https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au The complete history of Australia's greatest sporting club Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:13:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.21 https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/brodie-grundy/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:03:15 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/brodie-grundy/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dayne-beams/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:58 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dayne-beams/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/ben-reid/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:54 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/ben-reid/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/paul-medhurst/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:50 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/paul-medhurst/ Recruited from Claremont, Medhurst’s career as a Fremantle Docker got underway with a three-goal haul against West Coast in the first round of 2002. Aged 20, he kicked 36 goals for the season including four against Collingwood in round 12. By the time he had followed it up with 50 in Fremantle’s run to September the following year, Medhurst appeared on the verge of superstardom in the west. But form issues took their toll, despite a bag of nine against Brisbane mid-way through 2004, and when he could average only a goal per game across 12 outings in 2006, he found himself on the move to Victoria. Medhurst was known as the ‘steak knives’ in the trade that saw Chris Tarrant become a Docker and Collingwood land the eighth selection in the 2006 National Draft (Ben Reid). But by the time he hit his straps, Pies fans knew they had got more than they had bargained for. Medhurst began 2007 slowly, having his tonsils removed during the pre-season, breaking a bone in his foot during a practice match and straining ankle ligaments early in the year. Despite all this, he played in the first three rounds of the season, kicking four against Richmond under lights. His season only really gained momentum late in the piece when he recorded two three goals in the space of seven days against Richmond and Melbourne on the eve of the finals. Medhurst showed his true colours in September, kicking two important goals in the win over the Eagles in extra-time before taking a leading role in the epic Preliminary Final cliffhanger against Geelong, kicking three goals including the one that brought the Pies to within a kick with a minute to play. He enjoyed a career-best season in 2008, kicking 50 goals, landing a place in the All-Australian team and receiving the R.T. Rush Trophy as runner-up in Collingwood’s best and fairest. After a slow start to the year, Medhurst clicked into gear during a horror loss to North Melbourne in round five, kicking five majors before backing it up with six against Essendon on ANZAC Day to win the ANZAC Day Medal as best afield in a 73-point win. Two more bags of five followed, against West Coast and Adelaide (when he kicked 5.5 in round 15), and he ended the season with at least one goal in all bar three of his 24 games. Although his form tapered off slightly at the tail end of the season, Medhurst was an important contributor in the surprise win over the Crows in the Elimination Final. He started 2009 in solid touch, peaking with four goals and 13 disposals against the Lions in round four, a night memorable due to the fact that he kicked his last goal concussed and did not know at the time which way his team was kicking. Injuries began to take their toll as the year wore on and meant he could not get the continuity in his football that made him so dangerous twelve months prior. Medhurst kicked just five goals in his last nine games and only one in September, but started 2010 on the right foot with four goals against the Western Bulldogs in round one. Unfortunately, injuries again took their toll and his best form deserted him as a result. He had one final spike, kicking three goals in consecutive weeks against the Blue and the Kangaroos in rounds six and seven but would play just three more games for the year as foot injuries robbed him of his momentum. He was brought back for one time against Essendon in round 20 but appeared rusty. After the game, coach Mick Malthouse admitted he had kept Medhurst in the VFL for too long. “I thought he (Medhurst) played like a VFL player coming up to play AFL football,” Malthouse said after the 98-point win. “I’ve said it all year – he typifies the level of skill which is not necessarily greater than VFL, but the level of intensity is massive. “And if you’re out of it too long, and that’s my fault, he has probably been out of it for too long. He’ll need time to reacquaint himself with that sort of intensity. “Paul understands that, the longer you’re down there, it gets harder.” Sadly, that Friday night against Essendon was the last the AFL saw of Medhurst. He played out the remainder of the season in the VFL, and according to coach Gavin Brown was his side’s best player in the Elimination Final loss to the Northern Bullants at North Port Oval. “Paul was our best player,” Brown told collingwoodfc.com.au. “He had an interrupted start to the game as he was held as a carry-over