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/a-football-enigma/ Mon, 03 Oct 2016 23:44:49 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10805 Wes Fellowes was in many ways a football enigma at Collingwood. The powerfully-built ruckman with a Black and White pedigree earned the club’s highest individual honour in a season in which he even scored an invite to the Brownlow. By the time the next season started, however, he had been dropped back to the reserves. Seemingly, throughout his entire 10-season, 102-game career with Collingwood, his place in the senior side was on a knife’s edge, as he competed for a spot against the likes of big men David Cloke, James Manson and, later still, a young Damian Monkhorst. Such was the frequency of Fellowes’ revolving door between the seniors and reserves following his 1986 Copeland Trophy win that the Coodabeen Champions penned a song in his honour. It was written to the tune of Abba’s Fernando, and was titled ‘You’ve been dropped again, Wes Fellowes.” Even through his most celebrated season, he came in for criticism from unforgiving fans – and sometimes even his coach – for his attack on the ball and competitive edge. Wes inherited his Black and White connection from his father, Graeme, who was a member of Collingwood’s famed 1958 premiership side. Graeme, who had played 66 games across eight seasons, once acknowledge his son’s passion for the club, saying: “he was born and bred Collingwood.” The other thing he inherited from his father was a giant frame – both stood 200cm. But as Wes spent more and more time in the weights room at Victoria Park, he transformed his frame into an exceptionally powerful one, only heightening the calls from the outer for him to use it more. Having been recruited from Bulleen-Templestowe, he made his senior debut as a 20-year-old in round 13, 1981, against St Kilda at Victoria Park. It was Peter Moore’s 150^th game and there were hopes that the debutant – who kicked a goal – might one day be able to take over the ruck mantle. Fellowes didn’t get another chance that season. But when Collingwood imploded and tumbled down the ladder the following season, he had more regular game time, playing 16 games and having 320 hit-outs in 1982. But his body let him down over the next few seasons. In 1983 he had cartilage removed from his knee, restricting him to 13 games. Then ankle surgery in 1984 kept him to 12 matches, though he regained his spot late in the season to play in all three finals. He enjoyed a strong second half of the season in 1985, polling 10 Brownlow votes, the same tally as Cloke. That season appeared to give him the confidence he needed and he repaid the faith of the selectors in 1986 by playing all but one man as the first choice ruckman. Considered a strong tap ruckman, a solid mark around the ground and relatively dependable with his disposal, Fellowes had a strong season. While he polled four fewer votes in the 1986 Brownlow than the previous year, he was a clear winner of the Copeland Trophy, scoring by 11 votes from Bruce Abernethy and third-year player Darren Millane. His form was such that one of the league’s new franchises, Brisbane, made him a lucrative offer that he dismissed out of loyalty to the club. It would be a decision he would later question as his opportunities diminished over the following years. Coach Leigh Matthews challenged Fellowes to be more aggressive after his Copeland success, as well instructing him to stop turning back on the play. In the pre-season after, Matthews said: “Fellowes had an up-and-down season, despite winning the best and fairest. He can be a more valuable player.” It was hardly the ringing endorsement for the reigning club champion winner, who was just about to turn 26. Fellowes was left out of the senior team for the round one, 1987 clash with Sydney – a precursor for what was ahead. He managed 17 games that season, but slipped back to only five games in 1988 and just a solitary game in 1989. The expectation of the Collingwood faithful turned to frustration. They questioned why someone as physically imposing as the 106kg big man did not always use it. One newspaper explained: “When you are as big as Wes, the public’s expectations are always just as big. When your name is Fellowes, they are twice that size.” And even media commentator Lou Richards conceded: “Too often, too easily, Fellowes falls out of the game, and the Magpies’ hopes crash with him.” To his credit, Fellowes never complained publicly, even when the criticism was at times too personal and occasionally unfair due to his limited opportunities. “I guess sometimes it could be true, but I go for the ball, that’s the way I play,” he said of the criticism of his aggression. “But if someone hits me or a teammate, I’ll just go and hit them back if I have to.” “I say I’ll be out there trying my hardest. You can’t do any better than that, can you?” There was talk – denied by the club – Fellowes, Ron McKeown and Athas Hrysoulakis were considered for a trade that never happened with Footscray’s Tony McGuinness. Cloke returned to Richmond