Des Fothergill – Collingwood Forever

Goals Records

Michael Roberts — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 05:02:11 +0000

From its very earliest days, Collingwood has been blessed with some of the game’s greatest ever goalkickers. Archie Smith, who played in the club’s first game, was a star of the early years, notching seven club titles and twice winning the VFL’s goalkicking award. But that was just the start. Dick Lee was the game’s first goalscoring superstar, and he was followed seamlessly by Gordon Coventry, who held the League’s goalscoring record for more than 60 years. And he, in turn, was followed by Ron Todd, who might have been the best of them all had he not gone to the VFA. Then in later years, Peter McKenna, Peter Daicos, Brian Taylor and Sav Rocca all made their mark as prolific forwards. It’s a rich heritage, and one we as a club are only too happy to celebrate with the following collection of records. Click here for a list of Collingwood’s leading goalkickers, year-by-year

	Most Career Goals
1299	Gordon Coventry
838	Peter McKenna
707	Dick Lee
549	Peter Daicos
514	Saverio Rocca
453	Alby Pannam
441	Travis Cloke
423	Lou Richards
404	Anthony Rocca
371	Brian Taylor

	Most Goals in a Season
143	Peter McKenna 1970
134	Peter McKenna 1971
130	Peter McKenna 1972
124	Gordon Coventry 1929
121	Ron Todd 1938
121	Ron Todd 1939
118	Gordon Coventry 1930
108	Gordon Coventry 1933
105	Gordon Coventry 1934
100	Brian Taylor 1986

	Most Goals in a Game
17	Gordon Coventry, v Fitzroy R12 1930, at Victoria Park
16	Gordon Coventry, v Hawthorn R13 1929, at Victoria Park
16	Peter McKenna, v Sth Melbourne R19 1969, at Victoria Park
15	Gordon Coventry, v Essendon R11 1933, at Victoria Park
14	Gordon Coventry, v Hawthorn R14 1934, at Victoria Park
13	Peter McKenna, v Essendon R11 1972, at Victoria Park
13	Peter Daicos, v Brisbane R20 1991, at Carrara
12	Peter McKenna, v Essendon R14 1971, at Victoria Park
12	Peter McKenna, v Geelong R9 1972, at Victoria Park
12	Peter McKenna, v Essendon R20 1970, at Victoria Park
12	Peter McKenna, v Hawthorn R1 1966, at Victoria Park
12	Brian Taylor, v Sydney R16 1985, at the SCG

	Most Goals in a Final
11	Ron Todd, v Geelong 1938 preliminary final
11	Ron Todd, v St Kilda 1939 preliminary final
9	Gordon Coventry, v Richmond 1928 Grand Final
9	Peter McKenna, v Carlton 1970 second semi-final
8	Bill Twomey Jnr, v Footscray 1948 first semi-final
8	Ken Smale, v Footscray 1956 preliminary final
7	Gordon Coventry, v Geelong 1927 semi-final
7	Gordon Coventry, v Geelong 1930 Grand Final
7	Gordon Coventry, v Melbourne 1937 preliminary final
7	Des Tuddenham, v St Kilda 1966 second semi-final
7	Peter McKenna, v Footscray 1974 elimination final
7	Peter Daicos, v Carlton 1984 first semi-final

	Most Goals at Victoria Park
679	Gordon Coventry
399	Peter McKenna
334	Dick Lee
210	Lou Richards
200	Alby Pannam

	Most Goals at the MCG
329	Saverio Rocca
302	Travis Cloke
236	Anthony Rocca
156	Gordon Coventry
145	Brian Taylor

	Most Goals in VFA Years (1892-96)
86	Archie Smith
42	George Anderson
19	Harry Dowdall
19	Dick Hall
17	Frank Hailwood

	VFL/AFL Leading Goalkicker
1898	Archie Smith 31
1900	Archie Smith (tied) 21
1903	Ted Lockwood 35
1905	Charlie H. Pannam 38
1907	Dick Lee 47
1908	Dick Lee 54
1909	Dick Lee 58
1914	Dick Lee 57
1916	Dick Lee 48
1917	Dick Lee 54
1919	Dick Lee 56
1926	Gordon Coventry 83
1927	Gordon Coventry 97
1928	Gordon Coventry 89
1929	Gordon Coventry 124
1930	Gordon Coventry 118
1933	Gordon Coventry 108
1938	Ron Todd 120
1939	Ron Todd 121
1946	Des Fothergill 63
1958	Ian Brewer 73
1972	Peter McKenna 130
1973	Peter McKenna 86
1986	Brian Taylor 100

Please note: Ted Rowell (1902), Dick Lee (1910, 1913 and 1915) and Gordon Coventry (1937) each topped the table after the finals in the years noted but not after the home-and-away rounds (which is when the League’s Leading Goalkicker is determined).

