https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au The complete history of Australia's greatest sporting club Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:13:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.21 https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/marcus-boyall/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:58:15 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/marcus-boyall/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/frank-james-kelly/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:53 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/frank-james-kelly/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/fred-froude/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:52 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/fred-froude/ Froude has the natural turn for a left-foot kick, and is accurate in his shooting for goal.” He kicked a bag of six the following week against North Melbourne, on his way to a respectable 30 for the season. But he struggled in 1932, finding himself in and out of the side, after which he was tried on a half-back flank – and the transformation was remarkable. Suddenly, Collingwood discovered it possessed a wonderful attacking defender: solidly built, with great judgement, calmness and superb anticipation. He was a good mark for his size, always seemed to have plenty of time on the ball and his long, raking left-foot kicks remained a major weapon. He was regularly praised by the press for his “brilliant, dodging runs” out of defence and his precise bouncing of the ball – but also for quickly returning to position and giving his man no room. He became one of the club’s most consistent and reliable defenders in the 1930s, rarely putting a foot wrong. “Freddie is a real tight defender,” wrote The Sporting Globe. “He gives nothing away. He never allows a forward the slightest latitude. Froude has all the dash he wants and he uses it but only up to 10 yards. Like a flash he finds a forward over a short or a long distance and he rightly prefers the longer kick, then back he goes on guard. No half-forward gets too far from Froude. He is never rattled, gathers his pace in a stride, is safe rather than brilliant in the air, and above all never wastes an opportunity nor allows his opponent a liberty.” He didn’t miss a single training night in his 10 years at Collingwood, finished third in the Copeland in 1933, won the Austral Trophy for most popular player in 1936, played in Premierships in 1930, 1935 and 1936 and was the team’s best in a losing cause in the 1937 Grand Final, described in one newspaper as “a hero in defence”. A broken jaw disrupted his final season in 1939, and he joined Kew as playing coach the following year, followed by a similar role at Brighton. His interest in coaching was clear even then, and that path was completed when he got the top job at St Kilda in 1948, a post he held for three years. One of the highlights of Froude’s VFL career was when he filled in as captain a few times when both Colliers were missing in 1938. Nothing would have made the quietly spoken, unassuming, soft-hearted Froude happier than that, for he was Collingwood through and through. Hec de Lacy, in The Sporting Globe, wrote that Froude was “one of the most popular and likeable chaps in football”. He lived in Turner Street, within punting distance of the ground, for almost his entire life and was still there when he died of throat cancer in the late 1970s. He managed the tennis courts at the ground with his mother, and for many years she also boarded country footballers coming to Collingwood. He was a carpenter by trade and built a magnificent bedroom suite for his brother George as a wedding gift. A little like his reputation as a fine footballer, it survives in perfect order to this day.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-regan/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:51 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-regan/ any Collingwood player. And the most staggering non-selection of all was Jack Regan’s failure to secure the full-back post. This was a man who completely redefined the way full-backs could play. Instead of a stay-at-home ‘goalkeeper’ type, Regan decided to fight fire with fire and take on the high-flying forwards of his day at their own game – competing with them in the air and on the ground, footballer versus footballer. It produced some of the most thrilling one-on-one contests the game has ever seen – most of which Regan won. He was the lynchpin of the Magpie defence in the back-to-back flags of 1935-36, won a Copeland Trophy and placed three other times, and captained both his club and Victoria. That might not have been enough for the wise heads who chose that AFL centenary team. But it was more than enough to secure his standing among those he played both with and against. Asked in 1946 to name the best full-back he’d ever seen, triple Brownlow Medallist Haydn Bunton responded as if it were a stupid question. “The best full-back? Why, Jack Regan of course. He was streets ahead and the rest were nowhere.” His fellow Brownlow legend Dick Reynolds was asked