Collingwood FC (AFL)

Collingwood is an existing club that plays in the Australian Football League, and has previously played in the Victorian Football League and the Victorian Football Association. The club was formed in 1892 and has won seventeen premierships.
== Formation ==
The club was formed on February 12, 1892 at a public meeting at the Collingwood Town Hall attended by a spill over crowd apparently keen for Collingwood to get it's own football club. Two local members of Parliament, William Beazley and John Hancock, hosted the meeting and Hancock proclaimed in support of the venture "(Collingwood) will be the premier team – for the very name Collingwood would strike terror into the hearts of opposition players" in an amazing piece of prophecy. Beazley would become the first club President.
== Early years ==
Collingwood were admitted to the VFA in it's first season and struggled along winning three games to finish equal last with Williamstown but ahead on percentage when later calculated. The next season was a little better, winning seven games to finish ninth in the thirteen team competition. In 1894 Collingwood maintained it's general position finishing eighth with eight wins, but in 1895 they had their best season yet finishing equal second with Geelong and Melbourne with twelve wins and two draws. Calculating percentages had them fourth. It was in 1896 that Collingwood finished equal first with South Melbourne and the second ever premiership decider was played with Collingwood winning it's first premiership by 5 points at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground.
== Start of the VFL (1897-1907) ==
Upon it's admission to the VFL in 1897, Collingwood set about fulfulling Hancock's prediction with a fourth place finish after the first home and away season. A round robin finals series was played, with Collingwood finishing the series in third place. In 1898 Collingwood finished second after the home and away season and then headed the sectional ladder under the new finals system. But they lost their final against Fitzroy who would go on to win the flag. Another top four finish in 1899 failed to convert to another final match as they finished second in the sectional ladder behind Fitzroy. At the turn of the century Collingwood again finished in the top four, finishing fourth but again finishing second in the sectional ladder behind Melbourne. A change in the finals series structure was the open gate for Collingwood in 1901, making it's first grand final. However they were defeated by Essendon.
But Collingwood made no mistake in 1902, in the first ever grand final to be played at the MCG. It was Essendon who were defeated after Collingwood had finished the season on top of the ladder for the first time. They repeated the effort in 1903 and again won the premiership, this time over Fitzroy. Matters spluttered slightly but Collingwood still played finals in 1904 losing their semi final to Fitzroy. They made it back to the grand final in 1905 only to be defeated again by Fitzroy. In 1906 they were beaten in the semi final by Carlton, and in 1907 they were beaten again in the semi final this time by South Melbourne.
== To World War 1 (1908-1915) ==
Two more teams were admitted to the VFL in 1908 making the finals a little harder to make. Collingwood did it winning ten games to finish fourth, but Essendon ended their season by 35 points. In 1909 Collingwood finished third with 12 wins and two draws, but again they fell in the semi final this time to South Melbourne.
In 1910 Collingwood finished second with 13 wins and defeated Essendon in their semi final. As the minor premiers had been beaten in the other semi a preliminary final was needed and Collingwood defeated South Melbourne in order to face Carlton. The grand final was clouded by an investigation into three Carlton players and a trainer involved in bribery, where two players were found guilty and suspended for five years. The other player and the trainer were found innocent. Collingwood won the grand final anyway by 14 points for their third VFL flag.
A slip to fourth and 12 wins didn't phase them as they won their semi final in 1911 over South Melbourne and they went within a kick of upending Essendon losing by 6 points. 1912 though would be history making as Collingwood failed to make the finals for the first time in the VFL, finishing seventh with 9 wins. They bounced back in 1913 winning 13 games to finish third. Fitzroy though won the semi final by 37 points. In 1914 Collingwood failed to make the finals for the second time finishing fifth with 10 wins and a draw, but in 1915 they rebounded again to win the minor premiership. They lost their semi final to Fitzroy but had the right of challenge and faced Carlton in the grand final. Carlton would win by 33 points as the clouds of war gathered.
