Collingwood (VFL)

Photos by Competition and Team

Introduction

Collingwood was originally a working class suburb on the north eastern edge of Melbourne’s CBD. Many well known Collingwood landmarks, including the Collingwood Town Hall, Collingwood Train Station, Victoria Park and the Brewery are technically in adjacent Abbotsford, therefore many people think about ‘Collingwood’ as meaning both areas.

By 1900, Collingwood's Smith Street rivalled Prahran ‘s Chapel Street for department stores and shopping. The large brewery was built in 1904 and by 1908 was owned by C.U.B. Over time the brewery employed many Collingwood players, including foreman Jock McHale.

Collingwood football club was established in 1892, thirty years after the first football clubs were established such as Melbourne, St Kilda and Castlemaine but around a similar time to neighbouring Richmond (1885).

Unlike many teams, Collingwood was immediately successful and won the VFA premiership in 1896. When the VFL was formed in 1897, the young Collingwood club was among the key movers.

Collingwood were regularly successful. Premierships came in 1902, 1903 and 1910 and again in 1917 and 1919.

The late 1920s brought Collingwood’s greatest team. With Jock McHale coaching and players such as Syd and Gordon Coventry, Albert and Harry Collier as well as Jack Regan playing through the period, Collingwood’s machine won four premierships in a row 1927-1930 and then another two in 1935-36.

After such a long period of success, Collingwood was not successful during the war years and from 1942-44 spent rare time at the bottom end of the VFL table.
During the 1950s Collingwood won two more premierships in 1953 and 1958. Coached by Phonse Kyne, the firs involved players such as Bob Rose, Mick Twomey and Lou Richards, the second captained by Murray Weideman.

After success that other clubs only dreamed of, the Colliwobbles became park of the football lexicon as Collingwood spent 30 years looking for a premiership. In 1990 the drought was broken under coach Leigh Matthews and captain Tony Shaw.
Collingwood won another premiership in 2010.

Collingwood is not a middle ground for football supporters. The pies are loved by the largest fan base of any football club in Australia, but hating Collingwood is a tradition for every one else.

Team Name and Jumpers

Team Photos

Photos by Charles Boyles

Photos by Unknown/Other Photographers

Collingwood Team Photos

Player Photos

Lists

Reference_ Collingwood Captains
Reference_ Collingwood Coaches
Reference_ Collingwood Best and Fairest
Reference_ Collingwood Leading Goal Kicker
Reference_ Collingwood Team of the Century
Reference_1927 VFL Grand Final - Torrential Rain
Reference_1928 VFL Grand Final
Reference_1929 VFL Grand Final
Reference_1930 VFL Grand Final - 4 in a Row
Reference_1953 VFL Grand Final

Results during Charles Boyles Work Period 1925-63

For more extensive results (and source data for this table), see
http://afltables.com/afl/afl_index.html

Home Grounds

Victoria Park (Abbotsford)

Interesting News Stories

The Machine
Another "Football Flashback" THE SUPREMACY OF THE MAGPIE MACHINE. (1950, July 1). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956), p. 28 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22898425

1937 Grand Final against Geelong
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/87904/20080821-0952/www.fullpointsfooty.net/%27the_greatest_grand_final_of_all%27-2.html

External Links

Wikipedia - Collingwood
AFL Tables - Collingwood
http://www.magpies.net/nick/bb/index.php
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1308615@N24/
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/forums/collingwood.7/

The Age 8-Aug-1933 p6 Team History
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D_5hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qpUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7182%2C3128414