the same question the next year, and also plumped for Regan, as did Richmond’s Percy Bentley. And Gordon Coventry was in no doubt either. “The more I saw of Regan the more I thought how fortunate I was to be playing with instead of against him,” Coventry wrote in the Sporting Globe in 1938. “Endowed with height and pace, few forwards could hope to take a mark if Regan was flying in from behind, whilst it would be practically an impossibility to spoil him for a mark if he was in front.” The man generally considered the game’s best full-back before Regan, Richmond’s Vic Thorp, was also a fan: “Regan is a champion in that position,” he wrote. “Everything that goes to make a good full-back is his. His anticipation and judgement are particularly good. He is at his best soaring over the pack from behind. His judgement then is uncanny, and his marking must rival that of anyone. No forward I have seen can beat this fellow in the air.” There were plenty of outstanding full-backs who came after Regan too, of course – famous names such as Fred Goldsmith, Geoff Southby and David Dench. But they weren’t Jack Regan. And only Dench could claim to have brought something different to the role, whereas Regan broke entirely new ground: here was a full-back whose sense of artistry and adventure made him as exciting to watch as the forwards with whom he did battle. He was tall (about 185cm) and lightly built, and exceptionally quick for a key position player. But his main assets were his leap, his hands and his kicking. He was a magnificent, high-flying mark – not unlike a defensive version of Ron Todd at the other end of the ground (though much more graceful) – and a beautiful drop kick with either foot. His judgement was seemingly flawless, especially in deciding when to spoil and when to go for a mark. But perhaps the defining characteristic of his play was courage. Not the normal kind of football courage, usually displayed backing into packs or throwing yourself at the ball, but the courage to back his skills against some of the finest full-forwards the game has known. With opponents as talented as Pratt, Mohr, Vallence, Moloney, Todd, Titus and Margitich, that was no small thing. His battles with South Melbourne’s Bob Pratt, in particular, are the stuff of football legend – two high-flying superstars who went at each other in a battle of pure football skills. There was little or no negativity: no blocking or scragging, double-teaming or crude attempts to spoil that would ‘accidentally’ result in a blow to the head. Instead they’d soar against each for marks, with Regan’s sole nod to his role being a willingness to punch the ball even once he was up in the heavens. These were thrilling duels that came to be a highlight of every Collingwood-South clash of the era. Regan was born in Northcote and was much more interested in cycling than football as a youngster, being regarded as a promising junior with the Northcote Amateur Cycling Club. A mate encouraged him back into footy and, after one game with Northcote reserves, Collingwood sent out an invitation. What the Pies had seen in the raw youngster wasn’t immediately apparent. He spent 1929 with the seconds, playing mostly in defence. He got his first taste of senior football early in 1930 – just over a year after his first training run at Northcote – but didn’t make it off the bench. He was awful in his first two games, and in his third had the ignominy of having 10 goals kicked on him, by St Kilda’s Bill Mohr. He actually crossed back to Northcote in the lead-up to the 1931 season, but both club and player thought the better of it and he came back to Victoria Park – this time as a forward. One day he had the chance to win a game with a kick after the siren, but missed. After later apologising to Jock McHale, the coach gave his now famous reply: “Go and throw yourself in the bloody Yarra”. Regan improved sufficiently as a forward to eventually gain Victorian selection in that role in 1933. But he was moved to defence again during those interstate games and did so well that Collingwood followed suit soon after his return. From that moment on, he was the game’s best key defender. Known as ‘Snozzle’ to his teammates (his nose was rather large), he won the Copeland in 1936 and was runner-up three other times. He was an automatic State selection between 1933 and 1939, was never even admonished by an umpire and regularly polled well in the Brownlow voting, finishing equal third in 1934, fifth in 1935 and 1936 and sixth in 1937. When Harry Collier retired in 1940, it was no surprise that Regan was chosen to replace him as captain. After just two years as captain, however, Regan stunned the Collingwood committee in January of 1942 by resigning to pursue a religious life as a lay brother with the Salesian community at Sunbury. Regan had visited the community on many Sundays over the years, umpiring games and helping out the boys with football advice, but few at the club seemed to know his interest was serious enough to lead him away from the game. A year later he joined the RAAF, and that initially meant he was able to come back to football, again as captain. But war duty kept him