player (for the seniors’ match against Hawthorn). He drove from the MCG to North Port and arrived at the ground 10 minutes into the first term.” Medhurst announced his retirement three days after the team’s win over St Kilda in the Grand Final Replay, and soon returned to the WAFL where he continued to dazzle the local supporters. “He has outstanding abilities and possesses a wonderful mark and a beautiful kick for goal,” Malthouse wrote in an online tribute to Medhurst. “It would be fair to say through his career he had highs and lows, not about his abilities, but about his mindset and focus. “At 28, he has several years left in footy but he has also got a calling outside of football where he wants to spend his life doing other things. “He got on very well with people. I am delighted we were able to get him over here and play for Collingwood. “I am not surprised and very happy for him that he made a decision and left something in the tank and people will remember how good he is.”]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dale-thomas/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:49 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dale-thomas/ He represented Vic Country at the U18 National Championships where he was named as an All-Australian as a half forward, and he was also named in the TAC Cup Team of the Year on the wing, polling 11 votes in the Morrish Medal. Thomas was drafted to Collingwood with the second selection in the 2005 National Draft, behind Carlton’s Marc Murphy. It was considered a surprise at the time, as Gippsland teammate Xavier Ellis was the hot tip to be selected by the Magpies with their first selection. Thomas first appeared for his new club in the NAB Cup of 2006 and was blooded officially against Adelaide in round one at Docklands. He took centre stage immediately, kicking two early goals and pulling in an early contender for Mark of the Year. He was nominated for the AFL Rising Star the following week. He again attracted media attention when he starred on ANZAC Day in front of 91,234 fans, taking one of the marks of the season and kicking two important goals. He was important in the win over the Eagles in round 16 when the Pies snapped a three game losing streak, but he broke his collarbone leaping as the third man up at a ruck contest in the loss to the Crows in round 18. He managed to return in time for the  Elimination Final against the Western Bulldogs. Incredibly, for a first year player, he spent only one game with Williamstown, the club’s VFL affiliate, during his comeback from injury, and showed his liking for the big stage with four goals in a final against the Northern Bullants. At season’s end he was awarded the Harry Collier Medal as Best First Year Player. There was no sign of second year blues for Thomas, who was a strong contributor all throughout 2007 at half forward and occasionally in the midfield. He enjoyed a purple patch mid-season, kicking four against the Swans in Sydney to win three Brownlow votes, and single-handedly winning the game for the Pies against St Kilda in round 14. The win over the Saints was memorable for the ‘goal that wasn’t’ – when Thomas evaded two tacklers before dribbling a miraculous goal from the boundary line, only for the goal to be disallowed as it was deemed he’d stepped out of bounds. He tapered a little as the season ended, but put in a gutsy performance against West Coast in the Semi-Final and finished sixth in the Copeland Trophy. Thomas had a steady 2008 season, playing mostly in attack where he nailed 23 goals in 22 games. He was sublime in the 100 point win against the Eagles, attracting plenty of coverage for his four-bounce goal and subsequent celebration. He added an important goal against Adelaide late in the third term in the Elimination Final and represented Australia in the International Rules series under coach Mick Malthouse, ending the year in eighth place in the Copeland Trophy. Season 2009 saw Thomas employed in a different role as to previous seasons, spending a lot of the year as a defensive half forward. He still had his moments, kicking the match winner against the Western Bulldogs in round 15 and bagging three majors and 16 disposals against Brisbane in round 18. He signed a new two year contract mid-season, and was one of the better performers in the Qualifying Final loss to St Kilda, kicking two goals. But it was in 2010 that Thomas transformed his game, going from a flashy half forward to a full time wingman. He increased his fitness base and subsequently his output, upping his average disposal count to 23.9 (up from 17.2) and his tackle count to 3.5 (up from 2.9). Importantly, he became a real weapon as the fourth midfielder behind Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury and Luke Ball, and still managed to push forward to score goals (18.14 for the season). He was excellent throughout the finals campaign, kicking a goal in each final and starting with 32 disposals against the Bulldogs in the Qualifying Final. Thomas etched his name into club folklore with his performances across the two Grand Finals against St Kilda, enhancing his reputation enormously in the process. He had 26 touches and eight tackles in the drawn Grand Final, and was one player to stand up when the heat was on in the final quarter. He repeated the dose with 27 possessions in