snatching the early ascendancy and refusing to look back, Carlton recruit Chris Bryan paying early dividends with three surprise goals in the second half as a makeshift forward. An unwanted postscript to the match saw trio Leon Davis, Chris Egan and Shannon Cox break team curfew in enjoying their time in the City of Churches a little too late into the night, the three missing the next week as a consequence for their misdemeanour.
But that wasn’t going to deter the Woods from making it three in a row against the arch enemy, Carlton, on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG. A fiery opening term, in which Dale Thomas was battered by Blue Andrew Walker and notorious Carlton full forward Brendan Fevola stormed the Magpie huddle at quarter time, saw the Blues grab the momentum, worrying the Pies throughout the second quarter to take a ??? point lead into the main break.
As expected, Collingwood made light work of the lowly Blues in the second half, running away ??? point victors. The match marked the return of Brodie Holland to the fold after serving a six week suspension, Cloke, Josh Fraser and Dane Swan starring en route to the fifth win of the season.
The stage was set for some Magpie revenge against the Western Bulldogs at Telstra Dome the following Sunday, the Bulldogs showing their share of youthful arrogance in their trouncing of the Pies in the Elimination Final only half a year earlier.
The match was a cracker for the first three quarters, though a blistering final quarter and a half from the Bulldogs left the Magpies kicking themselves, though with their track record, they’d have missed. Why? Missed goals were again a fault of a gallant side who worked hard for their opportunities. Ahead 25-points midway through the third quarter, Heath Shaw missed the proverbial sitter, hitting the post from 15m, while Rocca missed the lot from only another 20m further later in the quarter.
The faster, sprightlier Bulldogs ran away with the match and the Bob Rose Cup, their leg speed simply too much for the tiring Magpies. One bright spot was the debut of another Gippsland product, defender Tyson Goldsack, who looked the part at halfback.
A crucial cultural hoodoo was crushed against Brisbane a week later; Collingwood recorded its first win in Queensland since Leigh Matthews’ final year as coach, 1995. The Lions had for years enjoyed a stranglehold over the Pies at the ‘Gabba Graveyard’, and the four goal win went a long way to confirming that the Magpies of ’07 were the real deal.
After an early Brisbane goal, the Pies hit back and were never headed, onballers Tarkyn Lockyer, Ben Johnson and the evergreen Scott Burns ruling the onball roost, while Josh Fraser controlled the ruck duties with aplomb.
The Magpies returned to the MCG to take on Fremantle. Although the magpies won by 9 points, they lost by 8 to Melbourne on Monday of the Queen's birthday long weekend. They headed up to Sydney after the mid-season break to play the Sydney Swans at Telstra Stadium. Collingwood easily accounted for Sydney, winning by 19 points.
They then lost a close game to Hawthorn and then beat St Kilda by 9 points at the MCG. A week later they lost to Geelong by 16 points in front of 85,497 people at the MCG. They then beat Essendon by 29 points.
Round 17 however was a rude awakening for the Pies, as they hosted Brisbane at the MCG. Despite entering the round in 6th position compared to Brisbane's 12th, they were no match for Brisbane's ruthlessness and ferocious attack on football and opponent. The rank underdogs had opened up a shock 38 point lead by quarter time, en route to a 93 point massacre at the home of football.
With 5 matches to play before the finals, this result threatens to send Collingwood's season into a tailspin. In the leadup to the finals Collingwood faced the three bottom clubs Carlton, Richmond and Melbourne. However it was the game agaisnt Richmond that made Collingwood wake up. The young Richmond Tigers totally demolished the Magpies with their fast running side. With a loss to Richmond the dream road to the finals had taken a turn for the wrong way. The Magpies then won against an undermanned Melbourne side. The victory did not ease the anxiety in the Collingwood camp. The Magpies then won against the Swans and securing a spot in the finals. A loss against Adelaide did not change anything on the ladder and the Magpies face the Swans once again.

Off field

Collingwood was one of the last clubs to abandon its traditional stadium, the famous inner-city Victoria Park. Collingwood is now based at the MCG (Magpies Cuntwits Gits), with some "home" games played at the Telstra Dome. It now also has its headquarters situated in the former Glasshouse Entertainment Centre which is now called "The Lexus Centre". This building is also shared with the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS).
Collingwood continues to be financially viable through the loyal support of its huge following and numerous sponsors. After finishing 2nd in 2002 and 2003 the team fell to 13th and 15th (out of 16) in 2004 and 2005 respectively. This trend has plagued the club since the glory days of pre-World War II VFL football. Since 1958, the club has won only a single VFL/AFL Premiership (the inaugural AFL Premiership in 1990) making them one of the least successful clubs in the modern era. Despite this, the club still has won more individual games, more finals and made more grand-final appearances than any other club.
On 9 March 2007, former Collingwood and Fitzroy defender Gary Pert was appointed the Magpies' CEO, seven weeks after Greg Swann departed for Carlton. In accepting the key Magpie post, Pert quit as a club director and as managing director of Channel 9 in Melbourne. In a press conference, it was stated that Collingwood has budgeted to turnover about $50 million this year. McGuire hopes the new administration will soon double that figure. "A finance administration review has come up with how we are going to turn Collingwood in to its next phase of its life", McGuire said. "What do we do to make ourselves go from a $45 million a year turnover business to a $100 million turnover business? "They sound like big figures but in 1999 we turned over $13 million, so that is where we are heading as a football club."