away from the game again in 1944-45, and by the time he returned for one final hurrah in 1946 he was 33 and never likely to regain his best form (though that last year did give him the chance to wear the 11^thdifferent guernsey number of his career – still a VFL/AFL record). After retirement he captain-coached in Kalgoorlie and country Victoria, then later became secretary of the New South Wales Football League, and returned to Victoria Park in 1970 as assistant to general secretary Peter Lucas, a position which developed into that of football secretary. He held that post for eight years, during which time his sincerity, gentle nature and good humour won him widespread praise. Regan was a much-loved figure at Victoria Park. And that affection had little to do with how good he’d been as a footballer: it was simply a reflection of his personality and character. If he had been around in 1996, he probably wouldn’t have been too fussed about missing out on the AFL’s Team of the Century. But those who saw him play were very fussed. For them there could be no doubt: Jack Regan was, and always will be, the finest full-back of them all. – Michael Roberts]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harold-rumney/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:45 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harold-rumney/ But Rumney was himself a star — albeit an underrated one. Although born in Kyabram, Rumney was a product of Collingwood Technical School. He and his family were forced to move to Melbourne due to an illness his mother was suffering. “The local doctor gave my father two choices: bury your wife here or get out to better climes,” Rumney once said. Not surprisingly, they chose the latter option. The family settled in Fitzroy, and Harold later went to Collingwood Tech where he captained the school team. He played junior football at Kensington and Brighton and spent a year with Brighton seniors before joining Carlton — to whom he was residentially bound — in 1925. He played 13 games in his first year with the Blues and did reasonably well, but was not at all happy at a club beset at that time by internal bickering. Rumney also developed an unenviable reputation for running too far with the ball. Carlton could not rid him of this habit, so rid itself of him. ‘They told me I was too old (at 19!), too weak and too gutless — a no-hoper in fact,” said Rumney. On the advice of one of his brothers, he crossed to Collingwood, for whom he barracked anyway, and spent the rest of 1926 with the seconds. He had made such little impression during his time at Carlton that his clearance to Collingwood raised barely a murmur. If his clearance attracted little attention, his performances for Collingwood were quite the reverse. Rumney quickly adapted to his new club’s style of play and, just as importantly, heeded Jock McHale’s advice about getting rid of the ball quickly. He was a late inclusion in the team for the first game of 1927 and performed creditably. He soon became a permanent and successful fixture in the Collingwood team, playing in 17 matches in his first year and booting 19 goals as a forward pocket/flanker. “Dasher”, as he was known to his teammates (though his family called him “Wal”), even took home a hat from Treadway’s in Smith Street as an award for the best first year player. Despite his successes as a forward, the selectors decided to try him in a few other positions. Within a year he had established himself as one of the best defenders in the VFL. He played back pocket in the 1928 grand final and filled the half-back flank post with distinction in the last two of Collingwood’s historic four-in-a-row Premiership teams. Rumney played in all four of those teams and was a key contributor, regularly being named among the best players in finals’ games. In 1930 he gained interstate selection for the first time, and his performances at the Adelaide carnival were such that he was awarded the trophy for the most consistent player of the series. That year he also won a trophy from the local Austral Theatre for best Collingwood player as voted by the public. He was a player of exceptional speed who was capable of matching it with the best, most elusive and quickest forwards of his day. Importantly, his explosive pace was also accompanied by great ball control. Though he was only 170 cm (5ft 7in) tall and weighed only 71kg (11st 2lb), he could also match it with the bigger players. He was quite muscular, with a sturdy physique and broad shoulders that allowed him to tackle even robust opponents vigorously. Despite his apparent lack of inches and pounds, his strong and determined play enabled him to regularly beat bigger opponents. And if they were at all sluggish, Rumney would use his pace to run off them, creating opportunities for his forwards with long, accurate kicking. His kicking to position was a feature of his game, as was his handball — considered to be unusually clever and accurate for his time. He was also a model of consistency, rarely turning in a poor game. Rumney became one of the players who were crucial to Collingwood’s success during the late twenties and thirties. This was