the Replay, this time ending the day a premiership player. He ran third in the Copeland Trophy and tied for the Bob Rose Award (Best Player in Finals). In 2011, he continued his improvement as a midfielder to the point where St Kilda coach Ross Lyon mused mid-season that Thomas may be the best player in the competition. Lyon’s comments followed a hot streak in which Thomas polled maximum Brownlow votes for two weeks running against the Crows and the Eagles. He was suspended for two weeks mid-season for striking Saint Clint Jones but it did little to take the wind out of his sails. Another suspension in round 23 against Fremantle did, however, meaning he missed the Qualifying Final. Thomas went down fighting in the Grand Final defeat (31 disposals and seven tackles), and played in the pre-season premiership, finishing the year ranked sixth in the Copeland Trophy. After the boom years of 2010-2011, Thomas’ output wavered in his last two years in Black and White. He played 20 of a possible 25 games in 2012, showcasing his newly shorn head in the process. He kicked 22 goals for the year but lacked the impact of the previous campaigns, save for his match-winning burst of three goals in the emotional Semi-Final win over West Coast. The following years was the toughest of Thomas’ eight seasons in Collingwood colours. Foot and ankle injuries held him to only five senior games, his lowest tally since his debut year of 2006 (when he played 16 games). He missed the entire NAB Cup owing to foot surgery and was brought back via the VFL where he was one of the best afield in the final practice match against the AIS-AFL Academy at the MCG when he won 25 possessions and laid five tackles. He followed that up with 22 disposals against North Ballarat in the first round of the VFL and was quickly brought back into the senior side for the round three encounter with Hawthorn. Thomas had 19 disposals from 86 per cent game time but sustained a kick to the back of his ankle that would eventually see him sidelined for the majority of the season. In the month that followed, he was used as the substitute against Richmond and was productive as a rebounding half back against St Kilda (34 possessions and a Brownlow vote) and Fremantle (25 possessions). Unfortunately, the condition of Thomas’ ankle forced him to take a 14-week absence from the game. His attitude and commitment during his rehabilitation allowed him an attempt at an eleventh hour comeback ahead of the finals, but his season came to a halt during the second quarter of the VFL team’s win over Sandringham when he jogged from the field after experiencing discomfort in his ankle With that, his season was done, and the attention shifted to his whereabouts for the 2014 season. Thomas eventually made the decision to cross to Carlton as a free agent where he was reunited with Malthouse, who coached him in the first 132 games of his career. By way of compensation, Collingwood received pick No. 11 in the National Draft, which the club later upgraded to pick No. 6 in a trade with West Coast. The Magpies used selection No. 6 on young South Australian prodigy Matthew Scharenberg. While Thomas’ move to Princes Park evoked strong emotion from the Collingwood faithful, it will never forget his role in the acquisition of the club’s 15th VFL/AFL premiership in 2010.]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-pendlebury/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:49 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/scott-pendlebury/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/heritier-lumumba/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:49 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/heritier-lumumba/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/travis-cloke/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:45 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/travis-cloke/ And what a package that was. Across his 12 seasons in the black and white, his tally of goals and capacity to drag down important contested marks stamped him as one of the most important and influential players of his era. Ignore the wayward kicking for a moment and look at the statistics: he kicked more goals than all but six players in Magpie history – Gordon Coventry, Peter McKenna, Dick Lee, Peter Daicos, Saverio Rocca and Alby Pannam. But even more importantly, it’s worth remembering that Travis Cloke was not your classic stay-at-home full-forward. He often played as more a centre half-forward or even high half-forward: he had a huge engine and would often present as a leading target for marks on the wing, or even deeper, then wheel on to that famous left-foot for a booming kick into the forward line. So goals alone are not how his legacy should be measured. So it’s the contested marking for which he will be most remembered. Immensely strong with a good leap and remarkably ‘sticky’ hands, Cloke at his best was almost unstoppable. Across three seasons – 2010 to 2012 – he recorded three of the top 12 highest contested mark counts in a season ever recorded. He could wrestle an opponent out of contention in one-on-one contests, or fly into a pack against three defenders and almost always emerge with ball in hand. Despite his strength he was very much a gentle giant (though you wouldn’t want to have been on the end of one of his bone-crunching