== Post War (1916-1924) ==
The VFL were reduced to four clubs in 1916 due to World War 1, with Collingwood being one of them. They finished second but were eliminated by Fitzroy in an upset. In 1917 tieh six clubs Collingwood won the minor premiership and defeated South Melbourne in the semi final, only to lose the final to Fitzroy, The challenge was exercised and Collingwood won the grand final to win their first flag since 1910 and their fourth VFL flag. In 1918 with eight clubs they finished second and won their semi final over St Kilda but minor premiers South Melbourne were five point victors with Collingwood having five more scoring shots. In 1919 with everything back Collingwood won the minor premiership and the semi final against Carlton. Richmond defeated them in the final, but Collingwood reversed that on the challenge to win their fifth VFL flag and their second in three years.
In 1920 Collingwood slipped to fourth but they knocked off Fitzroy in the semi final. They met Carlton in the final and won that to face minor premiers Richmond in the grand final, but Richmond avenged their loss the previous year. In 1921 Collingwood finished third but lost the semi final to Carlton. In 1922 they won the minor premiership but lost the semi final to Fitzroy. Fitzroy won the final and then repeated the effort to deny Collingwood the flag. In 1923 Collingwood missed the finals for the first time since 1914 and in 1924 for the first time in the VFL they would miss the finals for two years in a row. But this would lead into something special over the next few years.
== To World War 2 (1925-1942) ==
Three new clubs joined the VFL in 1925 as the Magpies returned to the finals finishing fourth. They defeated Essendon in their semi final, and then won the final over Melbourne to face the challenge from minor premiers Geelong. Collingwood would lose this decider. In 1926 the Magpies won the minor premiership, but they lost their semi final to Melbourne. The challenge was issued but Melbourne repeated the semi final win to deny Collingwood the flag for the second year running. But that would be the turning point.
The next four years would cement the club's legacy that was prophecised in 1892. From 1927 to 1930 the Magpies would win the minor premiership in every season. In 1927 they eliminated Geelong and then defeated Richmond in the lowest scoring grand final in history to win the flag. In 1928 the Woods had a scare playing the VFL's first draw in a final against Melbourne before winning the replay and defeating Richmond again for their second flag in a row. Gordon Coventry kicked nine goals in a record that still stands today and was only equalled once. In 1929 Collingwood went through the home and away season undefeated - the first and only team in league history to do that. Richmond though upset them in their semi final. The Magpies exercised their right to challenge and made amends to win their third flag in a row. In 1930 the Woods won their semi final over Richmond, but Geelong upset them in the final forcing another challenge. But Collingwood won the challenge game convincingly to win their fourth flag in a row - a record that remains intact today. Finally, with the change in the finals system in 1931, Collingwood lost the first semi final to Carlton and by a lot to end their incredible run.
But there was no keeping the Magpies out of the finals as they returned in 1932 in third place and eliminated South Melbourne in the first semi final. Carlton though thrashed them again this time in the preliminary final. In 1933 though Collingwood missed the finals for the first time since 1924. However in 1934 they were back in fourth place, only to lose the first semi final to South Melbourne. But in 1935 they finished second. The Magpies lost the second semi final to South Melbourne but they bounced back winning the preliminary final over Richmond and then avenged the second semi loss with another flag. In 1936 they finished second again, but this time defeated South in the second semi final and repeated the effort for their second flag in a row. Could another roll be on?
It would be, but the wrong sort. In 1937 Collingwood made the grand final after finishing third defeating Richmond and Melbourne only to be defeated by Geelong in the grand final. In 1938 the Magpies finished fourth and were the first club to play a VFL final against Footscray, defeating them comfortably. The Woods then eliminated Geelong but again lost the grand final, this time to Carlton. In 1939 Collingwood finished second but lost the second semi final to Melbourne. They bounced back over St Kilda but Melbourne handed the Magpies their third grand final loss in a row.
World War 2 erupted and it had an adverse effect of the Woods who failed the make the finals going in, finishing eighth in 1940, fifth in 1941 and tenth in 1942 in it's worst season to date winning only two games in a shortened season and fortunately avoiding it's first wooden spoon ever by a game.
