The story behind the latest addition to our ranks of Magpie past players - going back a long way.
Collingwood has found itself a new player!
Until recently, our records showed that 1275 men had pulled on the black-and-white guernsey in senior games for the Pies since 1892 up to the end of 2024. This includes 1193 in the VFL/AFL, and a further 82 who played only in the VFA days (1892-96).
One of those players was a man called G Mackie, who played one game for us in 1892, and then four more in 1893.
But new evidence has emerged which strongly suggests that the Mackie who played in 1892 is an entirely different person from the Mackie who played in 1893. And the ‘new’ Mackie is part of a famous footballing family!
The G Mackie who played in 1892 played originally with a local club called Rainbow, and then with Carlton in 1890. We now think his initial might actually be A rather than G, but the rest of the story stays pretty much the same. He seems to have returned to Rainbow after his solitary game with us.
In 1893, however, a player named Mackie plays four games for us. It had previously been assumed that this must have been the G Mackie from 1892.
But three bits of information uncovered by our gun researchers Rob Harris and Phil Taranto have altered our view of history. The first is a newspaper report that identifies the 1893 Mackie as a ‘new’ player at Collingwood. There are also reports of a permit being issued to him to cross to Collingwood from Fitzroy. There is also a mention in The Age of the player having come from Heidelberg.
There was a J McKie who played one game with Fitzroy in 1892. We are now almost certain that this is the player who crossed to the Pies in 1893, and that his name is actually John Grant Mackie, better known as Jack (though within the family often as Grant). We are strengthened in this belief by the fact that the two Mackies played for Collingwood and Fitzroy within a week of each other in 1892, and it seems highly unlikely to have been the same player.
Mackie was part of a famous Heidelberg family, and would go back there to become a famous local sportsman and identity after his brief stint at Victoria Park. Two of his sons, Gordon and Ken, would go on to be fine League footballers, Gordon becoming an outstanding defender with Carlton and his brother Ken a good servant with both Fitzroy and St Kilda, in the 1930s.
We have spoken with one of John Mackie’s surviving grandsons, and he has confirmed key parts of the story.
So after months of research, we are adding John Grant Mackie to our list of Collingwood footballers. It’s not a change we have made lightly, but we strongly believe it’s right.
So a belated welcome to Collingwood to Jack Mackie!