The Under-19s

Michael Roberts — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 00:05:42 +0000

Our under-19s in their very first year of operation, 1951, with coach Jack Pimm in the middle. Pic courtesy former player George Beasley (second back row, fourth from right)

The Collingwood Football Club launched its own under-19 team to act as the club’s thirds team in 1951. The VFL had started an official ‘Thirds’ competition in 1946, although only seven clubs initially took part. Collingwood was one of those that resisted, partly due to cost and partly to the club’s commitment to its own Schoolboy competition. That competition had started in 1934, providing teams from local schools with the opportunity to strut their stuff on Victoria Park before Collingwood home games. The games were highly popular and also produced some extremely good footballers, including Des Fothergill, Bill Twomey and Len Fitzgerald. The club’s decision to field its own under-19 team in 1951 spelled the beginning of the end for the schoolboy competition, which folded a few years later. The first coach of the Collingwood Thirds was former player and Second World War hero Jack Pimm. Another former player, Eric Cock, acted as team manager. The team’s purpose was to provide recruits for the senior team, and a number of the first intake went on to play senior VFL football with Collingwood, including the winner of the first best and fairest award, Les Smith, Neville Waller, Bill Jones and Laurie Rymer. Collingwood’s new baby Magpies finished sixth in the 12-team thirds competition in their first season, a highly creditable performance. The thirds would go on to win four Premierships for the club before the AFL disbanded the entire competition in 1991, to make way for a new Under-18 competition. Many Magpie stars of that era got their start in the Under-19s, including names like Murray Weideman, Len Thompson, Peter Daicos, Denis Banks, Damian Monkhorst, Gavin Brown, Mick McGuane, Gavin Crosisca, Sav Rocca and many more. Complete list of Under-19s players 1951-91 Under-19s Honour Roll Under-19s Best and Fairest winners Under-19s Leading Goalkickers Under-19s Premierships

The Brownlow Medallists: Des Fothergill

admin — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 22:43:31 +0000

By: Glenn McFarlane IT’S fair to say that no Collingwood footballer has ever made as rapid an impact on the field as teenage prodigy Des Fothergill. Let’s just look at his first four seasons in black and white. Two Copeland Trophies in his first two years – as a 17 and 18-year-old – in a side that was full of champions. And then a third Collingwood best-and-fairest award in his fourth year, 1940, in a season that would see him poll the equal most votes in the Brownlow Medal. Fothergill was one of VFL’s young sensations, and what happened in the Brownlow Medal count provided a sensation of its own. After yet another outstanding year for the Magpies, the then-20-year-old polled 32 votes in the league’s fairest and best award, which was five votes greater than any other previous winner had achieved. The only problem was that another player also polled 32 votes, playing the same amount of games (18) and polling in the same amount of matches (14). He was South Melbourne’s Herbie Matthews. The Argus detailed: “When the votes of the central umpires in each game were counted, the permit committee of the league last night found that Matthews and Fothergill had each been allocated 32 votes. Members of the committee were in a dilemma concerning the position, which had not occurred since rhe medal was first awarded in 1924. In 1930 there was a tie between S Judkins and H Collier (there was no mention of Allan Hopkins), but the medal was awarded to Judkins on the number of games played.” Both players gained seven best afields, four two-vote games, and three one-vote games. The football public had no issue with the umpires’ verdict, with the Australasian stating: “Public opinion is generally right and the almost unanimous vote of football enthusiasts will place Herbert Matthews, the South Melbourne captain, and Des Fothergill, the Collingwood rover, as the outstanding players for 1940.” It was a fitting result, but hardly the fitting reward for each of the men. Fothergill and Matthews could not be separated in any form of countback, which presented the VFL with a dilemma given that its rules stipulated that only one winner could receive the Brownlow Medal. One newspaper said: “All the tests were applied in order to decide between the two leaders without avail, and now the league will have to decide. It is probable that each will receive a medal. Each is a very fine exponent of the game and also a splendid all-round athlete.” The only problem was that the VFL decided to stick to the original lettering of the rules surrounding the medal – there could only one winner, not two. Fothergill and Matthews were listed as joint winners, but the league decided to keep the original Brownlow Medal and struck two cheaper, replica medals for the pair. It wasn’t until 1989 that the league got the chance to right the wrong of almost 50 years earlier, when it presented both players with new Brownlow Medals. On the night Fothergill took along his replica, and rejoiced when he got hold of his Brownlow Medal. He told Channel Seven: “It’s very pleasing. I’ve had the replica for about 49 years, so it is good to get a new one.” Unfortunately for Collingwood, Fothergill took up an offer from VFA club Williamstown the following season, and would be lost to the Magpies until 1945. He spent one year in the VFA before serving in the Second World War before making an emotional homecoming to Victoria Park in the last year of the war. He was still a very good player, though a knee injury dulled some of his impact. Fothergill had to be replaced at half-time in his last game, in Round 12 game against Fitzroy in 1947 after “playing as though he were nervous about the condition of his knee … the opinion was expressed that he might not play again.” The Collingwood comet was gone, after only 111 games, and just 10 days before his 27th birthday. But his links with the Brownlow Medal would remain.