== Post War (1943-1959) ==
1943 was as bad as 1942 again only avoiding the wooden spoon by virtue of a shortened season and the side below them having their season ending early. In 1944 there was a slight improvement although the Magpies finished tenth again, but Collingwood were back in the top four in 1945 finishing second. But a straight sets exit followed courtesy of South Melbourne and Carlton. Another second placed finish followed in 1946 and Collingwood played it's second finals draw, with Essendon. They lost the replay and again went out in a loss to Melbourne. In 1947 the club finished fifth just half a game out of the top four before finishing third in 1948. They would defeat Footscray for their first finals victory post World War 2 but Melbourne would beat them in the preliminary final. In 1949 the Magpies finished third again only to lose the first semi final to Essendon. A slide to seventh followed in 1950.
In 1951 Collingwood started a strong period. Finishing second, the club went out in straight sets again thanks to Geelong and Essendon, but they would rebound in 1952 finishing second. They were beaten by Geelong in the second semi final but the Magpies would bounce back against Fitzroy to make the grand final for the first time since 1939. Geelong however would prove to be too good. In 1953 though the tables were turned. After ending Geelong's 23 game winning streak (a VFL/AFL record that still stands), Collingwood defeated the Cats in the second semi final, and then did it again when it counted to win their first flag since 1936.
A shock drop to seventh followed in 1954, but the Magpies were back in 1955 - at the beginning of it's famous rivalry with Melbourne. In both 1955 and 1956 Collingwood would finish second and lose both the second semi final and the grand final to the Demons, defeating Geelong in 1955 and Footscray in 1956 in the preliminary finals. In 1957 the Magpies would shockingly slip to fifth and miss the finals, but when Melbourne won their third flag in a row Collingwood knew their four in a row record was in danger.
In 1958 the two sides met once during the home and away season with Melbourne winning at the MCG before 99,256 people - a home and away season record that still stands. Collingwood finished second but three games behind the Demons and only percentage ahead of Fitzroy. Melbourne won the second semi final again, and convincingly as well. The Magpies met North Melbourne in the preliminary final with North having beaten them both times they met during the home and away season. But Collingwood won the game to try again against their rivals. The club was desperate on the day using rough tactics and somehow managed the massive upset victory and the premiership to protect their record - maybe forever despite more recent efforts by Brisbane and Hawthorn. In 1959 the Magpies lost it's first five games straight but then won all bar one remaining game (to Fitzroy) to finish third. However they would lose the first semi final to Essendon.
== 1960's ==
Collingwood started the new decade finishing fourth on percentage. They defeated Essendon in the first semi final and then somehow got past Fitzroy in the preliminary final to once again face Melbourne. The Demons though were clinical on a wet day with the Magpies only managing 2.2 (14), their lowest score since 1900 and the lowest score in a grand final since 1927. That led to a horror three year period by Collingwood's standards finishing ninth, seventh and eighth. In 1964 though the Magpies returned to the finals finishing second. Yet another clash with Melbourne resulted in a hiding in the second semi final but Collingwood bounced back sneaking past Geelong in the preliminary final. However a late game goal handed the Magpies another loss in the grand final to Melbourne.
In 1965 the Woods finished second again but they were pipped by a point by St Kilda in the second semi final. Essendon sent them packing in the preliminary final. In 1966 Collingwood finished on top of the ladder and again met St Kilda in the second semi final. This time the Magpies won and went through to the grand final. St Kilda came through though and won their first ever premiership by a point - the second time for the decade Collingwood had lost the big one by less than a kick.
In 1967 the Magpies finished fourth and were comfortably defeated by Geelong in the first semi final. The Woods fell to seventh in 1968, but in 1969 they bounced back to finish on top of the ladder again on percentage from Carlton. But two comfortable defeats by the Blues and then Richmond ended that season.
== 1970's ==
In 1970 Collingwood finished on top again and again faced Carlton in the second semi final. This time the Magpies got the victory to go to the grand final where they again faced the Blues. Leading at half time by 44 points Carlton came back and won the game and the flag, causing former Collingwood captain Lou Richards to coin the term "The Colliwobbles". In 1971 the Magpies finished fourth but Richmond ended their season in the first semi final.
In 1972 the VFL introduced the final five and Collingwood finished third albeit three and a half games behind Richmond who dealt with them convincingly in the Qualifying final. St Kilda would end the season for the Magpies in the first semi final. The Woods came back to finish on top of the ladder in 1973 and get the week off, only to be defeated in the second semi final by Carlton and then by Richmond in the preliminary final to go out in straight sets. In 1974 the Magpies finished fourth and in the elimination final they defeated Footscray for their first finals win since 1970, before Hawthorn beat them in the first semi final. In 1975 the Woods finished fifth but were beaten in the elimination final by Richmond.