Other information

The noted Australian playwright David Williamson scripted ''The Club'', a play inspired by the internal politics of Collingwood. A film version was made in 1980 and features Collingwood players in speaking and non-speaking roles.^[7][8]
The Magpies have been known as "The team people hate (most people hate them) or love" ever since 1892. The Magpies used to be known as "The Flatties" because the suburb of Collingwood is flat.

Membership

Year	Members	Finishing position
1984	16,313	3rd
1985	16,857	7th
1986	13,971	6th
1987	9,500	12th
1988	11,985	4th
1989	13,620	5th
1990	14,806	1st
1991	18,469	7th
1992	18,921	5th
1993	21,882	8th
1994	20,843	8th
1995	22,543	10th
1996	20,752	11th
1997	22,761	10th
1998	27,099	14th
1999	32,358	16th
2000	28,932	15th
2001	31,455	9th
2002	32,549	2nd
2003	40,445	2nd
2004	41,128	13th
2005	38,612	15th
2006	38,038	7th
2007	38,587	TBA

Records

''Premierships:''
VFA: (1)
1896
VFL/AFL:

★ Seniors: (14)
1902
1903
1910
1917
1919
1927
1928
1929
1930
1935
1936
1953
1958
1990

★ Reserves: (7)
1919 1920 1922 1925 1940 1965 1976

★ Under 19s: (4)
1960 1965 1974 1986

★ Pre-Season/Night Series Premierships: (1)
1979

★ ''McClelland Trophy:''(5)
1959
1960
1964
1965
1966

★ Runners Up: (25)
1901
1905
1911
1915
1918
1920
1922
1925
1926
1937
1938
1939
1952
1955
1960
1964
1966
1970
1977
1979
1980
1981
2002
2003

★ ''Wooden Spoons:''(2)
1976
1999

Current playing list

Individual awards

Best and Fairest

Brownlow Medal winners

★ Syd Coventry (1927)

★ Albert Collier (1929)

★ Harry Collier (1930 tied)

★ Marcus Whelan (1939)

★ Des Fothergill (1940 tied)

★ Len Thompson (1972)

★ Peter Moore (1979)

★ Nathan Buckley (2003 tied)

Leigh Matthews Trophy winners

★ Darren Millane (1990)

Coleman Medal winners

★ Ian Brewer (1958)

★ Peter McKenna (1972, 1973)

★ Brian Taylor (1986)

Norm Smith Medal winners

★ Tony Shaw (1990)

★ Nathan Buckley (2002)

Mark of the Year winners

★ Billy Picken (1976)

★ Chris Tarrant (2003)

Goal of the Year winners

★ Mick McGuane (1994)

Notable records

★ 'Greatest winning margin:' 178 points R4, 1979 (VP) - Collingwood 31.21 (207) v St Kilda 3.11 (29)

Records set by players

★ 'Most matches:' Tony Shaw - 313 (1977-1994)

★ 'Most consecutive matches:' Jock McHale - 191 (1906-1917) - VFL record until 1943

★ 'Most goals kicked in a match:' Gordon Coventry - 17 goals 4 behinds (R12, 1930, VP)

★ 'Most Best & Fairests:' Nathan Buckley - 6 (1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003)

★ 'Most matches as coach:' Jock McHale - 714 (1912-1949)¹

★ 'Most matches as captain/acting captain:' Nathan Buckley - 162 (1999-2006)

★ 'Most goals in a season:' Peter McKenna - 143 (1970)

★ 'Most goals by a single person:' Gordon Coventry - 1299 (1920-1937) - VFL/AFL record until 1997

Team of the Century

Collingwood announced its team of the century on June 14 1997, celebrating 100 years since the beginning of the VFL. Gavin Brown was added as the 4th interchange player in 2002. [2]
^[9]

Club jumpers

★ These are the current 2007 jumper designs. The club has worn variations on this black-and-white-stripe design in every league game it has played over its 114-year history - the leagues in question being the Victorian Football Association and Victorian Football League (later Australian Football League).

★ The clash jumper is described as the reverse of the current jumper, being a white background with black stripes, black collar and black number. The difference is the traditional jumper is white with three black stripes, while the current jumper is black with 3 white stripes on front and back.

★ The club has reverted to the traditional black on white jumper for the AFL's Heritage Round since 2003, and from 2007 will wear it as their clash strip.

Club song

'"Good Old Collingwood Forever"' is the official anthem of the Collingwood Football Club. It is sung to the tune of "Goodbye, Dolly Gray".
The famed song is generally sung, in accordance to common AFL tradition, after a victory. It is also played before every match.
It is said to be the first club song in VFL/AFL history. The words were written and introduced in 1906 by Tom Nelson who was a young Collingwood player at the time.

Notable Fans

★ Eddie McGuire

★ Rob Lowe

★ Susan Sarandon

★ Tim Robbins

★ Peter Helliar

★ Brian Naylor

★ Mark Viduka

★ Mark Latham

See also

★

References

1. Another classic Sheedy moment
2. Richmond - Sleeping Giants of the AFL
3. AFL arch rivals - a thing of the past?
4. Rival without a cause
5. Hall trains and is ready for Pies
6. [1]
7. ''The Illustrated Collingwood Encyclopedia'', Glenn McFarlane and Michael Roberts, 2004
8. Collingwood Forever, Gavin Brown, 1997
9. The AFL Record Guide to Season 2006

External links

★ Official website of the Collingwood Football Club

★ Magpies Net

★ Nicks Collingwood Page

★ Nicks Collingwood Bulletin Board

★ The Lulie Street Dash

★ Hotrods Bullet In Board

★ Full Points Footy Collingwood profile