tackles), but even then he was rarely looked after by the umpires. Indeed, at times they seemed to penalise him for being so much stronger, and so much better, than most of his opponents. But Cloke rarely complained or remonstrated: he just shrugged and prepared for the next contest. Football had always been in Travis’s DNA, with his father, David, having a celebrated career with Richmond and Collingwood. David’s three sons – Jason, Cameron and Travis – were born within a five-year window, but there was always a belief the youngest might be the best. Each son had the luxury of choosing between Richmond and Collingwood, but most believed the trio was a package deal. Jason, taken by the Magpies in 2000, said as much after he was joined by Cameron in 2002: “There’s still another one to come. Hopefully we can all play at the same club.” Richmond launched a late bid to convince Travis that he would be better off at another club. But Collingwood was never going to let this young talent from the Eastern Ranges slip through the net. He debuted for Collingwood on Anzac Day in 2005, kicking a goal and having 15 touches. All three brothers played in the same match the following week against St Kilda, a one-off moment that Travis would later declare to be one of his most cherished in football. It also provided one memorable passage of play when Jason (No.34) took control of the ball, gave it off to Cameron (No.33) further down the ground, and he send it down to Travis (No.32) deep in attack. At the end of 2006, the Magpies made the difficult decision to move both Jason (76 games) and Cameron (21 games) on. As disappointed as Travis was, it did not affect his football. Indeed he had an outstanding 2007 season, culminating in a Copeland Trophy win – one of only six who won it at 20 or younger. From that season on, Cloke’s was one of the first names on the Collingwood team sheet each week. A contract standoff between his management and the club caused tensions in 2012, which impacted on the forward’s form. Soon after the 2012 preliminary final loss to Sydney, Cloke signed a lucrative five-year deal to stay at Collingwood, saying that he wanted to remain loyal to the club. He followed it up with a strong season in 2013, finishing third again in the Copeland, winning a second All-Australian berth, and kicked 68.51, narrowly missing out on a Coleman Medal for the second time in three seasons. Like his father, he had countless kicking coaches – from Saverio Rocca to Ben Dixon – and dealt with psychologists and body movement experts, seeking conventional and not-so-conventional solutions. For a time, he even took to using an iPod and headphones in his training sessions to replicate the noise of the crowd. But as the game changed in shape, and the influence of power forwards began to diminish, Cloke’s impact on games began to drop off through 2014 (39 goals) and 2015 (34 goals). He had one last glorious hurrah in 2016, four goals against Greater Western Sydney, but at the end of the year sought a move to the Western Bulldogs. He had limited on-field impact at the Dogs, but was widely lauded for publicly talking about his decision to take time out that year to deal with depression. In the end, Travis Cloke will go down as one of the best Collingwood key forwards of the post-war era. If he’d been just a little more accurate in front of goal, his standing would be even higher. But if he’d been more clinical in front of goal, then some other part of the package might have been diminished. So rather than focus on the flaws we can instead celebrate the whole: the extraordinary contribution and wonderful career of one of footy’s true nice guys.  ]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/nick-maxwell/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:42 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/nick-maxwell/ https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dane-swan/ Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:02:40 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/dane-swan/ In the years that followed, Swan made incredible improvement to the point where he became the 2011 Brownlow Medalist, and earned the label of ‘untaggable’ from many commentators. A strongly built midfielder who is dangerous if released to half forward, Swan’s unique ability to repeatedly out-sprint his opponents, allowing him to power from contest to contest, made him Collingwood’s most consistent player of the Malthouse-Buckley era. Criticised earn on by some for his occasionally errant kicking, Swan’s disposal was soon considered to be as good as any other. His barrel chest meant he could hunt down the ball at the stoppages and explode away from them courtesy of his deceptive pace. Far from a front runner, Swan averaged 84.4 tackles between 2007 and 2011. He also had ability to make himself a threat in attack, be it around stoppages, outrunning his opponent when the side’s in possession and when isolated one-out where his underrated ability overhead made him the complete package. After a disappointing and injury-plagued 2014, he returned to stellar form in 2015, running second in the Copeland Trophy. He began the 2016 campaign well, starring during the NAB Challenge, only for a rare foot injury suffered minutes into the season opener against Sydney to end both his season and his career.]]>