Toast Being Collingwood

[morgues]

The time is nearly upon us when the Collingwood Football Club and its members, supporters, followers and fans can be a part of something. Something bigger than the individual, yet highlighted by individual acts of bravery, endeavour, strength, skill, sportsmanship and athleticism.

Firstly, I am not expecting a flag. What I am expecting is the best team in my 30 years to run out onto the grounds, be it the hallowed beauty and might of the MCG or the newly built Metricon or the great unknown in Blacktown, and put in performances that are equal to their ability and potential. To try, and do, for us.

I am excited to be donning my black and whites - on occasion the jumper, on others the polos - but always the scarf - always, regardless of temperature. It is the constant reminder of the weight that is on the club's shoulders, and by wearing it, we can all share the load. Show solidarity. Show support. But wear what you enjoy, even if it is just a pin on your hat, a badge on your shirt or tattoo on your ankle. Let the world know you are Collingwood - the pride and passion will absorb the sneers and jeers. Those are just the thoughts and actions of the simple-minded. The jealous.

I am excited to be sharing this year with you all. I am excited about making that walk to the G from Flinders St, pass the sculptures, over the bridge with the indigenous music, with the enormity and wonder and grace and dominance of the MCG getting closer. The thousands in anticipation, nerves, excitement, varying states of inebriation, walking with a purpose-shared and single minded - to see this Magpie machine roll forward. Yes, not every move forward will be smooth. Yes, we will be challenged. Yes, we will be attacked. But is that not what makes us what we are? As the club has so simlpy put - it's us against them. It is all of us that share the love of this club - from the 50 year members to the newly arrived Melbournians who have been bitten by the black and white bug - cannot forget teh interstaters, you carry the torch of Collingwood for us - and I thank you - I went to Metricon last year and it was sensational. A great turn out. It is because being a Collingwood fan means something.

It means being the butt of jokes at work, school, anywhere. It means being in the papers constantly, the news reports and gossip pages. It means selling products, endorsing cars and flying with Emirates. It means everything to Collingwood just to BE Collingwood - and it means a lot to me, and is why I am excited. It means being proud. It means that you are untouchable, protected by your fellow Magpies. It means feeling like every black and white shirt is a family member. It means you are never alone. It means being Collingwood.

Yes, I know the club is not perfect, but like my closest friends, my family, my brothers, I still love them. No one I know has the same emotional investment in their club. Is it even possible? How can anyone know what it is like to be 1v15/16/17? They cannot. On the flipside, how can anyone know what it is like to be a member of the biggest club in the land? They cannot. They can try, but their bubbles are fleeting, drifting in the wind...leaving us as the constant. The investment of my emotion goes to Collingwood because it offers everything a relationship does - ups and downs in betweens.

I cannot wait for March 31...MCG...Friday night, our opposition the Hawks. We did what we needed to do - albeit ugly for the most part and spine tinglingly amazing at the end - in the prelim. It will be a chance for the pies to have a hitout against a very strong team. We will need to be ready. I will be. I will be there, rain hail or shine. Standing in the outer with a beer or two or sitting and listening on the radio. I cannot wait for the sounds, the smells and the sights that the MCG will give us.

I am excited about this year. The new coach - his new style. New players - Witts? Paine? Please. Returning faves - welcome back Marty and Nathan Brown. I have a bet with a mate at work that Riewoldt will not kick another goal against Collingwood when he is matched up on Brown. Will Swanny continue? Can Daisy go through a season without a stupid suspension? Pendles, is it his year to get Chas? Heater, retribution will be yours, maintain that ferocity. Luke Ball - just be you. Jolly your knee, hold it together, bring up Wood and Witts. Clokey, Travis, keep it up, mark those balls kick those goals you are a star...but you need to help Dawesy, bring him into the game and Dawesy, be more confident in your hands. You could be anything. The whole team, just do it.

The nail biting close finishes. The nervous confidence of set shots. The red face pain of losing. The laughter at crazy football player decisions. The umpires stabbing the voodoo doll of your enjoyment. The injuries that break your heart. The opposition players you love to hate and hate to love.

I just cannot wait for the siren. I will be nervous as hell and no doubt will have sunk a few to calm those nerves. It will be a flash and before we know it, the season will be over. All we will have to show are memories of games past, the highs and the lows. Ideally we will all be staring down the barrel of another premiership...but either way, we will be proud.

It has taken a long time since October for me to be excited.

