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/ill-spew-up/ Wed, 10 Aug 2016 01:40:21 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10632 By: Glenn McFarlane of the Herald Sun The last time the Magpies and the Bulldogs met during an Olympics the teams fought out a thrilling finish made famous by Terry Wallace’s comments in a documentary that he would “spew up” if he heard any players receiving a pat on the back after just failing to run down Collingwood. That was back in 1996, and the Atlanta Olympics – the Games that Melbourne thought it was robbed of – captured the attention of the world. A week and a bit earlier, Muhammad Ali had produced one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history when he famously lit the cauldron, and just a day earlier Australian swimmer Kieren Perkins dragged himself off the canvas to claim back-to-back 1500m freestyle gold medals in spectacular fashion. As much as Melburnians were still hurting at missing out on hosting the Olympics 40 years on from the 1956 ‘Friendly Games’, they were still transfixed with what was happening on the other side of the world. Perhaps that’s why only 28,776 fans turned up to the MCG to see Collingwood take on Footscray, as the Western Bulldogs were then called. Perhaps that sparse crowd had more to do with the fact that the Pies were in 11^th place and the Bulldogs were 15^th. Both sides had struggled big time in what was the AFL’s Centenary Season. The Magpies, under first-year coach Tony Shaw, started the year with four wins from the first six games, but a string of eight consecutive losses put a massive dent in the season. It was worse for the Bulldogs. Allan Joyce had been sacked as coach after only two wins in the first half of the season, leaving Wallace as caretaker coach. Wallace had been given the rest of the season to prove himself, starting off with two losses, then scoring a win against Fremantle and a loss against the Brisbane Bears. The clash with Collingwood loomed as an important chance to push his case further, and an opportunity for his team to chase what would have been its fourth win of an otherwise depressing season. Making the Dogs’ season even more interesting was the fact that a documentary was being made about the club, filmed by director Michael Cordell, and given the happenings, there was little doubt it would make interesting viewing. On the eve of this clash, Wallace gave an interview to the Sunday Herald Sun – to a much younger version of the writer of this story – and detailed his belief that his young side was on the verge of going places. “Obviously, we have had a disappointing season. That’s probably the understatement of the year,” Wallace told me. “We had won two in 12 when I took over and we have now won one in four in my time. “But the important thing is I’m trying to teach the players to play to my style of coaching. “We have targeted the next month to have a real go against sides that are in the lower part of the draw. We’ve got Collingwood, Fitzroy, Hawthorn and St Kilda. This is very, very important for us.” It was important for Shaw, too. A big win would at least keep the club’s flickering finals hopes alive. Some of the players that day still resonate in today’s football, Nathan Buckley, who set up Collingwood’s play from half back early in the game, is the club’s coach, while then Bulldog Leon Cameron is coach of Greater Western Sydney. Scott Burns is now a Magpies’ assistant coach, while Rohan Smith is the same at the Bulldogs, and Chris Grant is now back at the Whitten Oval as the club’s director of football. Three Footscray players from that day also have sons at the club now – Mark Hunter (Lachie), Tony Liberatore (Tom) and Steven Wallis (Mitch). Twelve Magpie had played less than 50 AFL games going into that game – Robbie Ahmat (7^th game), Burns (37th), Scott Crow (30th), Brett James (39th), Chad Liddell (11th), Stephen Patterson (35th), Steven Pitt (8th), Simon Prestigiacomo (7th), Mark Richardson (47th), Andrew Schauble (20th), Lee Walker (13th) and Jason Wild (23rd). This was also Damian Monkhorst‘s 150th game. Only Gavin Crosisca and Gavin Brown (177 games each) had played more. It was Shaw’s 17th game as senior coach, just six days after his 36th birthday, and only Wallace’s fifth. Shaw’s team kicked 8.3 to the Dogs’ 1.1 in a near perfect opening quarter with fears that this could blow out to be a very one-sided encounter. Wallace would say later: “The first quarter was a coach’s worst nightmare, I suppose.” He would be even more cutting in the documentary, which did not air until the following season, telling his players: “We were a rabble in that first quarter, (it was) absolutely bloody disgraceful.” Buckley kicked the first goal of the game, a towering punt from almost 60m out, and it had set the scene for a blistering quarter of football. Incredibly, the Magpies led by 45 points before the Bulldogs kicked their first score – a behind. And instead of key forward Saverio Rocca doing the damage (he was relatively well held by Tony Campbell), it was left to 23-year-old Pitt. The young forward