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ONCE again this week’s moments cover the major milestones, the dark controversies and the stunning individual displays that live on in our memories decades on.
First off is the goalkicking record that Lockett, Coleman, Dunstall, Coventry and Pratt never managed to reach – Fred Fanning’s 18 goal bag in a single game. The Melbourne forward booted 18.1 in the final match of the 1947 home and away season against St Kilda.
The match was Fanning’s last at VFL level, as he went on to play country football the following year.
Years later another memorable moment involving the Demons was the day wingman Frank ‘Bluey’ Adams clashed with Colingwood’s Des Healey, resulting in both players knocked unconscious and being carried from the field.
Healey never played again, while Adams went on to play in five more premiership sides.
Another Collingwood player whose career was finished by a heavy hit was John Greening in 1972.
Greening was felled by Saint Jim O’Dea and spent 24 hours in a coma and did not return to full consciousness for several days. He came back two years later to play a handful of games but was a shadow of the player he once was.
Many Collingwood fans believe Greening could have gone on to become one of the club’s greats and would have been a crucial part of the Magpies’ push for the 1977 flag. The Magpies had recruited legendary Richmond coach Tom Hafey after a miserable finish the previous year.
The improvement was remarkable as the club went from wooden spooners to Grand Finalists, drawing the playoff against North Melbourne before getting beaten in the replay. Hafey confirming himself as one of the game’s great coaches.
1977, much like 1964 was a case of near enough but not quite good enough for the Magpies.
Collingwood came back strongly in the final term and when big man Ray Gabelich gathered the ball 65m out from goal they had a chance to grab the lead. The lumbering Gabelich took four bounces and booted a goal from point-blank range to give the Magpies the lead.
But Melbourne hit back with a goal to Neil Crompton to regain the lead and take home the flag.
Long-time Collingwood rivals Carlton have been one of the league’s strongest clubs for most of its history but were hit severely with penalties for salary cap breaches at the end of 2002.
The Blues were fined $980,000 and banned from the first two rounds of the draft for two seasons. The legacy of the punishment still lives on with Carlton still trying to rebuild its entire club, six years on.
One of the most indicative factors of a constantly changing game is the way the interchange has been used. From having one reserve player, to having four players that can be rotated as often as possible, the increasing interchange moves has reached a point where the AFL has actually taken steps to slow it down.
Last week’s most popular moment was Phil Carman’s headbutt on boundary umpire Graham Carberry.