But I am.



Please, share what you love most about being Collingwood.
The excitement, the nervous feelings, what you are looking forward to, what makes you scared, apprehensive, cautious, confident or proud.

 

[blaze036]

I enjoy the huge crowds, collingwood games have the best atmosphere in australia

 

[MarkT2]

I AM expecting a flag. We are good enough. It is time to win premierships and if we don't we have to bloody well act. If we have a hole in the list fill it immediately. If we have a hole in the box, fill it immediately. I don't think we have either. You can't help injuries but we should have very high expectations. No cop-outs and no excuses.

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

I'm with you Mark.

Flag or bust after last year. The list is there, the players played under Buckley's gameplan in 2010 anyway, and they seem to get along with him just fine.

As long as the list stays healthy, I'll be expecting a flag this year. We limped into the second half of the year and were ravaged by injury and still were in the GF until 3/4 time. Don't see how a fit side wouldn't be winning it on the big day.

 

[mattys123]

As long as the list stays healthy, I'll be expecting a flag this year.

I think this line sums it up really.

As long as we can get to September in a top four position, and with a relatively healthy top 25-27 players, then we should win it this year.

By the way, nice op, their is nothing like supporting this club, and if you don't support us, you really don't know what it's like.

The haters will hate, well let's face it most of "them" will hate, but heck, that's part of the enjoyment of being a Pies fan, that for the majority of the time we can say we are simply a better football club to follow then anyone else.

 

[morgues]

Loving the replies.

Ya know what? Maybe deep down inside I am expecting a flag - expecting the success and domination to continue - perhaps I just dont want to admit it. It is knowing that we are capable of it that makes it so pleasing, so exciting and so energising.

Friends, close friends, of mine have said in the past, they are jealous of Collingwood, especially last couple of years. This jealousy breeds frustration, contempt, anger and whinging. Jealous of the size of us. The power of us. The army. The wins. And the losses because at least we make it!

Mattys123 said it perfectly - we are simply a better football club to follow.

I will go one further and say we are a better club to follow, be a member of, scream for, shout for, cry for, laugh at and enjoy. Better then them all because they are all against us.

Good old Collingwood. Forever.

(forgive my over the top comments, its just I feel so awesmoe about the Pies. Perhaps an early 30s crisis LOL but goddamn I love this club)

Cannot wait for that first tepid 4n20, ice cold midstrength, the daggy tellys in the standing room, the dunnies that are shockin by quarter time, the crowds, teh buzz, the PIES.

 

[Sunny_]

I've walked across that bridge a few times. Last year was the first time I did it, seeing a few games during the season.

Does that indigenous music freak anyone else out? I thought it was a ghost or something when I first made the journey.

 

[Monniehawk]

Morgues,
As a Cat supporter I hear you!
For 40 years I endured pain. The last five years I have walked tall in the wake of some modern giants of the game. I truly understand the passion you have for The Woods, because I have it for my Cats.
Last year's GF was a clash between arguably the two greatest sides in decades. It was an honour to be able to win against such a monstrous force. It amplified our glory by being pitted against true champions. It was a pleasure and object lesson to see such passionate supporters acknowledge loss with grace and dignity - despite their pain; pain which we had also felt for so long.
I tip my hat to you and your boys. Best wishes.

 

[Old Spice]

Morgues,
As a Cat supporter I hear you!
For 40 years I endured pain. The last five years I have walked tall in the wake of some modern giants of the game. I truly understand the passion you have for The Woods, because I have it for my Cats.
Last year's GF was a clash between arguably the two greatest sides in decades. It was an honour to be able to win against such a monstrous force. It amplified our glory by being pitted against true champions. It was a pleasure and object lesson to see such passionate supporters acknowledge loss with grace and dignity - despite their pain; pain which we had also felt for so long.
I tip my hat to you and your boys. Best wishes.

I think a lot of supporters on here felt the vitriol from Saints supporters post 2010 was a big wank and in the main I think we conceded we were roundly beaten by a side that was better on the day in Geelong in 2011. I happen to think you were better and that we petered out in the 2nd half of 2011.

Watching the last game against the Cats in the h&a, it struck me that our skill levels, especially in regard to kicking, were not where they should have been.

I'm not happy to lose the GF, but am happy to address with sober senses the shortcomings we need to address, otherwise it's all self-delusion. I think Bucks will be the man to sharpen those football skills and tweak the plan. Here's hoping anyway.