in 1990, and Manson and Monkhorst locked in the ruck roles, leaving Fellowes on the outer – again. He did not play a senior game in a drought-breaking premiership season that he had often dream about. He was delisted in March 1991, after the club had allowed him to keep training to keep in shape as he looked to other opportunities at a rival AFL club. Sadly, that never came, and he was overlooked in the draft. That surprised his first coach at Collingwood, Tom Hafey, who said: “I am absolutely staggered he wasn’t drafted.” In keeping with his character, Fellowes didn’t lash out at the club or cry foul, but admitted to a little frustration with how he was managed. “I suppose people didn’t want to play me,” he said. “It was their choice whether I played or not. I suppose I’m sorry I didn’t go (elsewhere earlier), but that’s the way it goes.” He signed a two-year deal with Port Adelaide in the SANFL and enjoyed a strong season, in 1991. But he didn’t take up the final year of the deal and opted to return to Melbourne to concentrate on his professional career with the tax office, rather than football. But with a Copeland Trophy on his mantelpiece, Fellowes’ place in Collingwood’s history will live on forever.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/daicos-helps-the-pies-draw-with-the-roos/ Mon, 04 Aug 2014 09:48:53 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=4662 1977 Grand Final: the absence of Phil Carman due to his suspension from the second semi-final; Collingwood’s remarkable rise from last in 1976 to being the minor premier; the first pre-game entertainment for a Grand Final; the Magpies’ 27-point lead at three quarter-time; North Melbourne’s early inaccuracy and stunning fight back in the last term; all culminating in Ross “Twiggy” Dunne’s famous pack mark and torpedo goal from close range which levelled the scores on 76 each – Collingwood 10.16 (76) to North Melbourne 9.22 (76). The other draw played out between the two teams came 11 years later, and none of the players who been out there for the first draw were out there for the second. The Round 17 clash in 1988 is recalled with less clarity and less colour than the 1977 draw. Contrasting occasions and conditions; the same result, if you like, though there were a few similarities between the two games. In 1977 it was the Magpies who had led by 27 points at three quarter-time before the Kangaroos stormed home with five goals to one in the final term. In 1988, it was North who led by 25 at the last change before Collingwood managed five goals to one in the last quarter. Played out on a wet and windy winter’s afternoon at Victoria Park, the match between Leigh Matthews’ Magpies and John Kennedy’s Kangaroos was witnessed by 16,082 hardy souls -more than 90,000 fewer than those who attended the previous draw between the two sides. And instead of Barry Crocker singing “The Impossible Dream” to a stadium full of people as he did in 1977, the only pre-game entertainment before the Collingwood-North Melbourne clash in 1988 was a bit of old-fashioned reserves watching. There was plenty to see, too, with three ruckmen – David Cloke, who had been dropped a few days earlier, 1986 Copeland Trophy winner Wes Fellowes and a developing kid with plenty of talent called Damian Monkhorst – attracting a fair bit of attention in the “twos”. Matthews had dropped Cloke (as well as Tony Elshaug and Paul Tuddenham) after the club suffered bad losses to Fitzroy and Melbourne in successive weeks – leaving James Manson as the sole ruckman against the Kangaroos. A week earlier, he had dumped full-forward Brian Taylor, only to recall him for the game against North Melbourne. In fairness to Taylor, retired Hawthorn great and newspaper columnist Don Scott wrote at the time: “I’d have hated to be full-forward at Collingwood this season with the time it has taken to deliver the ball and the poor manner in which it has done (so).” But clearly the pressure was on the Pies heading into this Round 17 game. Two weeks earlier Fitzroy had beaten Collingwood by an almost inconceivable 90 points; the previous week it was a 46-point loss to Melbourne. That loss to the second placed Demons brought out plenty of criticism for a team that sat fourth on the ladder, but was looking more than a little susceptible. Former captain Des Tuddenham said after the Melbourne loss that he was “ashamed” by the effort. He added: “The double chance was at stake, but what happened? They wimp it.” Eleven minutes into the first quarter of the game against North Melbourne, Collingwood looked even more vulnerable. The scoreboard at the Yarra Falls end told a sorry tale – crediting the Kangaroos with 4.2 (26) while the operators had so far failed to post a score for the home side. The first three goals came from Peter German after an “inspirational” start for the visitors with a strong breeze. It looked like it wasn’t going to turn out to be much of a 28th birthday for Collingwood’s captain, Tony Shaw, who was playing his 199th game in black and white. As busy as Shaw was on the field, the Magpies were finding