would kick three of those eight opening term goals and end with four for the match – his equal best return in a game. Pitt, recruited from Norwood, had been given an ultimatum from his coach leading into the game – convert his chances in front of goal or run the risk of going back to the reserves. He told the Herald Sun later: “When I first started I had a few shots at goals and missed a few goals, so `Shawy’ said to me `start kicking those goals and you stay in the side.” “I’d been down on my confidence, I wasn’t kicking well and when I came back up (from the reserves) I was told: `This is it. Do it now or lose it forever’. ” Fortunately, he took his chance on this day. Footscray coach Terry Wallace’s post-match address to his players enter football folklore. The margin at quarter-time was 44 points. The Collingwood faithful was delighted, but more than a few did a double-take at the margin, knowing it had a strangely ominous ring to it. Michael Horan, of the Herald Sun, who happened to be a Black and White fan with a long memory, explained: “Someone joked at quarter time that the Magpies had blown a 44-point (half-time) lead before, alluding to the famous 1970 Grand Final and the Carlton comeback which has long since passed into folklore.” Surely, this one wasn’t going to be the same. But Footscray did outplay the Magpies in the second term. Wallace’s team kicked 6.3 to 4.1, and the difference at half-time had been reduced to 30 points. Still, it was a significant margin, though the Dogs were rallying. However, they could not make any further scoreboard inroads during the third term. Each team kicked three goals, and when the three-quarter-time siren sounded, the Magpies still maintained a 29-point lead. The game, according to the Herald Sun, “appeared to be as good as over”, even though the Bulldogs had controlled much of the general play during the second and third terms. Brad Johnson, an important player in the Dogs’ revival, marked and goaled four minutes into the last quarter. The difference was back to 22 points, Then Luke Darcy twice had the chance to cut it back further. But he sprayed a ball out on the full from 10 metres out, and missed again from close in not long after. Ahmat nailed an important goal for the Magpies from 50m out, which seemed to settle the issue. After all, neither side advanced much on that almost five goal margin until around six minutes was left to play. A long bomb torpedo from well outside 50m from Daniel Hargraves appeared to spark the Bulldogs into action. Then Johnson nailed another on the run. And just as Dogs fans were considering heading towards the exit, Jason Watts kicked yet another. The difference was disappearing at a rate of knots and another goal to young Bulldog and future Pie Tyson Lane brought Wallace’s team to within reach of a remarkable victory or, the very least, a draw. All four late Bulldog goals had come within four minutes. There was still 51 seconds left on the clock. And with Jose Romero steaming in to the forward line, it seemed as if another major was in the offing. But, out of nowhere, Paul Williams launched a running tackle at full stretch on Romero and dragged him down. The momentum went down with Romero. It was inspiring stuff and precisely what Collingwood needed at that moment. The siren followed soon after, with Collingwood still clinging to a six-point lead. The Bulldogs had quite simply run out of time. Wallace slammed his hand on the old MCG coaches’ box open window. He knew his team had missed an important chance, and was determined to let them know. “Let’s get out there; I’m going to get right into them,” he told his support team as they headed to the rooms. And in the other coaches’ box, Tony Shaw was just as frustrated, albeit with a touch of relief. “That’s just unacceptable, the players know that,” Shaw said after the game. “We’ve got to do better than that. In the last four or five minutes it was a disgrace how easily they (Footscray) got the ball out of the centre. “We have this in-bred thing, which is unacceptable, that we can’t bury sides. “We allowed the pressure to let up, we fiddled with the ball and we were over-cocky with the ball. We’re not good enough to do that. ” Wallace’s reaction and his message to his players – on Cordell’s documentary – became a part of football folklore. Behind closed doors, he spoke passionately about the lost opportunity, and how his team had to stand for something better than what they had served up in the first quarter. Never mind the huge leap they had taken, it was a case of what might have been. “I don’t know about you blokes, but I can’t bear losing a game like that,” he said. “Look, fantastic effort, but what does a fantastic effort mean. We don’t get diddly squat.” Then he uttered the words remembered for as long as this game will be – “If I see one bloke walk out of here and getting a pat on the back from people out there for a good effort, I’ll spew up.” The Dogs would win the following week, spurred on by Wallace’s words. His caretaker role would become a permanent one. In fact, the Western Bulldogs – as they would become known later in the year – would make the 1997 and 1998 preliminary finals, coming agonisingly close to a Grand Final berth. Collingwood would drop the next three games after that Round 17, 1996 game, which cost the club any chance of playing finals that season. Sadly, there would be no more appearances in the finals for the rest of a decade that had started out so successfully.