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/collingwood-cult-figures-graeme-jenkin/ Wed, 20 Apr 2016 02:27:21 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10396 By: Michael Roberts, Collingwood Historian. Every football club needs its characters – those larger-than-life guys with infectious personalities who can lift the change rooms and help make footy fun. That description fits Graeme ‘Jerker’ Jenkin to a tee. ‘Jerker’ was one of the most popular players not just at Collingwood but also in the VFL. “Everyone loved him,” Peter McKenna once said. “He was a great, happy-go-lucky bloke, and the life and soul of the club.” His long-time colleague in the ruck division, Len Thompson, agreed, once describing Jenkin as “the funniest guy in the world”. “He’s the only bloke I know who could walk into a room not knowing anyone and within 15 minutes could be friends with everyone,” Thompson said. But Jenkin could also play football – and play it well. He was a big, athletic young man with a great leap and good hands when he arrived at Victoria Park in 1962. He was an outstanding cricketer – a feared and unpredictable quick who opened the bowling for Collingwood in District cricket at age 17 – but luckily decided to focus mostly on footy. He first played for the under-19s, then the reserves and eventually made his senior debut in 1964. He struggled to adjust to life as a senior footballer (not helped by missing most of 1965 with a broken leg), and remained an inconsistent presence in the team through most of the 1960s. On the fly against the Navy Blues. But Jenkin’s fortunes turned when No. 1 ruckman Len Thompson went on strike during the 1970 pre-season. The club knew then it had to make other plans for Thommo and Jenkin seized his opportunity. Even when Thommo returned to the fold, the amount of time Jenkin spent in his preferred spot as the team’s main ruckman increased exponentially. And with that increased opportunity, he flourished. The 1970 season was undoubtedly Jenkin’s best in senior football. He finished second in the Copeland Trophy and won selection in the Victorian team (only to have to withdraw because of a hamstring injury). By then he had settled at a playing weight of around 108kg, to go with his 194 cm frame. He was a big unit on the field. Despite his size, he had a wonderful natural leap that often saw him soaring for spectacular marks. He also had great, ‘sticky’ hands and an innate palming ability. While the former two attributes were widely recognised the third — his palming — was not. Jenkin’s skills as a tap ruckman were vastly underrated, and easily comparable to those of the acknowledged star, Thompson. The ‘stepladder’ does some climbing of his own. Jenkin’s performances in 1970 and 1971, when he carried the burden of being the team’s leading ruckman, were outstanding. His efforts in the 1970 finals were especially good, though many people would best remember him for his role as Alex Jesaulenko’s stepladder for that mark in the grand final. Jenkin was regularly asked about the incident in retirement – often two or three times a week. In 1991, Melbourne group TISM even made him the subject of a song, “The Back Upon Which Jezza Jumped”. Jerker took it all in characteristically good humour, even developing something of a ‘road show’ with Jezza where they’d recount the moment. Other than his personality, the thing his teammates most remembered about Jerker was his kicking. Specifically, his drop kicks. Nobody could ever be sure where his drop kicks would go, how far they would travel or whether they would even get off the ground. “They were unique,” Jenkin once said. “I don’t know of any other footballer who kicked them that way.” The drop kick became a near-lethal weapon when Jerker delivered it. Earlier in that ill-fated 1970 season, a Jenkin special had struck Jezza a sickening blow in what is euphemistically called the groin, prompting The Herald to warn: “One day, if he insists on kicking ‘toers’, he will seriously injure an opponent”. His former coach, Bob Rose, said nobody would stand the mark to Jerker in practice matches – it was just too dangerous. And Peter McKenna said leading to him was impossible: “Some kicks would go 50 metres along the ground, the next one 50 metres over my head.” Post-match contemplation. Somehow, this all added up to a loveable, slightly eccentric package of abilities. And Jenkin’s willingness to laugh at it all – especially himself – made it even more endearing. He wasn’t loved by only his teammates: he became something of a crowd favourite too. Unfortunately, Jenkin didn’t get to end his career at Collingwood. When Neil Mann took over as coach in 1972 he set about rebuilding Len Thompson’s career, but that came largely at Jerker’s expense. He spent fewer and fewer minutes as the team’s first ruckman, and eventually crossed (a little reluctantly) to Essendon at the end of 1973 in the deal that brought Bomber defender John Williams to Victoria Park. But Jenkin was always a Magpie – he’d barracked for them as a kid – and returned ‘home’ almost as soon as his stint at Windy Hill finished. He later became involved with the Past Players’ Association, where his infectious laughter and welcoming personality were put to particularly good use. A big man, with a big heart and a big laugh, Graeme Jenkin – footy’s most famous stepladder, and owner of the game’s scariest drop kicks – enjoyed a fine 127-game career at Collingwood. If he hadn’t had to spend so much of it as an understudy to the great Len Thompson, his ruckwork might have achieved more of the recognition it deserved. ]]> https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/collingwood-cult-figures-leigh-brown/ Wed, 13 Apr 2016 00:22:58 +0000 http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/?p=10380 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.]]>