1976 though would be a forgettable year for Collingwood. There was a massive dispute between club President Ern Clarke and coach Murray Weideman. After only winning four games in the first half of the season, they finished winning only another two and were equal bottom with one round to go with Fitzroy after a big win over Essendon. The Magpies were playing Melbourne at Victoria Park and Fitzroy were playing the Bombers, but Melbourne needed to win to make the finals. Collingwood went close but fell short by 15 points in a high scoring game. But Fitzroy defeated Essendon comfortably - and the Magpies had won their first ever wooden spoon.
A change of coach followed and Collingwood shot straight back up the ladder and finished on top - the biggest turnaround in the history of the VFL. After the week off the Magpies took on Hawthorn and won to make the grand final for the first time since 1970. It would be North Melbourne who would oppose them, but the game finished in a draw - the second in VFL history. In the replay North would win to hand the Woods another grand final defeat.
In 1978 Collingwood finished third and were beaten in the Qualifying final by Hawthorn. They bounced back in the first semi final defeating Carlton but North Melbourne would end their season in the preliminary final. In 1979 the Magpies again finished third and again lost the qualifying final this time to North Melbourne. Another rebound followed in the first semi over Fitzroy and this time the Woods would win the preliminary final over the Kangaroos to face Carlton in the big one. The Blues led at three quarter time but Collingwood fought back - only to be livid when Carlton got their first and only goal for the final quarter off a punch off the boundary line that Magpie fans and players insisted was out of bounds. The Magpies got the goal back but ran out of time and lost by five points.
== 1980's ==
In 1980 Collingwood finished fifth. They started a campaign that would deliver a grand final appearance - the first time since the final five was introduced in 1972 that a team would make the grand final from the elimination final. The Magpies took out North Melbourne, Carlton and Geelong in the process - but the effort took it's toll and Richmond thrashed them in the big one. In 1981 Collingwood were having a much better season and held top spot with a round to go. But in the wet conditions at Victoria Park, Fitzroy upset the Magpies and coupled with a Carlton win the Woods lost top spot and had to face Geelong in the qualifying final and were beaten. That led to another encounter with Fitzroy which Collingwood won by a point. They defeated Geelong in the preliminary final for the second year in a row but Carlton were again too good on grand final day.
In 1982 the Magpies were subjected to another internal squabble, this time between coach Tom Hafey and captain Peter Moore. The club initially blamed Hafey and replaced him mid season, but Collingwood were facing their second ever wooden spoon with a round to go. But a victory in the final round over Geelong thanks to a wild shot for goal by a Geelong player and Footscray being thrashed by Essendon, the Magpies finished tenth. After the season Moore also departed the club.
In 1983, Collingwood started the season with a win over Melbourne (Moore's new club and his first possession attracted derision from Magpies fans) and a loss to Geelong (Hafey's new club and his arrival in the visiting coaches box was greeted with applause by Collingwood fans). By the end of the season Collingwood had finished sixth. In 1984 the Magpies returned to the finals finishing fourth and they defeated Fitzroy and Carlton bringing up talk of another 1980 effort. But Essendon put the brakes on that with a thrashing in the preliminary final.
That led to a slip to seventh in 1985 and then sixth in 1986 only missing out on the finals by percentage thanks in part to a round 320 thrashing by Hawthorn. In 1987 though the club crashed down the ladder to twelfth, no longer last place as there were 14 clubs in the VFL by this time. The rebound in 1988 though was huge as Collingwood finished second albeit three and a half games behind minor premiers Hawthorn. But a straight sets exit ended their season thanks to Carlton and then Melbourne. A slip to fifth followed in 1989 and another loss in the finals courtesy again of Melbourne.
== 1990's ==
The VFL changed it's name to the AFL in 1990, and the Magpies had a better season finishing second. They faced West Coast in the qualifying final. The game ended in a draw and a replay was required, and Collingwood for the first time won that final. They followed up the next week defeating Essendon in the second semi final to make the grand final for the first time since 1980. And this time they would not be denied, nailing the victory and the Magpies had their first premiership since 1958. Lou Richards buried The Colliwobbles the next day at Victoria Park.