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/collingwood-cult-figures-alan-didak/ Wed, 22 Jun 2016 08:42:04 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10546 GLENN McFARLANE, of the Herald Sun Footballers who own the clutch moments – those who almost crave it – are so often the ones that resonate the most with the fans. Alan Didak was a perfect case in point. A football showman, the man the fans dubbed ‘Dids’ always seemed to be able to back up his bravado with the sort of brilliance at precisely the right time that set him apart from so many of his contemporaries. On the field, he was sublimely skilled, with a raking left foot, deadly in its accuracy and dynamic in its impact. At times he was compared to the incomparable Peter Daicos, which only served to show just how good the ‘Macedonian Marvel’ actually was. For Didak, the kid with Croatian heritage was some player. The fact that there were similarities between the two Magpies of different generations was good enough, even if few could have ever hoped to reach the lofty status that Daicos has in the Collingwood pantheon. Off the field, Didak’s sense of confidence, some might say cockiness, sometimes landed him in trouble. Through it all, his breathtakingly moments in Black and White always seemed to overshadow the negatives. As The Age’s Greg Baum so perfectly put it: “What Alan Didak had, he flaunted. A shimmy here, a waggle of his forefinger there, a cocky, mouthguardy grin; Didak didn’t just kick goals, he made a production of them.” And those productions made him one of the most popular players of his generation, and the passion for you from the fans stretched from the start to the finish of his 218-game career. That swagger was there almost from the start. Didak was brought up in Whyalla, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, and he cut his teeth with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, making his senior debut at 17. In that same season he captained an under 18s side to Ireland. Collingwood liked what it saw in the talented forward/midfielder and had no hesitation taking him with pick 3 in the 2000 national draft. Fittingly, Didak scored a goal with his first kick in AFL football, in the Round 7 match against North Melbourne in 2001. That was the first of 274 goals kicked in black and white, and so many of them are on automatic recall for Collingwood fans lucky enough to have witnessed some of his finest moments. A young Didak celebrates kicking a goal with his first kick in AFL football. Where do you start? There was the sealer he kicked in the 2003 qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions, when he was on the wrong side for a left-footer, tucked up against the boundary line 50m out. With the crowd roaring, and a goal required to sink the Lions, his captain, Nathan Buckley, ran over to ask him: ‘Are you going to kick it, or are you going to pass it off.” Didak’s answer was simple. “I’m going to kick it”, and he did. There was the scissor-kick goal he managed against Geelong in the 2007 preliminary final that almost defied logic, and another failed attempt against Melbourne that proved that audacity doesn’t always pay. There was the clutch goal he kicked in the dying seconds of the game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in 2006, to win the match. Collectively, there were the highlights of the 2010 season, in which Didak won the club goalkicking award with 41 majors, producing some of the most special moments in that remarkable season for the club. Three goals came in the space of one minute (yes, one minute) against West Coast in Round 14. The first was a beautifully measured snap that he bounced through from the boundary line. Thirty seconds later, he soccered the ball off the ground from 25 metres, and from the restart of play, he took the ball from Jarryd Blair and slotted it through a third from 40 metres. Fans, and even Didak himself, barely had time to draw a breath. Didak celebrates a remarkable game against West Coast in round 14, 2010. Three weeks later came what would be his trademark shimmy. He goaled against Richmond after using his footwork and evasive skills to baulk two hapless Tigers before closing the deal, as he so often did. That moment prompted the great Malcolm Blight to say that Didak had been “born with a footy in his mind.” Then, in the Grand Final Replay against St Kilda, he produced the second most famous smother of that game, when he stopped Jason Blake in his tracks during the third quarter, and turned around a right-foot snap that effectively snuffed out the Saints’ hopes. It was vintage Didak, and all the more memorable because he was doing it under sufferance. He had