Collingwood found a handy and versatile forward in Joe Sullivan in 1895 – they just didn’t know it. Unfortunately one of the Magpies’ greatest rivals would be the real beneficiaries years later.

Joe Sullivan was born in Collingwood in 1877, and he played with the local team Collingwood Imperials before the senior Magpies lured him to Victoria Park in 1895, aged just 18.

He made an immediate impact that year, playing the last five games of the season and kicking four goals, including – most memorably – the late matchwinner against Geelong in his second game with what was described as “a lovely effort”. “Sullivan is a clipping forward,” wrote The Sportsman that year.

Unfortunately the Magpies didn’t seem to share that view, and he was let go at the end of the year. He re-emerged with Port Melbourne in 1896, and then also apparently played with Rutherglen.

But he really came back into the headlines when he appeared with Carlton for the 1900 season, having been cleared by Port Melbourne. He kicked a mighty six goals in a practice match against North Melbourne – a staggering total for the time – and it was no surprise when the Blues signed him up after that.

Across 54 VFL games in the four seasons that followed he kicked 63 goals, a fine return in a low-scoring period. He was renowned for his long place kicks.

He topped Carlton’s goalkicking in 1900 with 18 goals, again in 1901 with 14, and once more in 1903 with 27. The only season in that stretch when he did not lead the club was 1902, when he was Carlton captain but found his season interrupted by injury. In 1903 he also represented Victoria.

Joe left for WA in 1904 and was reported as a player for the Boulder City club in Kalgoorlie. By 1905 he was back playing with Port Melbourne again.

Joe Sullivan’s Carlton career showed he was more than capable of being a formidable forward at the highest level. If Collingwood had persisted with him after those promising early showings in 1895, then a dangerous goalkicker could have been on our books for the next decade or more. It hurts even more that he ended up winning multiple leading goalkicker awards at Carlton!