A small hangover followed with a seventh place finish in 1991, but in 1992 Collingwood finished third and only missed the top spot on percentage. However in the final six an elimination final against St Kilda followed and it went against the Magpies to the tune of 8 points. In 1993 Collingwood finished eighth a game outside the six. In 1994 a final eight was introduced and Collingwood finished eighth again - this time earning itself a finals place. In the qualifying final they had to play top side West Coast in Perth, and went close to a huge upset. The Magpies fell short by 2 points and their season ended.
In 1995 Collingwood slipped to tenth and in 1996 the club finished eleventh. In 1997 the Magpies finished tenth only missing the eight by half a game, but in 1998 the club dropped to fourteenth, two spots away from the bottom of the ladder. Before the 1999 season Eddie Maguire became club president, but he couldn't stop Collingwood from winning it's second ever wooden spoon with four wins - two less than 1976.
== 2000's ==
In the new millenium the Magpies started in 2000 only rising to fifteenth, but improvement came with a jump to ninth in 2001 only missing the finals by a game. And in 2002 the club was rewarded with a return to the finals for the first time since 1994, finishing fourth. They took on top side Port Adelaide in the qualifying final at Football Park, and the Magpies caused an upset for the week off. In the preliminary final Collingwood defeated Adelaide and they were in their first grand final since 1990. Face with Brisbane the game was close all day but the Lions managed to get the win to deny the Magpies a flag just three years after the wooden spoon.
In 2003 Collingwood finished second and defeated Brisbane in the qualifying final for another week off. In the preliminary final the Magpies were way too good for Port Adelaide and were once again faced with the Lions. But in a game that Collingwood were never really in the hunt, Brisbane were too good. Another grand final loss for the Magpies. In 2004 the club slipped to fourteenth and then in 2005 only missed the wooden spoon by a game finishing fifteenth.
Collingwood though were back in the finals in 2006 finishing fifth. However the Western Bulldogs ended their season in something of an upset. In 2007 the Magpies finished sixth and this time won the elimination final over Sydney. That sent Collingwood to Perth and they upended West Coast in the semi final to make the preliminary final against Geelong - only to be beaten by just five points.
The Magpies finished eighth in 2008 and travelled to Football Park to play Adelaide, resulting in a good upset win for Collingwood. But St Kilda ended their season in the semi final. In 2009 the Magpies got in to the top four finishing fourth and faced St Kilda again. Another loss, but this time Collingwood had another chance and scrambled past Adelaide to make the preliminary final. But Geelong thrashed them to end their season.
== 2010's ==
The Magpies started the new decade in style finishing on top of the ladder in 2010. In the qualifying final their opponents were the Western Bulldogs and the Woods won easily to get the week off. They faced off against the Cats in the preliminary final for the second year in a row, and this time Collingwood returned the thrashing to enter the grand final for the first time since 2003. Their opponents were St Kilda and like 1966 the match was gruelling. This time though there would be no Saints fairytale as the game finished in a draw - Collingwood's second after 1977. The replay though was all Collingwood, gaining a 56 point victory and their first flag since 1990.
Not content to rest on their laurels and with all the arrogance of years gone by, the Magpies finished on top again in 2011 only losing two games. The trouble was both of them were to Geelong and the second of the two in the final home and away was a 96 poing hiding. Collingwood recovered to win the qualifying final over West Coast for the week off. The Magpies met Hawthorn in the preliminary final and got past them by 3 points to get to the grand final where the Cats awaited. It was obly 7 points the difference at three quarter time but Collingwood faded and were beaten by 38 points.
A slip to fourth followed in 2012, enough for a qualifying final only for Hawthorn to defeat them. The Magpies bounced back in the semi final over West Coast, but Sydney stopped them in the preliminary final. In 2013 Collingwood finished sixth and exited in the elimination final courtesy of Port Adelaide.
For the next four years the Magpies played well but were a middle of the road side. In 2014 they finished eleventh, followed by two years finishing twelfth. In 2017 Collingwood finished thirteenth and the club hierachy decided that a review was needed.
