What made us 'Collingwood people'? - Add your story

[DT]

At first, I wasn't interested in footy at all. I used to see the highlights on our small black and white tv in our kitchen and at the end would be the ladder. I used to change teams every week and picked the team at our near the top of the ladder. It must have been 1978.

We had a very good family friend, whom I called Aunty Margaret, who was a passionate Hawthorn supporter. She had knitted me a Hawthorn scarf and encouraged me to follow the Hawks. So, I guess, I was nominally a Hawthorn supporter. I also lived in a Hawthorn zone in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

My own family, however, was Carlton through and through.

Anyway, at the start of 1979 I wanted a footy jumper. They were quite a prize possession in those days. Mum told me that I could have a jumper but only if I picked a team and stuck to it. So, that started me off on an investigative journey about which team to choose. It is a bit vague but I recall being taken with the fact that Collingwood was a despised suburb back in the early part of the later 1890s and early 1900s. Others looked down at people living there. In response, a footy team from that area was founded and became the most successful team. I loved that story. And the black and white colours were great too. I often think that people, if they are not forced to become a supporter of a club, are influenced by a team's colours. So I chose Collingwood and Mum bought me a jumper. Soon, I would have no. 35 sown on my back.

And I religiously listened to the radio every Saturday afternoon. Often, I would kick a footy around the back garden and acted out the game while I listened to the radio. And what a team we had in 1979. Peter McCormick at full back, Ronnie Wearmouth, the long haired rover who always seemed to get knocked out when we played North, Ray Shaw, a brilliant player and captain, Peter Moore and so on. And there was no more special occasion than when we played Carlton. I recall the Magro v Jesaulenko clash on the wing - was it at Vic Park or Princes Park? - which is still often shown in highlights. Anyway, playing the Blues was the toughest game for us, apart from Essendon, which always seemed to have the wood on us until the late 1980s.

I remember reading an article by Ron Carter, chief football writer for The Age in '79. It must have been a few rounds before the end of the season. He wrote that it is clear that North Melbourne will face Carlton in the Grand Final. I remember my hunch at the time that he is speaking too soon and I thought we might be a sneaky chance.

Anyway, we lost to Carlton in round 10 by 16 points but beat them in the round 21 by 18 points to finish third.

We lost to North by 39 points in the Qualifying Final, came back to beat Fitzroy by 22 points in the First Semi Final and had a rematch with North in the Preliminary Final. Carlton had comfortably accounted for North in the Second Semi Final and went straight through to the Grand Final. But the Pies lifted and beat North by 27 points and had a rematch with the arch enemy.

My excitement and anticipation on Grand Final day was huge. It was a cold and wet day, and the MCG was pretty boggy that day. Carlton were favourites but I knew we had a real chance to win. The Pies got on top in the second quarter but Carlton stormed back to get in front by 1 point at half time. It continued in the third quarter and Carlton were 21 points up at three quarter time - it seemed that the match was gone and my heart sank. The Pies were not gone though and staged a thrilling fightback in the last quarter. Of course, the last quarter is remember for Wayne Harmes knocking the ball back from the boundary line. I was absolutely screaming at the tv at the injustice of it at the time.

We were 5 points down and streaming forward when the siren went. We lost. I was inconsolable and didn't speak to my family for a week.

To this day, that Grand Final is the best that I have seen. And the curse that sat over Collingwood since 1958 continued. Twice, Carlton had extinguished the hopes of the faithful in one decade.

And although Collingwood was a successful side at the turn of that decade, I knew that Richmond would thrash us in '80 and '81 was just mud in our face. Then came Hafey's sacking and our decline until '84 when we were smashed by the Dons in the Preliminary Final.

Then we rose again in the late 80s but a series of disappointing efforts in finals raised a question mark about whether we were good enough to reach the grand final.

Those questions were answered in 1990, when the team faced its demons on that blue sky day against West Coast. BT and Daics saved us that day. I couldn't look when Peter Sumich shot for goal. Thank god he missed. The next week, we were a different team. Michael Christian played his best game for the club and smashed the Eagles that day. We won by 10 goals.

My best moment as a Collingwood supporter came in the Second Semi Final against Essendon, whom we had gradually got closer to that year. It came from an Essendon turnover in the centre square between Madden and Kickett. Scotty Russell pounced, streamed forward over the 50 metre line and slotted the goal. We had steadied to go about 28 points up. That was the moment when I finally believed that we could do it.