badly damaged his pectoral muscle late in the season, but kept playing. Collingwood supporters loved him from the outset, even if there was a fear early that he might be a part of a trade with Port Adelaide for Nick Stevens. Fortunately, it never happened. By the time he had turned 21, he was a bona fide Collingwood cult hero, having a supporters’ group create a website in his honour, as well as strike the ‘Alan Didak Medal’, for their own best-and-fairest award. It wasn’t just his goalkicking nous that attracted support; for a time a rat’s tail haircut did the trick. Sure, Didak had a few moments where he tested the patience of the club, not to mention the fans. In 2007, a year after he won the 2006 Copeland Trophy, he was embroiled in controversy regarding the company that kept away from football, and then a year later he and Heath Shaw were suspended by the club for the remainder of the 2008 season after Shaw crashed his car and lied to protect Didak, by saying he wasn’t a passenger. Both worked to regain the respect of their teammates and their club. CEO Gary Pert and then-football manager Geoff Walsh announce the suspension of Heath Shaw and Alan Didak in 2008. Statistically, Didak’s best season was in the 2010 premiership year. He had a career-best 590 disposals and kicked 41.21 – just two behinds fewer than his 2006 tally – and won a second All-Australian jumper that season. He played 20 games in 2011, but unfortunately his body was starting to fail him. His return in 2012 and 2013 – his last two years in black and white – meant he only played 16 games across those two seasons. When he returned to the senior team against West Coast in Round 22, 2013 – almost as much by persuasive powers of his teammates as anything else – he kicked his penultimate goal in black and white. And when he did, the entire Collingwood team left their stations, and rushed to him. It was a measure of what he meant to them. If the fans could have done the same, they would have. His 218th and last game came in the elimination final loss to Port Adelaide. And when he was delisted a few weeks later, it wasn’t the farewell that anyone wanted. He briefly flirted with the idea of trying to reprise his magic for another season at Greater Western Sydney, but the deal fell though. Collingwood fans were happy about that. For just as Daicos remained a one-club player after the club called an end to his career almost two decades earlier, Didak would forever be associated with the Magpie Army. As he said at the time, “I’ve always had great support, and this year it was really overwhelming. At times it was a bit embarrassing, but it is something I’ll always be grateful for. “I am going to miss playing in front of them because it has been such a big part of my life. And they were definitely on my side, which was great.” Didak after becoming a premiership player in 2010.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/dealing-with-the-bye/ Wed, 22 Jun 2016 05:49:36 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10529 GLENN McFARLANE, of the Herald Sun How does Collingwood fare after the bye? In the lead-up to Friday night’s clash with Fremantle at the MCG, we take a look at how the Magpies have dealt with the “dreaded bye” since its return in 2011. 2015 The week before the bye: Defeated Greater Western Sydney by 42 points, at the MCG The bye: Round 12 The week after the bye: Lost to Fremantle by 7 points at Subiaco Collingwood was sitting comfortably in fourth position on the ladder during last year’s bye, having won eight of the first 11 games. But the task of coming up against top of the table Fremantle at Subiaco loomed as a significant challenge for Nathan Buckley and his team. While the Magpies did not return home with four premiership points, they showed enough in the seven-point loss to suggest that the week off hadn’t had a detrimental impact on the team. If it hadn’t been for a four-goal haul from Michael Walters, and a brilliant game from eventual Brownlow Medal winner Nat Fyfe, the Magpies might have even emerged with the win. The visitors kicked three of the first four goals, led by two points at each of the first two breaks and were all square with the Dockers at three-quarter-time. But not even another big performance from Scott Pendlebury could lift the Magpies over the line. What had looked for a time like being a five-game winning streak ended up in a frustrating near-miss for Collingwood. Consecutive goals to Jamie Elliott and Paul Seedsman put the Magpies five points in front 12 minutes into the final term. But just as Magpie fans watching from back home on television were starting to think a big upset was on the cards, Michael Barlow and Walters chimed in with the final two goals of the game. Buckley praised the hard work of players in dealing with the parochial crowd, saying: “the effort was great, we didn’t get the points … (but) our pressure was huge.” “Freo had to play pretty well to withstand our pressure and get the result. Not many teams can withstand that onslaught of pressure for that long. “It’s a strong effort on our behalf to continue to put that on and obviously by Freo to be able to buffer it enough to be able to get the win.” But disappointingly, this spirited effort was the start of a six-game losing streak which put an end to any ideas of a finals series, and only two more wins came for the rest of the season. Jamie Elliott, Scott Pendlebury and Jesse White contest a free kick during Collingwood’s eight-point loss to Fremantle. 