partly because of the important role he played in the renowned Collingwood defensive unit but also because of his adaptability, which allowed Jock McHale to swing him into any number of positions where his speed, skill and fearless determination were needed. Although best known for his work on the half-back flank and back pocket, he also spent time at half-forward, across the centre line and even on the ball. It was this flexibility that may have led Collingwood to “discover” the position of ruck-rover, when Rumney was thrown onto the ball in a game against Richmond when the recognised followers had been tagged out of the game. Later in his career Rumney moved back a further notch in defence, to the back pocket. In the 1935 Premiership he formed part of a highly regarded back line, playing alongside the great Jack Regan and Charlie Dibbs, who had moved from full-back to the back pocket to accommodate Regan. Rumney returned to Victoria Park for the 1937 season in order to secure his ten years service, but played so well when given his chance that he played 13 games that season, finishing up in the grand final against Geelong. Harold’s on-field athleticism carried over into his off-field activities as well. He was a fitness fanatic who, like quite a few VFL players of his era, took up footrunning during the summer months. He ran professionally at meetings around the State and was first over the line in a number of races, including the Shepparton and Frankston Gifts. With his devotion to physical fitness it was no surprise to find that Rumney was one of the most enthusiastic trainers at Collingwood, regularly winning training prizes. Outside of sport, Rumney enjoyed the performing arts. He took part in many amateur dramatic plays, something which probably sprang from what he said was “an innate desire to show off” that he displayed as a child. He was also a first-class musician, playing the trumpet and cornet. Late into his life he still performed regularly for pensioner and community groups around the Mornington Peninsula, where he lived during his years in retirement. It was a call of a different kind to which he responded when the Second World War broke out. An engineer by trade, he joined the navy and was one of the survivors when the HMAS Canberra was sunk by the Germans in the Indian Ocean. For all the grand service he tendered his country, it is the service he gave Collingwood for which Harold Rumney is best remembered. Few who saw his strong, dashing play will forget it, or the key role he played in some of the finest sides Collingwood has ever sent on to a football field.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-beveridge/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:42 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/jack-beveridge/ The Sporting Globe said Beveridge was one of the most promising recruits Collingwood had picked up for many a day. “Those who saw him in action last Saturday found it difficult to believe that it was his first appearance in League football” reported the Globe. “He played with the skill, judgement and coolness of a seasoned footballer. In most departments of the game he showed that he was no novice. His pace and quickness on the turn were strong features of his game, but his passing and marking were just as noteworthy.” Another critic wrote: “If ever there was a born footballer he is one, and veteran critics were enthusiastically proclaiming after the match that they had never seen a player make such an auspicious beginning. Stationed at half forward on the wing he was conspicuous all day, doing things in the natural easy way of the finished footballer. He is a tiger for work, marks and turns well and disposes of the ball to advantage.” Of course, first impressions sometimes can be deceptive. Not in this case. Throughout the rest of his 148-game career Beveridge was to consistently show the same qualities he had displayed so prominently in his debut. When old players and supporters talked of Jack Beveridge, they used words like balance, poise and skill. Jack was a “class” footballer, a footballing perfectionist. Everything he did on the field bore the stamp of effortless ease of one who had mastered the art. One long-time supporter said he always remembered Beveridge’s smooth, easy bouncing of the ball on the run, and how he could change direction mid-stride without upsetting his rhythm. His ball-handling was superb, and there were few better kicks in League football. He rarely wasted a disposal and his stab kicks in particular were a delight. Beveridge was about 179cm (5ft 10.5in) tall and weighed about 76kg (12 stone). He was not super-quick but always seemed to have plenty of time. As a centreman he was a roamer who wandered around the field at will, but was so successful that Collingwood tolerated his tendency to stray from home base. He was not renowned for his marking or for strong play, but he was rarely knocked off his feet. He was a beautifully built and balanced footballer who could ride the bumps and “rough stuff’ in a style similar to that of Fitzroy’s legendary genius Haydn Bunton. His handballing was a particular strong suit. There were