cult heroes – Collingwood Forever

Collingwood Cult Figures

Michael Roberts — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 06:00:04 +0000

There are some footballers who, for whatever reason, form a special connection with their club’s fans. They might not always be the best players in the team, but there is something about them that makes them a favourite of those who cheer from the stands each week. It might be their hair, or their physique, or their temperament, or something about the way they play – the reasons are many and varied. And you can’t force it: it has to happen naturally. These are a football club’s cult heroes. And Collingwood has had plenty of them over the years, especially in the decades since TV and media coverage has boomed. Some have been great players, some have been battlers, some have flattered to deceive. But all have enjoyed a special place in the affections of the black-and-white army. COLLINGWOOD CULT FIGURES

Collingwood Cult Figures: Phil Carman

Luke — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 00:05:23 +0000

By: Michael Roberts, Collingwood Historian. When Phil Carman arrived at Collingwood in 1975, many were quick to brand him the most exciting and talented footballer to wear the Black and White jumper in 20 years. But he also proved to be every bit as exasperating as he was brilliant. And that combination has ensured, to this day, his standing as a fan favourite – but a favourite who could, and should, have achieved so much more. Carman first came to the attention of Collingwood talent scouts in 1965, when the Magpies played a practice match in his home town of Edenhope against a combined League representative side. Carman was only 15 at the time, and was in just his first season of senior football with Edenhope. His performance against Collingwood that day was good enough to earn him an invitation to train with the club for a week during his school holidays. But Norwood, in South Australia, offered to put him through college to gain his leaving and matriculation, and Carman jumped at the chance. Collingwood refused to clear him (Edenhope was in their zone), but his family moved to Adelaide and the Australian National Football Council issued him with a permit anyway. After half a season the permit was revoked and Carman had to stand out of serious football for the next two-and-a-half years. As the ban dragged on, Norwood became increasingly angry at Collingwood’s obstinacy, and the Pies eventually granted a clearance on the condition that if Carman ever played VFL football it was to be with Collingwood. Over the next five years Carman’s name lingered tantalisingly in the background at Victoria Park. He was always going to be coming “next season”, but he never did. Any time Collingwood made an offer Norwood matched it, so Phil stayed in South Australia. By the time he felt he had outgrown South Australian football and was looking for new challenges he was 24 years old. Scrapping with Carlton great Alex Jesaulenko. After all the years of waiting, Collingwood was abuzz with expectation. Could he possibly live up to the hype? You bet. Despite the burden imposed by such expectations — and a substantial price tag — Carman took the VFL by storm. His performances in that first season exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic Collingwood supporters, and immediately stamped him as one of the League’s true superstars. He played just 15 games but still won the Copeland Trophy and would almost certainly have won the Brownlow Medal too but for the games he missed (he eventually finished only three votes behind Footscray’s Gary Dempsey). Carman was a football freak; at his best there was nothing he could not do. At 188cm (6ft 2in) he was tall enough to hold down key positions like centre half-forward and full-forward, yet he was agile and quick enough to play his best football in the centre. He had a huge leap, sure hands, was superbly skilled on both sides of his body, superfit and had a penchant for the spectacular. He was also flamboyant, loved getting in opposition faces, and was responsible for the emergence of white boots. Collingwood went “Fabulous Phil”-crazy in 1975. He instantly became the biggest and most popular Magpie, and one of the biggest stars in the game. After just 10 games he was chosen to play for Victoria, but