2014 The week before the bye: Defeated Carlton by 34 points at the MCG The bye: Round 8 The week after the bye: Lost to Adelaide by 21 points at Adelaide Oval Collingwood could hardly have been more impressive in the first half of their 2014 ‘match after the bye’ against Adelaide, in their first game at the newly redeveloped Adelaide Oval in 2014. Three goals to one came in the first term, and the Magpies – then fifth on the ladder – managed to hold on to a one-goal lead at the major interval. But despite all that good work, and to the frustration of the coach, Collingwood kicked only one goal in the second half, compared to Adelaide’s five. The difference at the end of the game was 21 points. A bloke named Patrick Dangerfield was the best afield with 32 possessions and Josh Jenkins kicked four goals for the home side. In contrast, the Magpies struggled to convert, finishing with only seven goals, with Jarryd Blair kicking two, and Scott Pendlebury having 32 disposals. The duel between 15th-gamer Brodie Grundy and Sam Jacobs was one of the highlights of the contest. But missed shots to Dayne Beams and Blair late in the game cost the club any chance of staging a late revival. Sadly, that reflected the rest of the season. A string of three successive wins came after that Adelaide loss, but injuries and inconsistency in the second half of the year meant the finals were out of the question. Patrick Dangerfield had 32 possessions as Adelaide defeated Collingwood by 21 points. 2013 The week before the bye: Defeated Western Bulldogs by 34 points at the MCG The bye: Round 13 The week after the bye: Lost to Port Adelaide by 35 points at AAMI Stadium Collingwood was seventh on the ladder, two games clear of Port Adelaide, when the teams met the week after the Magpies’ bye week off in Round 14, 2013. The Magpies went in as slight favourites, even though the venue was Adelaide. But the Ken Hinkley-coached Power produced a stunning upset victory. Buckley said Port Adelaide played “finals-like, top-eight pressure”, predicting the Power were more than capable of chasing what had much earlier looked like an improbable finals berth. He was less complementary of his own side, saying the Magpies’ sloppy skills just couldn’t stand up under Port Adelaide’s pressure. Admittedly, Buckley’s team had been rocked by injury in the first three months of the season, and there would be more to come. “We weren’t clean with the ball at all, clean in the contests – or as hard as Port were,” Buckley said. “We had our chances and didn’t take advantage on the scoreboard; when Port had their chances, they took them. “We have got some work to do. We’re on a path and we’re learning a style of game that we think is going to win games of football against the best.” The two teams would meet again, in an elimination final, and just as the case was in Round 14, the Power emerged with the victory, this time by 24 points. Nick Maxwell leads Collingwood off AAMI Stadium after a 24-point defeat at the hands of Port Adelaide. 2012 The week before the bye: Defeated Melbourne by 42 points at the MCG The bye: Round 12 The week after the bye: Defeated West Coast by 3 points at the MCG Collingwood charged to the top of the AFL ladder in the week after the bye in 2012, knocking off West Coast and recording its 10th win from 12 games. Five of the club’s 12 goals came from Travis Cloke, as the Magpies held on to win a classic by three points. Collingwood led by 27 points at the 21-minute-mark of the third term, and retained a 16-point break at the last change. But West Coast stormed home. Three goals to the Eagles in the first half of the final quarter changed the contest as the visitors suddenly snatched the lead. But a poor tackle from Beau Waters left Dayne Beams with the chance to put the Magpies in front, and he did so at the 18-minute-mark, with his third goal. From there, Buckley’s team held on grimly to their lead, and managed to still be three points in front at the final siren. Steele Sidebottom celebrates with the Magpie Army in a thrilling Collingwood victory. 