few, if any, better exponents of the art in Jack’s day. The ball just seemed to glide off his hand, and invariably found a comrade in better position. Gordon Coventry once said that Collingwood players used to practise handball with Beveridge so that they would not be embarrassed on the field. Beveridge’s mastery of handball was not limited to the football field. He was also a champion in the sport of the same name. In the 1930s the sport of handball (a game similar to squash but played with the hands instead of racquets) was very popular. Jack Beveridge was an acknowledged champion, captaining Victorian teams and winning the Australasian doubles title with Ted Galbally (one of the Galballys — Jack’s brother). Although the sport of handball is completely different from its footballing namesake, there is little doubt that the anticipation, balance and speed needed on the handball court helped Jack on the football field. Beveridge was a scrupulously fair player. He was a deeply religious man who at one stage had seriously considered entering the priesthood. He was a fairly reserved character, not deeply involved in the social side of life at the club. He did not drink until later in life, and in his playing days preferred to spend time with his family. He was also a voracious reader with an intense desire to learn more about the world around him. Unfortunately that world was in the midst of a severe depression. So when Beveridge was offered a job in Western Australia for the 1935 season he accepted. He continued to enjoy great success as a player in the West (with West Perth), then captain-coached Launceston to a flag in 1937 and Horsham to one in 1938. When he coached in Horsham he worked as a bar manager in a pub and later took over another Victorian country hotel in Coleraine, where he lived until the mid-1960s. Jack’s son, John, became a highly respected recruiter at St Kilda. His grandson, Luke, managed 118 games for three clubs before becoming a development coach at Collingwood from 2009-2010, playing a major role in the club’s 2010 premiership. Luke acted on Jack’s behalf when his grandfather was inducted into the Collingwood Hall of Fame in 2010, and of course also led the Western Bulldogs to the 2016 premiership. There is no doubt Jack Beveridge left Collingwood too early. He was only 27, and had another few years of top football left in him. After his all-conquering first season, Beveridge had settled in to be one of the club’s most consistent and classy performers. He didn’t have a closet full of trophies to show for his efforts (the Colliers and Coventrys having pretty much a monopoly on those during his nine years at the club), but he did finish third in the Copeland Trophy in 1933 and represented Victoria several times, as well as playing in the four Premiership teams. To have held down the pivot in those teams was an outstanding achievement. And perhaps the four Premiership medals that resulted were reward enough for any footballer — even one as good as Jack Beveridge. – Michael Roberts  ]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-collier/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:42 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/harry-collier/ The Sporting Globe. “In addition, he could take and give hard knocks.” Harry was not particularly fast but he was elusive, rated as a master of blind turning and twisting. He also had excellent skills, being a superb ball-handler and a good kick with either foot who was particularly dangerous near goal. His anticipation was superb, and his judgement of the ball off packs especially good. Supporters and players of the fifties would later liken the great Bob Rose to him, and that is indeed a hefty compliment — for both players. Collier was wonderfully consistent, playing his first 100 games in a row and always playing well in the big matches. His outstanding performances were rewarded with the Copeland Trophy in 1928 and again in 1930, the same year in which he would retrospectively win the Brownlow Medal. He frequently represented the State and won numerous club awards. His dedication to Collingwood was further demonstrated by the special award given to him in 1935 for his remarkable achievement of missing only one night of training in ten years. Perhaps his greatest reward came when he succeeded Syd Coventry as captain. He was an ideal choice; respected, inspirational and levelheaded enough to know when to settle his players down. Collier’s vice-captain was his brother, and the two provided an outstanding leadership team. They looked after young players on and off the field, made sure they got a kick in their early matches, tutored them in the skills of the game and basically imbued them with the club spirit. When the two led the Magpies to the 1935 Premiership over South Melbourne it provided Harry with one of his most treasured footballing memories. Its aftermath, though, led to one of his most embarrassing. Coming home from the post-match celebrations, Collier drove his car into Archbishop Mannix’s fence. He hurriedly backed the car up and drove away, but in doing so left its bumper bar wedged in the fence. As well as having