it very hard to get on the scoreboard. Only two goals came in the first term to North’s six, but by 17 minutes into the second term, and with some fine work from Taylor in front of goal, the scores were back to level. However, the Kangaroos kept coming and regained the lead soon after, taking the margin to 18 points by the time the two Little League teams came out to play. Taylor had redeemed himself with a brilliant first half, keeping the Magpies in the contest with five goals heading to the main break He had “outbustled” young defender Mick Martyn, who was one of five teenagers on the ground that day. The others were: Collingwood’s Gavin Crosisca and North Melbourne’s John Longmire, Brenton Harris and Dean McRae. The Sun’s chief football reporter Peter Simunovich wrote: “By half-time North Melbourne had re-asserted its superiority with two goals to Longmire (in only his sixth game) and another to the brilliant German.” Simunovich added: “But in the third quarter the wind dropped and with it appeared to come an increased propensity by both sides to increase their already-high number of mistakes.” Still, Collingwood made more than North Melbourne, and two of them – “critical errors” – threatened to cost the Magpies dearly. The first came when Mick McGuane, in his 19th game, “paddled” the ball over the boundary line deep in defence. The umpire deemed it to be deliberate and the resulting free kick to 20-year-old Alastair Clarkson was slotted through on an acute angle. Not long after, Magpie Matthew Ryan grabbed the ball and ran too far as he was trying to extricate himself from the crowded backline. The free kick to Matthew Larkin ended in a goal, and the margin was out to 25 points at three-quarter-time. Seemingly, the game was looking beyond the home side. The only thing in Collingwood’s favour was that it was coming home to the scoring end and that North Melbourne had not taken advantage of all of its opportunities. The Roos had 24 scoring shots to the Magpies’ 14, leaving the door slightly ajar as the parochial home crowd tried to urge their heroes on to stage a revival. The Collingwood comeback started in the middle of the ground – with Manson starting to assert his authority, “rucking his heart out in the last quarter.” Jamie Turner was playing his best game to date, Darren Millane was strong on the wing, Taylor was dangerous in attack and Doug Barwick finished up with two goals, including one in the last term that came about after a 50m penalty that must have infuriated Kennedy in the opposition coaches’ box on the outer side of the ground. Unusually, Peter Daicos had been reasonably held through, but when the difference was back to a point in the visitors’ favour late in the game, he stepped forward for one of the most important moments of the match. Speaking about it this week, Daicos’ memories of the game are two-fold. “It was just one of those really wet and muddy days at Vic Park, that’s the thing that I recall about that game,” he said. “I remember we were a point down and we were kicking to the Yarra (Falls) end. I got the ball deep on the boundary line on a tight angle and I just got my boot to ball. I think I went with a torpedo and just tried to drill it home. I kicked it really hard.” For a moment, Daicos’ kick looked like conjuring one of the miracles that he had become renown for. The crowd looked on in nervous anticipation as the Sherrin spun towards goal, almost as if it was played out in slow-motion. At the last moment, it diverted towards the nearest goalpost, and slammed into the woodwork. It was a behind; the point that would level the scores. “I thought it was home for a few seconds, but it ended up hitting the post,” Daicos said. Daicos’ behind squared the scores – Collingwood 14.8 (92) to North Melbourne 13.14 (92). Not all that many minutes later, and with no addition to the score, the timekeepers reached over and pushed the final siren. It was over. In the confusion, leading ABC commentator Graham ‘Smokey’ Dawson told listeners not long after the end of the game: “And now we’ll go down to St Kilda for details of the closest match of the day.” It wasn’t. Collingwood and North Melbourne had staged a draw. At Moorabbin, Sydney had beaten St Kilda by seven points. As darkness descended over the ground, up in the social club, Brian Taylor was being presented with an award for Collingwood’s best player after kicking seven goals. Taylor said: “In terms of goals, it was my best match for awhile, but I think I’ve been doing a lot of other work which people don’t notice.” His teammates toasted their captain, Tony Shaw, on his birthday and looked ahead to his 200th game the following week. And as disappointed as Magpie fans were as they lingered around for a chat, before streaming out of the ground and heading out across the footbridge, with many of them heading to the Victoria Park train platform, they knew that Collingwood had fought exceptionally hard to come back. They also knew that a draw, as tough as it was to deal with, was better than a loss. And this time there was no need for a replay.]]>