2011 – Bye 1 The week before the bye: Defeated Western Bulldogs by 48 points at the MCG The bye: Round 7 The week after the bye: Lost to Geelong by 3 points at the MCG Two undefeated teams, a Friday night blockbuster, and it proved to be an epic fight to the end. What more could you possibly want? Well, a Collingwood win for a start, but unfortunately that didn’t happen against Geelong in the Round 8 clash before more than 81,000 fans at the MCG. The Magpies had barely been tested since the previous year’s Grand Final draw when it took on Geelong the week after their bye in 2011. It turned out to be a taste of what was to come later in the season. The Magpies and the Cats went at each other in a classic encounter, with Geelong scoring by three points. In a match where the lead switched on several occasion, injuries to Alan Toovey and Cameron Ling hurt both sides. When an Andrew Krakouer goal put the Magpies 11 points up early in the final term, it seemed as if the reigning premiers would have the advantage. But goals to Jimmy Bartel and James Podsiadly had the Cats up by 10 points with 10 minutes remaining. Then Dale Thomas nailed a much-needed goal at the 22-minute-mark, but the Magpies couldn’t conjure another score. And Geelong held on by three points. Anyone who saw the game live or on television knew these two teams were the ones to beat, and that this game was likely to provide the 2011 Grand Finalists. Alan Toovey is assisted by trainers after a collision with Geelong’s Tom Hawkins. 2011 –Bye 2 The week before the bye: Defeated Melbourne by 88 points at the MCG The bye: Round 13 The week after the bye: Defeated Sydney by 6 points at ANZ Stadium Sydney kicked more goals than Collingwood in the club’s second bye for 2011, but the Magpies still managed to secure the four premiership points – in spite of a wayward score-line of 13.21. Incredibly, the visitors had 11 more scoring shots and 16 more inside 50s than the Swans, but the victory was only six point one. Coach Mick Malthouse was pleased with the result, but not the method of it, saying he couldn’t understand what had gone wrong with the Magpies’ goal-kicking. “Can’t explain (it) … I don’t think anyone can explain how we missed shots on goal like we missed,” Malthouse said. “We controlled enough of the ball to put it beyond their reach. “I get very disappointed with the execution, but no one means to miss a goal.” Travis Cloke kicked six goals and scored three Brownlow Medal votes. But he also kicked four behinds, including one from the goal square. Dane Swan booted 1.4, while Dale Thomas and Leon Davis both kicked 0.3. But just as concerning as the missed shots at goal was the issues both sides had with the controversial ground. This time the main cause for concern was the fact that several 10cm U-shaped metal pegs were discovered during the course of the ground, not stuck into the surface, but lying on the grass. No one was hurt, fortunately. But the incident could have been far worse than it was. Travis Cloke celebrates with fans after kicking six goals against Sydney in round 14, 2011.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/collingwoods-most-popular-surname/ Wed, 15 Jun 2016 00:13:20 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10512 Josh Smith is carrying on a tradition that stretches back to Collingwood’s very first game 124 years ago. No other surname in the history of the club has had as many players wear the black and white jumper, with a total of 11 Smiths representing Collingwood in a senior game. Make that 12 if you include Hector Lingwood-Smith, who played for the club in 1922-23. The earliest was Archie Smith, a forward who played in the Magpies’ first match against the Blues on May 7, 1892, and the club’s earliest sharpshooter at a time when goals were at a premium. Here is a snapshot of the Smiths to have played for the Magpies since 1892. ARCHIE SMITH (1892-1902) 176 games, 205 goals (VFA and VFL) The first in a long line of star Collingwood forwards, Archie Smith won or shared the club’s leading goal kicking seven times in Collingwood’s first nine years. Known as ‘Snapper’, for his uncanny ability to slot goals from acute angles, Smith averaged more than a goal a game, a significant feat for the era. He played in Collingwood’s inaugural game, named in the forward pocket, alongside full-forward Alf Toll, who kicked the first goal. He played 87 games and kicked 86 goals in the Magpies’ five VFA seasons, which deserves acknowledgement alongside his 89 games and 119 goals during six seasons in the VFL. In 1895, The Australasian said: “Smith would be invaluable in any team for he not only kicks goals but works like a tiger, and is never beaten. No more determined or aggressive little battler in any team.” At times he was accused of concentrating more on the man than on the ball, but his ability to score goals from all angles made him a dangerous player for opposition sides. He was the VFL’s leading goal kicker in 1898 (with 31 goals); and he twice kicked five goals in VFL matches. Smith’s last game came in Round 9, 1902, closing out a decade of great service to Collingwood, which was acknowledged when he was awarded life membership two years later. CLYDE SMITH (1921-22) 7 games, 0 goals Clyde Smith‘s time at Victoria Park was brief. Sadly, so too was his life. Smith made his debut late in 1921. But after playing in three further games in 1922, he left mid-season to play alongside Bill Twomey at Stawell. However he returned for three more games late in the same season: “Collingwood, in their extremity owing to illness, accident and other disasters, tried the Magpies from the country swooping back to the nest at Victoria Park… Twomey and Clyde Smith, having