to later apologise to Archbishop Mannix, the Collingwood captain had to endure the embarrassment of fronting up to the Kew police station to retrieve his bent bumper bar. After winning flags in his first two years as captain, Harry led the team into losing grand finals in the next three. In 1938 however, he was not there to join the battle on grand final day, having been controversially suspended for a massive 14 games for belting a Carlton player. The sentence was manifestly unjust, but even a 2500-strong petition did not succeed in having it reviewed. If anything the incident made Harry even more popular with Collingwood supporters. His gameness, pluck and feisty nature had always made him a favourite at Victoria Park. So, too, had his down- to-earth attitudes, his unquestioning loyalty to the club and his willingness to give anything for its success. All of which made it even harder for Harry to accept when he and his brother were told to retire shortly before the 1940 season. Harry, Albert and the rest of the players had — perhaps unwisely — become involved in the 1939 club elections. They publicly backed the existing committee against a challenge group, arguing that stability was in the best interests of the club. With their help the committee survived, but only months later “thanked” the Colliers by telling them their services were no longer required. Harry was deeply hurt by the decision, but would later return to the club as long-serving committeeman and talent scout. Collingwood’s fortunes slumped dramatically without the Colliers. But that’s not surprising; rip the heart out of any body and it will have trouble functioning. And Collingwood did lose part of its heart when it lost Harry Collier. For years he had been central to the soul and lifeblood of the team, epitomising all that is famous about the Collingwood Football Club. In his later years he became a sort of symbol to the younger generations of what the old-timers meant when they talked about the famed Collingwood spirit; in the form of Harry Collier that spirit could not have had a better standard-bearer. – Michael Roberts]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/albert-collier/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:39 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/albert-collier/ The Sporting Globe that Albert Collier was the best follower he had seen. In his new role of protector and team leader he played a brand of football that made him even more important to the team’s fortunes. He was possibly the most valuable footballer in the competition. He won the Copeland Trophy in 1934 and again in 1935, was a regular Victorian player and also won other awards including one from radio station 3KZ for the most popular player of 1937. Off the field Albert was something of a rough diamond. There was not a lot of polish about him but he was a straight, no-nonsense bloke with a kind heart. He would call a spade “a bloody shovel”, and it did not pay to get on his wrong side. He was also viewed in some quarters as a bit of a rebel, and was an early defender of players’ rights off the field as well as on. Most of the players idolised him. By 1938, though, injuries started to take their toll. He missed most of the season with a knee injury which later required surgery, and was troubled by the same complaint in 1939. After the final practice match of 1940 the Collingwood committee decided Leeter (and Harry) should retire. Albert was bitterly disappointed by the decision, as he still felt there was some football left in the old legs yet. He played 11 games at Fitzroy in 1941, then had a successful coaching stint with Camberwell in the VFA before coaching in country centres Kyneton and Sea Lake. In 1960 he again hit the headlines when he lay in a bulldozer’s path to prevent trees from being knocked down on the Carrum foreshore. If that had happened during Albert Collier’s playing days there would have been plenty of opponents prepared to wager that the bulldozer might have come off second best. Brilliantly talented, super tough and inspirational in equal measure, Albert Collier had it all – and he still stands as one of football’s all-time greats. – Michael Roberts]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/john-d-harris/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:39 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/john-d-harris/ The Sporting Globe once wrote that ‘Jiggy’ was an appropriate nickname for John Harris. “Always on the move, Harris gives one the impression of independence of spirit and movement which makes him a personality”, it said. And a personality he was – cheeky, funny and outgoing. There was even personality in his football, which was based heavily around his trickery and evasiveness. Combined with his size – or lack of it – he became a crowd favourite; the fans loved it when he would trick or twist around an opponent and make him look silly. John Harris (he once explained that he was called ‘Jiggy’ simply because he “kept jigging about”) was born in Mildura, but moved to Brighton when he was a boy. He captained his school team at the age of 11, then joined Brighton Vale in the