In some ways, the Grand Final was more a feeling of relief than joy. But I sat on the top deck of the open Southern Stand and loved every minute of it, especially my all time favourite player, Peter the Macedonian Marvel Daicos.

Since then, we went to the depths in the 90s and then almost did it in 2002. This grand final was somewhat reminiscent of the 1979 one. And the sense of injustice surfaced again.

Still I wait for another premiership. It would be a miracle if we did it this year, but we are not far off. Again, a Shaw is in the team. Will he savour the success of his uncle or the heartbreak of his dad? It's up to them.

Anyhow, there has been a lot of joy being a Collingwood supporter but also a lot of disappointment. And what a ride!

[watt price tully]

I spent my primary school years in Brunswick. My parents had a baby sitter as they were both working. long hours. The baby sitter was "Mrs Mack" - She insisted we should all be Collingwood supporters & were - this was the late 50's & early 60's. I was too young & have no recollecion of this whatsoever. All I know is that my whole family barracked for Collingwood & so did I.

My older brother & his mates would take me on the 96 tram ddown Nicholson street, we would catch the green tramways bus to Vic Park. I recall getting steel cans to stand on wishing I would be tall to watch the game unimpeded, the Peanut seller going through, sneaking into the "one-eyed stand".

Brunswick were the local VFA team whom I also barracked for & wore black & white colours - like a reinforcement for barracking for Collingwood.

In the mid 60's reading Alf Brown in the evening herald & learning new words like "barrel chested", "spasmodic" "vigorous" come to mind when referring to Tuddy". Listening to the radio - 3XY, the frustrating 3DB & 3UZ when you'd get things like : "It's close in the last quarter collingwood behind but heading to goal - being rudely interrupted with "Green Light on racing this time..." & not finding out for ages what the result was.

Later as a Uni student my partner then - my wife now & I lived in Stafford Street Abbotsfford - literally a Colin Tully drop kick to Vic park. ALso had frinrds in Trennery Crescent in the 80's. I'd go to the game, leave at half time with mates, eat drink and whatever else we did in those Uni days & rush back for 2nd half.

In early high school we moved to the other side of town & at 14 the first guy I met at the new school was & is a Collingwood supporter. We're still mates & we would go to games quite often .

[HAL]

Such an original name!

[Big_Glenn_Sandford]

I still don't know what it is about Collingwood.

I suppose it is the definition of unconditional love. My wife could cheat on me, my son could become a serial killer, but no matter what happens i'll always love collingwood unconditionally.

My alarm will be going off at 4:05am in roughly 10 hours for me to listen to the game on the radio via the internet on the other side of the world.
Most people would think i'm stupid getting up at 4am to listen to a game, but form it's just what you gotta do.

Go PIES!

[Black_White]

My story has been deleted.
I would have posted back in the original thread in 2001.
Ah well, such is life!

[David]

I'm surprised that I've never posted in this thread. Well, here goes.

My story is not one of a Damascus Road conversion. In fact, even though I was born and raised in the foreign city of Canberra (where one is expected to have an NRL team first and supplement it with a vague interest in the Sydney Swans), all I can remember is unquestioning devotion to the Collingwood cause. While some of my siblings have grown up with little to no interest in football, following another club would never have been tolerated here. It was Collingwood or nothing.

Collingwood is a family institution, for as long as I can remember. My parents' religious beliefs meant that we could never watch the game live if it was on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon. Thus, week in, week out, my family would spend Saturday evenings camped in front of our tiny living room TV watching the videotape of the game (everybody making a sincere attempt not to find out the scores beforehand, although my mum always knew - she listens to ABC radio on Saturday mornings). My mum has never been a huge football fan, and even had a vague interest in Carlton before she met my dad. He, on the other hand, is and has been a fanatical Collingwood supporter for his entire life, just like his own dad was.