finished their engagements at Stawell.” Smith left Collingwood to take on a coaching job with Cobram. During his career, he also played with Port Melbourne, coached Koroit, Allansford and Rochester (the home town of his wife), and he also competed in the Stawell Gift. Perhaps that’s the reason why he went to join Twomey at Stawell for a period during 1922. In 1924 Smith even led a Bendigo league team that took on and beat a touring VFL side. A rare profile on him in The Weekly Times in 1923 described him as “a fine specimen of physical development … Smith is a fine mark, a good kick and has plenty of pace.” Off the field, he was a Victorian policeman. Tragically, the father of five was only 23 days short of his 34th birthday when he was shot and killed while on duty on January 5, 1935. He had been accidentally killed by a colleague, leaving behind a heartbroken family. Three of his sons would become policeman. HECTOR LINGWOOD-SMITH (1922-23) 13 games, 1 goal Hector Lingwood-Smith had already played two years with South Adelaide and a season with Sturt when he arrived at Victoria Park in 1922. He played three games in that first season, and managed a further 10 the following year. He moved to Tasmania in 1924, where he coached Lefroy and later Newtown. He returned to South Adelaide for three more seasons from 1926-28. When his playing career ended, he became a member of the South Australian umpires advisory board and later umpires coach in the South Australian Football League. It led to stint as the VFA’s umpires coach. He would also be secretary of the Richmond Football Club for one season in 1955. THE SMITH SIBLINGS RON SMITH (1941-43, 1945-47) 48 games, 1 goal STAN SMITH (1947-50) 46 games, 25 goals Few clubs can boast the tradition of siblings playing for the one club that Collingwood can. The Smith brothers, Ron and Stan, played a total of 94 games, but only three of them were as teammates in the senior team in 1947. Their family originally came from the Mallee, but a move to inner-suburban Melbourne brought them both to the Collingwood Football Club at different stages. Ron was recruited from Abbotsford and debuted for the club as a 23-year-old after impressing in the seconds side. He was described as “a sturdy half-back” who alternated between the seniors and the reserves. He played 48 games, with his most in a season being 13 in 1941. He accompanied the team on their trip to Western Australian in 1946, and played his last game in Round 16, 1947. Stan, from the Collingwood Juniors, broke into the senior team in 1947, but he maintained it would have been sooner other than the fact that Collingwood had already organised its squad to tour WA in 1946. Jock McHale had been impressed with the younger Smith sibling during the 1946 season, but was told he could not play him in the seniors, because it would have meant “another blazer” for the Perth trip. Instead, he made his debut in Round 3, 1947, as Collingwood’s 500th player, against Geelong, and the half-forward-wingman kicked two goals on debut. In his 10th game, he kicked four goals against Hawthorn, at Victoria Park, and an elderly gentleman came up to him in the rooms after the game and shook his hand. Before he went into the showers, Smith realised he had 10 pounds in his grasp. The fan was club benefactor and businessman John Wren. Smith recalled in an interview more than six decades later: “I didn’t know who John Wren was, he came in and shook my hands and he gave me 10 pounds … to me, it was like it was a thousand pounds.” He played in Collingwood’s winning 1947 first semi-final against Footscray, and the week later, when the team lost to Melbourne in the preliminary final. He also played in the first semi-final loss to Essendon in 1949, which was Jock McHale’s last game as coach. “Old Jock’s speeches made you tingle,” Smith recalled. “It was more or less about keeping the tradition.” Smith played his 46th and final game in 1950, but continued to play in the reserves hoping for a senior call-up, as he desperately wanted a five-year certificate. Sadly, it never came. DOUG SMITH (1943) 2 games, 0 goals Doug Smith was almost the accidental Magpie. Originally from Scottsdale in Tasmania, the only reason he got to play two games with Collingwood in 1943 was that he was on leave from Flinders Navy Depot at the time. He was 21 when he made his debut, against North Melbourne, in Round 1, 1943. Ron Smith, no relation, was playing his 24th game that day. Smith was not selected the following week, but was back for his second and final VFL game, against Footscray, at Victoria Park, in Round 3. The following month, he was granted leave home to Tasmania, and the North Eastern Advertiser detailed: “Doug Smith, an old scholar, (is) now in the Navy. Doug has certainly developed into a splendid type of Australian and is a first class footballer, having played with the famous Collingwood team.” He never played another senior game for Collingwood. LES SMITH (1952, 1954) 5 games, 0 goals Five games; two finals; and a Grand Final … Les Smith had an eventful few seasons at Collingwood. Having