broke his foot during the game. Collingwood’s fortunes plummeted without him, but his return to the field late in the season was something extraordinary, even by his standards. In his first game back he donned the famous white boots for the first time and kicked 6.8 against Essendon in a superb performance. The next week at Moorabbin he simply tore St Kilda apart. In a one-man rampage that will never be forgotten by anyone who saw it, he bagged 11 goals. In its aftermath Lou Richards branded Carman “the most exciting footballer ever to play with Collingwood … and possibly the best”. At the end of 1975 it seemed that only injury could stop Philip John Carman from dominating the VFL for the rest of the decade. He was in the prime of his football life and was already regarded as the most exciting footballer in the League, and had a talent that would not be matched again until Gary Ablett Snr hit his straps in the 1980s. On the fly during his brief but brilliant 66-game career. But the “Phil fever” that had hit the competition in 1975 had disguised a few weaknesses. He was undisciplined, had a poor attitude to training and little regard for team disciplines. He suffered more than most from the infighting that plagued the club in 1976, and later admitted that he “couldn’t be bothered” with it all that year. He was something of a loner who ran his own race, and would sometimes leave training early when he felt he’d done enough (he was a fitness fanatic who was almost always first on the track). Internally, resentment towards him grew. “I was irresponsible and undisciplined,” he said in 1991. “I just lost interest — I’d train to maintain my fitness and do what I thought was enough and then I’d sort of wander off. I hated the team meetings and that sort of stuff because they became so repetitive.” Carman admits his problems were largely of his own making, but he also believes that other players were reluctant to accept him from the start, possibly because of the publicity surrounding his arrival. Carman found it hard to shake himself out of the bad habits he’d got himself into in 1977, even with new coach Tom Hafey at the helm. But he still became a key to the team’s success that year. He played good football, became a far better team player and remained one of the few Magpies capable of single-handedly destroying an opposition side. But he whacked Michael Tuck in the Second Semi-Final against Hawthorn and was rubbed out for two games – missing both the Grand Final and the subsequent replay. Many Collingwood people, including Hafey, believe his absence made the difference in those epic contests against North Melbourne. Those same people found it hard to forgive him for that indiscretion, and he was traded to Melbourne after a disappointing end to the 1978 campaign. After that he went to Essendon and North, but he never again exhibited his 1975 form. In fact his most noteworthy post-Collingwood performance was when he headbutted boundary umpire Graham Carbery in 1980 while at Essendon (for which he copped a 16-week suspension). After he left the VFL, Carman headed bush — but he could not escape controversy. Every so often reports would drift back about another tribunal appearance, going AWOL from his country team or some other incident. He also spent time back in the SANFL with Sturt, where he achieved great things with a young Sturt team. Soaring above a Hawk in the 1977 Second Semi-Final. In 1991 he reflected on the opportunities he’d wasted. “Certainly I look back and think I didn’t make enough of myself,” he said then. “If I had my time over again I would have changed my attitude completely; I would have stayed at training, been prepared to do all the right things and become a real part of things. I’d just conform a little bit more.” But the fact that he didn’t has helped make the legend of Phil Carman what it is. He remains an almost mythical figure, largely on the basis of that one extraordinary season and all the bizarre incidents that followed. There are still some who label him the best player they’ve seen at Collingwood – after just 66 games. The fans have long forgiven him for the indiscretions: what they have are memories of a freakishly gifted footballer who could have been anything. This is an edited version of the story that appeared in the club’s centenary book, A Century of the Best.

