TIM MEMBREY was back on the tools renovating his farm in Tyers, just outside Traralgon, when the phone finally rang last October. After contemplating his football mortality at the end of last season, finally, there was a buyer.
Essendon and Carlton kicked the tyres, but both had other list priorities. Collingwood had been keeping tabs across the season with Membrey’s manager, Matt Bain, from TGI Sport, before making a move in the days after the trade period concluded.
After passing a medical at the AIA Centre, following a meeting with list manager Justin Leppitsch – and a long phone call with Craig McRae, who was overseas at the time – Membrey signed a two-year contract with the Magpies as a delisted free agent.
Life on the farm could wait.
Membrey hasn’t put a foot wrong since then. He didn’t miss a session during the pre-season to earn an Opening Round spot against Greater Western Sydney at Engie Stadium.
Then the 30-year-old fired in Collingwood’s 91-point demolition of Port Adelaide on Saturday night, kicking 4.1 from 17 disposals to go with 11 score involvements, 10 marks and two goal assists at the MCG.
“Honestly, I was pretty much ready to start getting back on the tools full-time. I’d been doing a renovation on my house at home. I hadn’t really heard too much. I was starting to think, that might be it, I could be full-time on the tools,” the qualified plumber, who is now doing his building apprenticeship, told AFL.com.au on Saturday night.
“It all happened pretty quickly. I was down on the farm and my manager rang me and just said the Pies are pretty interested. I hadn’t heard anything from St Kilda, so I thought why not. I went there and then two days later I went and spoke to 'Leppa' [Leppitsch] and the guys and the next day there was a contract there for me, so I couldn’t really say no.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I thought that (it was over). I had to probably look at myself, and I thought I still had some good footy to play, so I am grateful for the opportunity the Pies gave me. I am just keen to repay the favour.”
Membrey spent a decade at St Kilda under Alan Richardson, Brett Ratten and Ross Lyon, where he led the goalkicking three times and kicked at least 30 goals on seven occasions, including last year. He thought he might finish there.
But after 293 goals from 178 appearances, including 19 games in 2024, the Saints wanted to head a different direction, determined to play the future rather than a veteran in 2025. Ross Lyon and Stephen Silvagni were honest in his exit meeting, knowing they would continue to play Membrey if he was still at RSEA Park.
“I will always have a soft spot for St Kilda,” Membrey said. “I played a lot of footy there, made some great mates, but they are on their own journey now. I still keep in touch with a lot of those guys, but I’m here at Collingwood and want to help the club and hopefully play September footy.”
Last October wasn’t exactly foreign to Membrey. He had moved clubs as a delisted free agent previously, although last time was different. His move from Sydney to St Kilda after one appearance for the Swans in 2014 was orchestrated to help Membrey play regular senior football. Now, for the second time in his career, the Gippsland Power product has the fresh start he needed.
“You naturally get a new lease on life coming into a new club, a new environment, a new bunch of blokes. You don’t realise you need a fresh start until you actually get one,” Membrey says in the corner of Collingwood’s rooms after being embraced by St Kilda great Leigh Montagna.
“I’m starting to build some really good relationships here. It’s clearly a massive club, their fans are just crazy; tonight going up against an interstate team and to still have a massive crowd, it was the first time I’ve experienced the Collingwood chant. That was pretty cool to hear.”
Up against his old team for the first time in his first appearance for his new club, Dan Houston drew the focus after his blockbuster move from Port Adelaide. But it was Collingwood’s bargain recruit of last year that showed how formidable the ‘Triple M’ combination of Dan McStay (three goals, 21 disposals and seven marks) Brody Mihocek (three goals) and Membrey can be in the same forward line.
“People don’t see how much work we do behind the scenes at training every week,” Membrey said. “To come out and put on a performance like we did tonight was just a bit of reward for all the hard work we’ve done.
“We know it’s not going to come easy every week, and some guys might get the lick of the ice cream than others, we just keep working and complimenting each other and helping each other out.”
Collingwood entered 2025 with the oldest and most experienced list in the AFL. McRae picked the oldest round zero/one team in VFL/AFL history against GWS at 28 years and 82 days and came under criticism. Then he double down with an even older outfit on Saturday night – 28 years and 136 days – the fourth oldest ever and the questions disappeared.
Membrey (30) and Mihocek (32) are part of the veterans at Collingwood, along with Scott Pendlebury (37), Jeremy Howe (34), Steele Sidebottom (34), Mason Cox (34), Jamie Elliott (32), Tom Mitchell (31), Will Hoskin-Elliott (31) and Jack Crisp. As far as Membrey is concerned, the age profile is not a concern after Saturday night’s performance.
“There are guys in this team that are so experienced and just playing quality footy,” he said. “It’s great to be a part of a team that is so experienced. They still work extremely hard. To be able to move the ball we did tonight, you would have thought there were a bunch of 21-year-olds out there.”
Membrey will eventually return to the quiet life on the farm, two hours east of Melbourne. But for now, the sharpshooter is loving life in black and white, where 63,282 turned up against a non-Victorian side on Grand Prix weekend. Welcome to Collingwood.