Said review had amazing results. As though a rocket had been send up the playing group, the Magpies fired up to return to the top four in 2018 finishing third. A 16 point loss to West Coast didn't inspire confidence, but Collingwood bounced back in the semi final defeating West Sydney by 10 points. They then eliminated reigning premiers Richmond by 39 points to get to the grand final where they met West Coast again. With scores level at the last change, the Magpies got out to a two goal lead but the Eagles pegged it there and managed to wrest lead and defeat Collingwood by 5 points.
The Magpies returned in 2019 to finish fourth and then upset top side Geelong in the qualifying final for the week off. But in the preliminary final West Sydney upended Collingwood to end their season.
== 2020 ==
After a good win in the opening round over the Western Bulldogs in front of no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season went on hold until mid June. The Magpies played the first game back and in a game that was universally panned, a draw was played with Richmond. Collingwood managed though to hold their nerve, despite a thumping at the hands of West Coast in Round 8, an alarm raising 56 point loss to Melbourne in Round 12 and playing most of their games outside Victoria.
The Magpies managed to hold eighth place and went into the elimination final against the Eagles. There would be no thumping this time as Collingwood managed to upend West Coast by a point to progress to the semi final where they met Geelong. But the Cats handed the Magpies a belting to end the season for them.
== 2021 ==
The 2021 season began badly with only one win from the first seven games including five on the trot. They faced the winless North Melbourne under threat, but the Magpies managed a three point win. More losses followed along with a win over Adelaide before a change of coach was announced. In his last game, Nathan Buckley coached Collingwood to a massive upset victory over old rivals and top side Melbourne.
But the rest of the season was forgettable. Only two more wins were logged and an 85 point hiding at the hands of Brisbane followed by a final round loss to Essendon left the Magpies in seventeenth place - only one and a half games off the wooden spoon.
== 2022 ==
Two wins in two rounds started Collingwood's 2022 season well, but then three straight losses had them out of the eight and staring down the barrel of another collapse. But the Magpies bounced back with two wins to regain their finals spot, only to lose two more to drop to eleventh. However they then turned this around with no less than eleven wins in a row through the bye including two wins over the reigning premiers Melbourne.
With two rounds to go Collingwood were looking at one of the biggest turnarounds in history, sitting the second place. A stutter to Sydney dumped them to fifth, but a fighting one point win over Carlton (to deny the old enemy a spot in the finals) coupled with Brisbane's loss to Melbourne gave the Magpies fourth spot and the double chance.
The finals got off to a disappointing start with a 6 point loss to Geelong. With the double chance, Collingwood hosted Fremantle and defeated them by 20 points to keep their season alive. But despite a huge effort at the SCG, the Magpies would exit the finals by a single point.
== 2023 ==
Collingwood started the new season in style with three strong victories before coming to a stop at the hands of Brisbane at the Gabba. But that only served to fire the Magpies up and they rattled off the next eight wins in a row to own top spot on the ladder. They kept it despite the run breaking loss to Melbourne but the bye that followed pushed them back to second as Port Adelaide assumed the top rung.
Five more wins in a row had Collingwood back on top again and they managed to stay there despite three losses in the last five rounds - including another one to Brisbane. Heading into the finals, the Magpies played Melbourne in the qualifying final and won by 7 points to get the week off into the preliminary final. There they met West Sydney with echoes of 2019. But they managed to get by them to book a place in the grand final against Brisbane.
Many were tipping the Lions after their two wins during the home and away season, and Collingwood had never won a grand final in September since 1958. Both victories in 1990 and 2010 were in October. And with the close finish, Collingwood's record there wasn't good either. But somehow they survived and won the flag by 4 points - the first time they had won a grand final by less than a goal since 1903.
== Reserves ==
Collingwood were a part of the VFL Reserves competition from it's formation in 1919. From then until 1999 the Magpies won seven reserve grade flags, including in the first season in 1919. The other flags were in 1920, 1922, 1925, 1940, 1965 and 1976 - the most recent a curiosity as the seniors won the wooden spoon that season. In 2000 the club fielded a stand alone team in the VFL before entering into an affiliation with Williamstown in 2001. This lasted until 2008 when the club started to field it's own team again.
Category:Australian FL clubs