Collingwood Cult Figures: Kevin Grose

Luke — Wed, 18 May 2016 00:51:01 +0000

By: Michael Roberts, Collingwood Historian. Hard as it is to believe, there was a time when not just about every footballer covered his body with tattoos. Indeed, when Kevin Grose pulled on the Black and White jumper for the first time in the mid-1970s, tatts on footballers were a relative rarity. Kevin Murray of Fitzroy and Richmond’s Robert McGhie had been famous for theirs, but they were very much in the minority. So when the heavily tattooed Grose made his debut in 1975, his body art quickly became a real talking point. But that was just one of the things that made Grose stand out to the Magpie fans (and also to the media). The other was his fierce attack on the football and his ‘no-holds barred’ approach to the game. Both the tattoos and his style of play quickly endeared him to the Collingwood faithful. He arrived at Victoria Park from Reservoir Old Boys to play a couple of reserves games in 1974 as a 20-year-old, having won a state guernsey with the Victorian Amateur Football Association that same year. He won the VAFA’s best player award against South Australia and was chosen on the half-forward flank in the all-Australian amateur team. The next year he returned to play eight more games with the Magpie reserves, and his performances there were so good that he also managed a dozen with the seniors.

Grose paddles the ball ahead of North Melbourne’s Barry Cable.

Even in those early games he showed the characteristics that would come to define his football – speed, aggression, and a ferocious approach to every contest. He was strong, a good tackler and a really good overhead mark, despite not being particularly tall. And he cared not a jot for big reputations: his first game was against Footscray, and he was named to line up against expensive recruit Peter Featherby. But the night before his debut he told The Sun: “I know nothing about him so what’s the good worrying? My only plan at the moment is to get a good night’s sleep.” Grose proved quite a handy goalkicker in the reserves (he kicked 20 in his eight games in ’75) and played most of his early senior football as a half-forward flanker. But coach Murray Weideman moved him to the half-back line, where his run could be particularly damaging. He also had more licence there to throw his weight around, and before long even the club was playing up on his tatts-driven image. “Grose is strong, tough and mean,” said a club publication in 1976. By 1976 he was tipped as one of VFL’s most likely improvers of the season. And so it proved to be. The 1976 season was a disastrous one for Collingwood, marked by infighting, instability and the club’s first-ever wooden spoon. But Grose was a shining light, never giving up despite the team’s increasingly shambolic performances. “Collingwood supporters have been heartened by Grose’s endeavour even when the side has been hopelessly placed,” noted the magazine Football Life. “While the Magpies have generally spluttered this year there has been one man out at Victoria Park who has matured and given his all.” The fans could see his effort, and loved him for it. And they, like everyone else, were a bit intrigued by the tattoos, too (he told Lou Richards in The Sun during that year that he’d “lost count” of how many he had after 50, including a pirate ship on one bicep, a cobra on the other and Buddha on his belly). His teammates were so taken by his artworks they nicknamed him ‘Disney’.

Kevin Grose features on a Scanlens footy card in 1976.

But Kevin Grose was also colourful in other ways. He won $200 early in 1976 as the club’s ‘Player of the Month’ and promptly spent most of it on a party for his teammates. He managed 15 senior games in all that year, and would have played a couple more but for a season-ending broken hand suffered in round 20. Everything looked bright for Grose heading into 1977. He even got to appear on his first Scanlen’s footy card, with his tattoos on display in full colour. It was a sign of just how popular he’d become in only a couple of seasons. But then, almost as quickly as his star had risen, it waned. Faced with increased competition from two new, tough hombres in defence in Kevin Worthington and Stan Magro, Grose found himself pushed to the fringes under new coach Tom Hafey and struggled through a handful of games. At the end of the year he headed back to the northern suburbs, as captain-coach of North Heidelberg in the Diamond Valley Football League, where he led his team to their first flag in 16 years (he also topped the DVFL’s goalkicking table that year with 80 goals). He stayed playing suburban football and became a well-known figure in the DVFL, eventually being named in North Heidelberg’s Team of the Century. Sadly, Kevin Grose died of a heart attack while on holiday in Thailand in 2012. He was just 58 years old.