won the club’s under 19s best and fairest in 1951, the local recruit worked his way through the ranks and became a bolter in the Magpies’ senior team towards the end of the 1952 season. The half-back made his debut in Round 18 against Footscray. He was recalled for the preliminary final against Fitzroy, and coach Phonse Kyne kept his faith in the 18-year-old in the Grand Final. Smith’s selection in the 1952 Grand Final to take on Geelong was a surprise, but not half as much as Kyne naming 21-year-old Keith Batchelor for his first game in a premiership decider. Kyne said in the lead-up to the game: “Les Smith, our new half-back flanker, has youth, pace and tenacity – all essentials in a Grand Final. He should fit smoothly into our defence.” Leo Turner was his opponent in the game, and although Collingwood lost the match, The Argus noted that Turner “was less (than) notable on Smith. The young Collingwood defender did not play a senior game in 1953, but returned for two more matches the following season. FRED SMITH (1961) 1 game, 0 goals Fred Smith was a graduate from the club’s under 19s side, having won the best and fairest in the “thirds” twice (in 1958 and 1960). Originally recruited from North Reservoir, nineteen-year-old Smith made his debut in Round 5, 1961. The Magpies lost easily to Fitzroy, and it would prove to be the 194cm player’s one and only senior game for the club. ANDREW SMITH (1980-84) 35 games, 8 goals A recruit from Watsonia, in Collingwood’s Diamond Valley heartland, Smith first came to notice when he won the Magpies’ under 19s best-and-fairest award in 1979. A year later, the half-back, who came to be known by his nickname ‘Pud’, made his debut against Melbourne, in Round 10, 1980. Smith’s form was so impressive the following year that he not only broke back into the senior team, he stayed in the side during the early part of the finals series. But in the first semi-final against Fitzroy, Smith hurt his shoulder and it would cost him a chance to play in the Grand Final that season. He played 11 matches in Collingwood’s frustrating 1982 season. However, he suffered a broken jaw and lost several teeth in a behind play incident against Footscray in a bushfire charity match in February 1983, a fundraiser game for the Ash Wednesday disaster. He would later sue the player and win an out of court settlement, but the incident hindered his career. Smith played three more games in 1983 for Collingwood and a further two the following year, before shifting to Sydney and playing four games with the Swans in 1985. He would explain later the impact the shattered jaw had on his career with the Magpies. “The couple of years after the injury were lean ones for me,” he said. GREG SMITH (1985-86) 31 games, 7 goals Greg Smith became known as ‘the Bionic Man’ in almost 100 games with Sydney, thanks to his capacity to play on through injury. The tough onballer transferred to Collingwood in 1985, and his first game in black and white was a memorable one – the first Friday night match at the MCG. The Magpies won the game against North Melbourne, and it was the first of 18 games he would play for the club that season. He would play another 13 the following season, which proved to be his last at the club, as he was delisted before the 1987 season. BRADLEY SMITH (2000) 1 game, 0 goals Big ruckman Bradley Smith only had one chance to impress at AFL level, but unfortunately it came up against in-form Geelong giant Steven King. He had worked so hard for that debut game that it seemed cruel that it ended so quickly for the one-time Claremont and Richmond reserves ruckman. Smith’s one game came in Round 12, 2000, and he was elevated into the team to help first-year Magpie Josh Fraser take on King. But it didn’t work out. King was the match winner. And Smith “surrendered an undisciplined free kick downfield” midway through the last term which resulted in a critical goal. Coach Mick Malthouse knew he was asking a fair amount of his rookie ruckmen, but admitted King had “shown the gap between our ruck and the opposition.” Sadly, Smith wouldn’t get another chance and was delisted at the end of the 2000 season. JOSH SMITH (2016) 8 games, 1 goal Josh Smith provided Collingwood fans with a legitimate feel-good story in what was an otherwise difficult season for the club. He had been overlooked in four drafts, but the Queenslander never gave up. When Collingwood finally rookie-listed him after a strong season with Redlands (the same club Adam Oxley and Josh Thomas came from), he resolved to take the opportunity presented to him. He showed good form early in his NAB Cup debut against Geelong, but suffered an ankle injury during the course of the game. He worked hard to overcome his injury, and got the chance to make his long-awaited AFL debut in front of a big crowd on Anzac Day. Never mind the fact that he copped a corked hip in the opening five minutes, he kept on going, ending up with 25 disposals and four tackles on what was a memorable day for the 22-year-old. He lasted two more seasons on Collingwood’s senior list, eventually totalling 12 games.]]>