Senior Cadet competition. At the age of 17 he moved to Brighton in the VFA, playing mostly in the centre or on the wing. Collingwood tried to get him to Victoria Park at the end of 1923, but a succession of clearance wrangles meant it wasn’t until 1925 that he came to Victoria Park – without a clearance. He “failed lamentably” in his debut against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval in 1925, but soon became a regular fixture in the team. He played mostly on a wing in his first two seasons, and by the end of 1926 had established himself as a good senior player. “So consistent has his play been that he has rarely bad to lower his colours to an opponent,” wrote the Sporting Globe after the 1926 season ended. “He crowned an excellent season’s work with a splendid performance against Melbourne in the second semi-final when be was one of the outstanding players in the Magpie colours. “His spectacular dashes, and the manner in which he weaves his way through a bunch of players, has caused his opponents many anxious moments. His elusiveness and ability to extricate himself from a dangerous position by a piece of brilliance, or a clever manoeuvre, has proved of wonderful value to the team. Though light and small, he is never afraid to dive into the bunch for the ball, and though often knocked down, comes up smiling for more. “Three points of hls play call for attention but are equally easy of observation to the barracker. First, he is very quick on his feet, and can dodge with ease. Secondly, his kicking is good, fairly long and well directed. Thirdly, his picking up of the ball when on the run can hardly be surpassed.” Late in 1926, Harris was tried at half-forward. And this proved to be the turning point for Jiggy as a footballer, for he took to the half-forward flank like a duck to water. He formed a great understanding with both centre half-forward Frank Murphy and full-forward Gordon Coventry, and his football smarts and natural evasiveness made him a dangerous small forward. Standing just 5’4” and weighing 9st 6lb, Harris established a reputation as one of the trickiest and cleverest half-forwards  in the competition. He was regularly described in terms such as “slippery as an eel”, “busy as a bee” and “a tricky terrier”. The Heralddescribed one of his games in this way: “Eluding opponents, twisting like a hare, handballing expertly and kicking well, he played like a champion and proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is one of the best small men in football.” His captain, Syd Coventry, once described Jiggy as “the little corkscrew”. “Twisting about everywhere, Harris sharpens up our ground play, braces up the attack, and is always likely to open up a game with his speed and trickiness,” Coventry said. At the end of 1928, the Sporting Globe paid tribute to another grand finals performance against Richmond: “Harris, small, fleet of foot, and very game, was a big source of annoyance to Richmond on Saturday. The little fellow was ubiquitous. He snapped terrier-like into the crushes, juggling the ball cleverly, and getting it away in great style. Whenever Harris knew that he could not run with the ball, he got rid of it, but on occasions he was unaware of men closing in on him, and in consequence he came some terrific croppers. From what I have seen of Harris this season, his value to the Collingwood side is great indeed. He is a source of the greatest danger to an opposing team by his crafty and lightning-like moves in attack.” But for all his on-field trickery and off-field personality, Harris was a serious footballer. He became a key component of the Premiership sides of 1927 and 1928, and in 1927 was awarded the Austral Cup via popular vote of local theatre patrons for the Magpies’ best player of the season. He also played every game of the 1929 season and looked set for a hat-trick of Premiership medallions. But he was surprisingly dropped for the Grand Final and took it badly – so badly, in fact, that he crossed to Hawthorn as captain-coach. Still, Jiggy’ Harris was Collingwood to the core. He returned to the club after his coaching days (after Hawthorn he also coached at Kew and Ivanhoe Amateurs, being named the latter’s coach in their Team of the Century) and remained involved there in a variety of roles – including at board level – until 1978. His extroverted personality translated well into the commercial world and he became a highly successful businessman. He had a great rapport with people, became involved in numerous community organisations and established a charitable trust which continues to provide funds for medical research and treatments, especially in the areas of liver cell transplants and child education programs. He received an Order of Australia for his work in 1979. Through the work of his trust, which has now given over $1 million dollars, he continues to have an impact far beyond the considerable one he made as a Collingwood footballer. – Michael Roberts]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/george-clayden/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 11:57:35 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/george-clayden/