Even given all this, I still have a defining time period of when I really became a Collingwood supporter. What triggered it I'm not exactly sure (was it talking to my older brother, whom I shared a room with at the time, and who was also a huge Collingwood fan in his preteen years?), but by the beginning of the 1997 season, at the age of 8, I was already borderline obsessed. The first game I clearly remember watching on TV was the R.2 match against Melbourne, which we must have won by close to 100 points. My favourite player at that stage was Richard Osborne. I would get my dad to print out the ladder for me every Monday morning before he went to work, which I would study intently, along with my growing AFL book collection which I would get on my birthday or buy with the birthday money I had left over. My dad also bought me Inside Football Magazine a few times, and I remember how excited I was when the local library started selling off some of their older back issues for about a dollar each. Afternoons at home were spent kicking the plastic K-Mart football around the backyard commentating and re-enacting matches, although by the time I was 10 I stopped doing Collingwood matches because it was boring - I always made them win.

My love of Collingwood has grown steadily since. I have tried to see every match that I can when it's on TV, and going to the games has always been a rare and exciting experience. I have had great individual memories, such as our upset win over the Tangeroos in 2000 in my first game at Docklands, Ben Johnson's tackle on Burgoyne in the 2002 Qualifying Final, Dane Swan's elation at the final siren (a feeling I shared wholly in) at Subiaco in 2007, and watching the new guard of Maxwell, Thomas, Pendlebury, Heath Shaw, Swan, Harry O, Toovey, JA, Dick and Beams lead us on to future triumphs. These days I don't really watch the game at home with the family any more on a Saturday night (a tradition that has continued unabated in my absence) unless I happen to be around, but I can only imagine that my passion will grow ever more as I realise my dream and move to Melbourne in six days time and watch the team play every week. I'm even thinking of becoming a member next year, and perhaps I shall be at the MCG one September day when we win our fifteenth premiership.

[sandy]

What a great post and how interesting it has been to read all the posts. I was born in 1958 a glorious year for Collingwood. Both my mother and father were Collingwood supporters, dad was a life member of the club. I didn't really have a choice Collingwood was the team to follow.. many fond memories of going to Victoria Park with my Dad and brothers. I married a Collingwood supporter, gosh Dad wouldn't have wanted it any other way! When my daughter was born we won the 1990 premiership. Friends and acquaintances over the years dont quite understand the true love and admiration I have for the CFC. The tears and joy I have shared over the years as I have watched Collingwood's failures and triumphs. Both our children also follow Collingwood and go to the football nearly every week.

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

Born in '70 and my parents were new Australians so I didn't really know anything about Aussie Rules 'til the age of 5 or 6. As I was becoming more aware of the game as a 6 year old I actually had a liking for Nth. Melb but with no real passion or much idea about the game. It wasn't until midway through the '77 season when I became more interested (that's all the kids talked about and played at school) that I latched onto Collingwood as they were winning almost every week and were sitting pretty on top of the ladder. They also had the most popular and sort after footy cards. The two GF's that year were the first to be televised live I think, or was it the first in colour, I can't recall but that replay which we lost saw my 1st tears shed for the black & white. That was pretty much the point in time where I realised they meant something very special to me. The following year or two, my uncle who'd already caught the bug began taking me to the footy and the rest is history..

[John Wren]

here you go 3.159456789254547, this will give you an idea.

[3.14159]

here you go 3.159456789254547, this will give you an idea.

^^If your gunna use my full name then don't shorten it like that! ^^

Cheers! I didn't have a CPU way back in 2001 so I didn't know this thread existed!
There's some real gems here though!
(Last month i was at a diner party and most of my friends wanted to know why i love foot-ball so much!...
But well, what can You tell them? It's a great game! Poetry in motion, the drama of watching your team come from behind? A sense of belonging to a group of passinate people that share your love of the Poise?
I said, "I dunno, I just love-it!"
Not Me at my most eloquent but whart can you tell-em?
If you've never followed a Team, You'll never understand!
I love the Pies. But You cant tell people exactly why, so now, why even try!
Newsflash!
My Wiff has had a look at this thread and may contact a few of you for more details for her book! (If thats Ok?)

[HAL]

If not you, who? Are you comfortable there? Sometimes it is hard to tell. OK. I'm not sure if it could.

[David]

My Wiff has had a look at this thread and may contact a few of you for more details for her book! (If thats Ok?)

No worries! I'd be more than happy to contribute.

[John Wren]

still a good read, anymore stories to add?

[Jezza]

Del

[Member 7167]

A thread worth revisiting every now and then and hopefully a few more stories will be added.