Collingwood Cult Figures: Ron Wearmouth

Luke — Wed, 11 May 2016 00:08:11 +0000

By: Glenn McFarlane, Herald Sun journalist and Collingwood historian. Think Ron Wearmouth, and the Collingwood rover’s trademark features immediately spring to mind for those Magpie fans who remember him fondly. His blond, flowing locks; his energetic bursts from contests; his cheeky on-field manner that could sometimes get him into trouble; and a knockabout nature that endeared him to teammates and those in the terraces. If a measure of a footballer’s popularity comes from such trademarks, Wearmouth was surely one of the club’s great characters, not to mention a player of serious note. He could well have played his league football elsewhere. His father, Dick, played 100 games for Footscray in the 1940s and early 1950s, and his son could have followed him under the father-son rule. Fitzroy was also an option for a young Ronnie Wearmouth, as it controlled the zone around Terang, where he played some senior football in 1968. But Dick was happy for his son to play with Collingwood, the club controlling the zone for Noorat, the tiny town where Ronnie played his first senior football, and where his family ran a dairy farm. Part of the reason for choosing Collingwood was that the club’s vice-president and 1936 premiership player Jim Crowe had coached Wearmouth’s father at Footscray. “Dad suggested I play at Victoria Park because of its stronger and more stable administration,” Ron would recall. He joined Collingwood in 1969, and it is no surprise his hairstyle drew as much attention as his football ability in first year. As detailed in Michael Roberts’ A Century of the Best, one night at training Magpies coach Bob Rose “came out, pinned him to the ground and gave him ‘one of the best basin cuts you’ve ever seen'”. Des Tuddenham recalled saying to the teenager from Noorat: “You can’t look like a girl, son, if you’re going to play a man’s game.” Wearmouth wouldn’t listen. He grew his locks back as soon as he could. Wearmouth made his VFL debut in round 14, 1969, against Melbourne, wearing the No. 48 jumper, having 11 disposals. Doug Gott was the other debutant in the Magpies’ two-point victory over the Demons. It would be his only senior match that season. He wasn’t surprised, saying later: “To be honest, I was a little out of my depth. I wasn’t conditioned and I was skinny and not ready for a game of senior football.” Wearmouth was demoted to the supplementary list for a period in 1970, with concerns over his capacity for hard work and training. But, now wearing the No.35 jumper, he won his way back into the seniors for six games in the second half of the season, though he lost his place for the finals. Inconsistency and a lack of discipline at times cost him in his early years at Collingwood. A few suspensions earned him the reputation of being a “hothead”, but he was at least elevated to the No. 5 jumper for the 1972 season when Neil Mann took over as coach. He rejected the advances of other clubs, with his father urging him to stay. Wearmouth decided to knuckle down as best as he could. The arrival of Murray Weideman as coach brought another transformation for Wearmouth. In some ways, he was a kindred spirit to the coach, and he was given more time on the ball as rover, and less time in the forward pocket. While the two seasons Weideman coached Collingwood proved to be a tumultuous time, Wearmouth established himself as one of the club’s most consistent and determined players. He played 11 games in Weideman’s first year in 1975, but flourished the following year as one of the few highlights in what was a gloomy season. He finished third in the Copeland Trophy in that wooden spoon year. Wearmouth took his game to a new level when Tom Hafey joined the club as coach in 1977. He said: “Hafey put consistency into my game and under him I played something like 70 to 80 games in a row.” He became fitter and seemingly more explosive under the strict training regimen. He may not have had the aesthetics of some of his more gifted teammates, but he more than made up for it with grit and determination. He missed only one game in 1977, with one of his finest performances coming with 31 disposals and a goal in the Second Semi-Final win over Hawthorn. He was a solid performer in the two Grand Finals that season, but the fairytale that Collingwood fans had been hoping for sadly didn’t eventuate. After a drawn Grand Final, the Magpies were no match for North Melbourne in the replay. Sadly, for Wearmouth, and his team, there would be more heartache to follow. The 1978 season ended in the Preliminary Final; and two more Grand Final losses followed in 1979 (by five points) and 1980 (81 points). Injuries cost him the chance to make a play for another Grand Final slot in 1981. He played only eight games in his final AFL season, with his final game coming against Richmond in round 20. It was his 186th and last VFL match, with his career closing only a month after his 30th birthday, and after 13 seasons in Black and White. His greatest regret, as expected, was never winning a premiership: “We came close that many times but could never manage to win one.” He played for and coached a number of clubs in country Victoria and Queensland, losing further grand finals for Port Fairy and Western Districts. “For a while I thought it was me who was jinxed. But I finally broke the drought when I played for Caloundra in Queensland,” he said in 1990. No one would have begrudged him finally tasting premiership success, even if it was at a local level. For everyone seemed to love Ronnie Wearmouth. He has remained in touch with some of his Magpies teammates, who adored his personality and love of a good time. Just as strong has been his bond with the Collingwood army, who still fondly recall him to this day.

Collingwood Cult Figures: Leigh Brown

Luke — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:22:58 +0000

By: Glenn McFarlane, Herald Sun journalist and Collingwood historian. Leigh Brown was the unlikeliest of prototypes. He was rising 27 when he came to Collingwood in 2009, almost universally described as journeyman having already played 181 games with Fremantle and North Melbourne, and had played in just about every position on the field without truly owning one. He had a chunky frame, and could have benefitted with a few more inches to add to his 194cm frame, but no one could ever question that he was a competitor, first and foremost. Collingwood website forums were sceptical when Brown’s name was called out as pick No. 73 in the 2008 National Draft after being delisted by the Kangaroos following an extended stint in their VFL side. Even in his infancy in Black and White, when the issue of tanking was raging, a throw-away line from AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou – “Leigh Brown played on Jonathan Brown the other night … was that tanking?’ – questioned his position in the team. Fast forward to the end of the 2010 season, and Brown had not only cemented his place in the team, he had enshrined it in Collingwood’s history. And the icing on top of a premiership cakewalk was that he had also played a unique part in establishing a template for the rest of the AFL competition. In playing that role, as an undersized but physically strong forward/back-up ruckman to Darren Jolly, he also become a cult figure of sorts to the Black and White army, and remains one now well into his retirement. The draft class of 2008: Jarrad Blight, Dayne Beams, Steele Sidebottom, Luke Rounds, Leigh Brown. Mick Malthouse saw the competitive streak that coursed through Brown’s veins, and crafted a role for him. He explained: “I thought, ‘this bloke’s still going around and can play league football? He can take a nice catch; he kicks the ball OK; he plays at either end of the ground.’ I couldn’t really work out why he would be discounted in the ranks of perhaps being able to play a role within any organisation.” Originally from the timber and dairy farming hamlet of Heyfield, a community of less than 2000 residents, Brown had come to prominence with Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup. He was drafted by Fremantle as pick No. 5 in the 1999 National Draft. He won a Rising Star nomination in his debut year of 2000, missing only one game for the year. But after three years and 63 games, he was traded to North Melbourne where he became a defender who could go forward, or vice versa, across six seasons and 118 more matches. That could well have been the end of the Leigh Brown story. But when he was delisted by the Kangaroos, Malthouse figured he was worth a late draft punt after impressing in some pre-season training with the Pies. Brown only required a chance: “A journeyman is how everyone describes it, but to me it’s more about having a new opportunity and playing at the best level you can.” Most assumed he would take up a defensive role, given the retirement of Shane Wakelin. He did, for a time. But Malthouse began to use Brown more in attack, as well as offering some coverage as a back-up ruck option. Brown reached his 200-game milestone in round 20, 2009, and finished the season with 10.17, with his goal-kicking accuracy at times causing fans some concern. Still, he played in all three finals that season, including kicking a towering 50m goal in the club’s Semi-Final win over Adelaide. Brown played on the edge, never feeling secure about his position within the team. Just to emphasise this, after playing the first four games of 2010 without registering a goal, he was dropped back to the Pies’ VFL side. Ruck combination Darren Jolly and Leigh Brown celebrate after the 2010 Grand Final Replay. It wasn’t until the round 11 clash with the Western Bulldogs that he won his spot back again, but other than a short suspension served near the end of the home-and-away season, he wouldn’t look back again. Neither did the Magpies. He played in only one loss (round three) from his 19 games that memorable season, courtesy of his redefined role. He played the role so well that it kept Josh Fraser out of the senior team for all but game in the second half of the season. Malthouse preferred the combative Brown over Fraser when it mattered. It worked so well that the one-time unfashionable footballer quickly became a versatile trailblazer for the rest of the competition. Some people dubbed it as “the Leigh Brown role.” He had almost 100 hit-outs that season and his pressure, tackling and pack-crashing in the Magpies’ front half proved crucial in many instances. He hit the scoreboard, kicking 21 goals to silence those worried about his accuracy. Two came in the Qualifying Final win over the Bulldogs, and few will ever forget his booming goal against Geelong in the Preliminary Final. Brown thrived in the role, saying: “I’m not sure we can classify it as a Leigh Brown role, but I guess everyone’s got to be more versatile.” Nick Maxwell explained: “He (Malthouse) copped a lot of flak for backing in ‘Leroy’. Mick made people eat their words. Now all clubs seem to be talking about needing a Leigh Brown-type as a second ruck.” Never mind the fact that Brown didn’t kick a goal in either Grand Final in 2010 against St Kilda – the thrilling draw or the one-sided replay. In the drawn game he took an important mark in the last quarter, had 13 touches and laid five tackles. In the rooms after the game, complete with swollen eye and ice packs applied to both legs, he described the feeling was “surreal … it would have been great to win, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll saddle up next week.” Brown had the first kick of the replay the following week, driving the ball long into attack. Once more, he had 13 disposals, but as was always the case with Brown, he contributed far more than pure statistics can measure. He was rewarded with a premiership medal that looked so unlikely only a few years earlier, and with it came the admiration from a grateful Collingwood army who had taken him to their collective hearts. Yet he wasn’t satisfied with that. Brown took his game – and his role – even further in 2011, as rival clubs looked to mirror Collingwood’s second-ruck strategy, particularly with the introduction of the sub rule that year. He kicked 23 goals for the season – his most in an individual year – with four goals against the Western Bulldogs in round six his best display in what was a blistering start to the season for the club. On the eve of the 2011 finals, Brown dropped a bombshell, announcing he would retire at the end of the season. He was only 29, and still a crucial member of the team. Malthouse was “staggered” by the decision. Leigh Brown and Mick Malthouse embrace after the 2011 Grand Final loss. It was their last match as Collingwood player and coach. But Brown resolved to give it everything he had during the finals. He kicked a goal against West Coast in the Qualifying Final and another major halfway through the third quarter of the Grand Final against Geelong, which regained the lead for the Magpies. But the fairytale ending was not meant to be. The Cats ran away with the match in the final half hour. That closed out his 246-game, 138-goal AFL career. Sixty-five games and 54 goals came in a Black and White jumper. This journeyman had finally found a home – and a role that he relished. Such was the esteem in which he was held that he was presented with the Darren Millane Memorial Trophy as best clubman as a farewell gift. With that also came life membership, a reward for Collingwood premiership players. Brown embarked on a coaching pathway after retiring, spending two years as an assistant at Melbourne before seeing his career return full circle when he took over as coach of Gippsland Power. The Magpies struggled for a time afterwards in getting the right balance for their second ruck option. Sometimes you don’t truly appreciate something until it is gone. Celebrating four goals against the Western Bulldogs in round six, 2011.

Collingwood Cult Figures: Rene Kink

Luke — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 21:06:30 +0000

By: Michael Roberts, Collingwood Historian He was built so strongly that he was nicknamed “the Incredible Hulk”, but was quick enough to burst through traffic and away from flailing opponents. He could fly for big marks, kick long goals with his left or right boot with casual nonchalance, and tackle so hard that you wondered how his victim ever got up. He advertised oranges. And he had a starring cameo as Magpie strongman Tank O’Donohue in the film version of David Williamson’s The Club. No wonder so many Collingwood fans loved Rene Kink. Almost from the moment he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 1973, Kink was a crowd favourite who carried the burden of expectation that he could be the excitement machine Collingwood so desperately wanted. In the years that followed he thrilled and tantalised and frustrated in equal measure. Born in Sydney to an Estonian father and Latvian mother, Kink grew up in Ararat and got his early taste for Australian football kicking a plastic footy around the streets of Ararat with his mates. He became fanatical about the game (he barracked for Melbourne, having been attracted by Mike Williamson’s calling on television of unusual names such as Hassa Mann), and soon discovered he had extraordinary natural ability. He won several competition best and fairest awards and in his last season in the under-16s kicked 137 goals from 12 games, including one haul of 22.15 from centre half-forward. Kink was invited down to the club for the 1973 pre-season training. He turned heads by kicking seven goals during one of the early intra-club trial games, and ended up passing through all three grades in the Collingwood ranks in that single year. The first of his senior matches was against Fitzroy, and Kink came off the bench at half-time to kick two goals on legendary Lion Kevin Murray. But it was his first full senior game that year that really brought Kink to prominence. It came in the preliminary final, when he was preferred at full-forward to the most popular player in football, Peter McKenna. That would have been a tough assignment for any player, let alone a kid yet to start a VFL match. But Kink came through with flying colours, kicking 3.4 against the great Dick Clay and acquitting himself well enough to suggest that Collingwood had found one of the game’s most exciting prospects. In many ways that is what he remained right up until his retirement. For despite 11 years, 154 games and 240 goals at Collingwood, Rene Kink never consistently performed at a level anywhere near that which his talent demanded. He became one of the game’s larger-than-life personalities, and one of its most exciting players. The trouble was that it was an excitement based more on promise, on what he could do, rather than on what he had done. Rene Kink fires out a handball during the 1978 Qualifying Final between Collingwood and Hawthorn at the MCG. He struggled to become a regular senior player until Tom Hafey arrived in 1977, and even after that he was one of the great enigmas of League football. At his best he was virtually unstoppable. He was immensely strong, with bulging biceps, massive thighs and a barrel chest that led to Lou Richards dubbing him “The Incredible Hulk” (after the TV character of the time who turned into a green, muscle-bound strongman whenever he became angry). Despite his size he was also remarkably agile, fast and well skilled on both sides of his body. He also possessed the ability to do the exceptional; to kick the miracle goal from the boundary line, or spread-eagle a pack while gathering the ball. You only had to see him do something like that to understand the hype that buzzed around him. Collingwood fans loved him when he was on song. Unfortunately that rarely happened regularly enough – or for long enough. Years later, Kink admitted he had major problems with motivation. “People have said that I used to play a quarter or a quarter-and-a-half then turn off,” Kink said in 1991. “And I’ll be perfectly honest, I did. I just wasn’t interested. I don’t know if it’s right to say I got bored but … there were times when I played and I’ve looked at the scoreboard or looked at the situation and thought ‘This is giving me the shits’. I wasn’t dirty on the players or on the coach, I just thought ‘I’m not interested in this’.” “I wasn’t getting anything out of it, there was no challenge to what I was doing. I just turned off, shut up shop for the day. The biggest criticism of Rene Kink has always been that I was an enigma, but that is me as a person. You just don’t know what to expect from me — and that’s how I played football. I’d be out there playing and the next minute I’d just think ‘Stuff this, I’m not enjoying myself or I’d lose interest or find myself thinking about something else.” Kink’s inconsistency led to accusations of laziness, or an alleged tendency to believe his own publicity. But he wasn’t lazy, and always maintained he never bought into his public profile. He didn’t blame the ‘Hulk’ tag either. “The Hulk image didn’t make things any more difficult. It was just a name which I was given. It didn’t make me think I had to go out and play like the Incredible Hulk. As a player you’ve just got to live with those kinds of tags. Sometimes it’s not easy.” Kink was a regular presence in the seniors from 1977 to 1980. He played some brilliant games, and some brilliant quarters of football. But rarely did he string together a succession of good, solid matches in which he played consistently for the full four quarters. Despite his unpredictable form selectors were loathe to drop him, knowing what a match-winner he could be. Off the field he was amiable, easygoing and well liked, but the hot and cold nature of his on-field performances became increasingly frustrating. His fortunes dived from 1981. He had a bad run with injuries, Hafey was sacked and he struggled to adapt to the coaches who followed him. Motivation became an even bigger issue. Eventually, nine weeks into the 1983 season, new coach John Cahill told him he was no longer needed at Collingwood. He then spent time at Essendon (where he established a record for having played in more unsuccessful grand final sides – six – than any other player in League history) and St Kilda. In the end, Rene Kink’s career was one of flashes of brilliance but an overall sense of unfulfilled expectations. Maybe those expectations were unreasonable – though anyone who saw him at his best would disagree. A fan favourite from beginning to end, we all expected that one season Kink would just walk out on to the field and dominate the competition. But it never happened – and that is football’s loss.