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

I think a lot of supporters on here felt the vitriol from Saints supporters post 2010 was a big wank and in the main I think we conceded we were roundly beaten by a side that was better on the day in Geelong in 2011. I happen to think you were better and that we petered out in the 2nd half of 2011.

Watching the last game against the Cats in the h&a, it struck me that our skill levels, especially in regard to kicking, were not where they should have been.

I'm not happy to lose the GF, but am happy to address with sober senses the shortcomings we need to address, otherwise it's all self-delusion. I think Bucks will be the man to sharpen those football skills and tweak the plan. Here's hoping anyway.

Simply Cats supporters on BF on the whole (definite exceptions) aren't to the level of cretin that a sizeable proportion the saints BF supporters are. I was indifferent to the saints before I joined BF and had the "pleasure" of reading the verbal diarrhoea some of those miscreants posted. Beating them was just desserts considering the the vitriol and fascist terminology they used towards our team and supporters.

 

[Jedi01]

Nice read OP.

I love the supporters, the effort we make to follow the team and our sheer numbers.

Like the GC game last year, we invaded Gold Coast.

 

[jonbe54]

Fantastic to see that the passion lives on in the current supporter base of the club. Dad told me in the '30's when THE MACHINE swept all before them the mantra was 'BLEED for Collingwood'. Teams dreaded the trip to Victoria Park and opposition supporters huddled together for mutual support as the outer and stands shook and swayed to the roars of the faithful as thier beloved PIES savaged the opposition.

I started my support in 1964 with a trip down to the Cattery on an old diesel country trian with Dad in the middle of winter, fully kitted out in jumper, beannie and scarf lovingly hand knitted by mum - who was a Swans supporter - but hey we can't all be perfect eh? When my PIES play I am still that 10 year old boy huddled in the outer with the cold wind knifing through my jumper but my face shining and my heart thudding in my chest, feeling the race of my pulse as Swanny waddles out of the pack and accelerates away from all opposition or Heater tucks the ball under his arm and storms up the field.

I waited 26 YEARS for my first flag, enduring the heartbreaking flag failures against Carlton and North Melbourne along the way. 90' was my first day in the sunshine and the images of the raging bull holding the ball aloft, the satisfaction on Daic's face and the sheer BLAZING joy on Tony Shaws face will live forever in my heart and and have left an indelible, shining image in my brain for as long as I draw breath.

We have the honour and the burden of supporting the most well known club in the land and certainly the most well known AFL club overseas. For 47 years now the PIES have held a central part in my life, dominating my winters with the passion, the glory and the pain that only Collingwood can generate.

Forget the barbs and snide remarks of the poor slobs who have to make do with clubs that want to be what Collingwood are, have been and always will be. I will wear my heart on my sleeve because it matches the black and white strips of that sleeve.

I am not a supporter, I am a BARRACKER. My heart pulses to the beat of this new machine and I will back it to the hilt against any doubter. Forget your favourites - from Clokey, Pendles and Swannie to Ugle, Ceglar and the like they are all warriors who go into battle for us. They are our heroes, whether slogging away in the VFL and trying to earn the right to run out with the ones or smashing their way through the opposition in the firsts to delight us they are ALL my heroes and deserve my total and unswerving support and respect.

Good old Collingwood forever. . . .

 

[morgues]

Jonbe54 thanks mate. Thanks for that honest and heartfelt and Collingwood post.

You have waited longer for a flag for nearly as long as I have been alive, but that is the key, you waited. You went and cheered-no, barracked, you came home after a win or loss but you still felt it -the heart pumping, the goosebumps, the rush of watching. Loved your post mate was sensational. Made me realise how lucky i am to be a part of the club. Even on the dark day in october last year, when i was at teh cricketer's i felt safe and sound.

The trip in the old diesel train to the cattery, wow mate. Very similar to my oldest memories of goin to the footy. Those old V-line carriages with the cabins, god did we do some funny stuff in them! flashing moons at the level crossings was a highlight. I was born in Sydney (sad, i know ) and when I was 4 we moved to Daylesford. Even in sydney we had a soft spot for the pies - their fans flew up and rarely saw a win. But we liked em for that. Soon as we crossed state lines it was collingwood or we were out of the extended family which had moved to Melbourne. We made the right choice.

My older brother is 6 years older than me, so as a little tacker he used to take me to the games. Up at 6am. Bus to woodend at 6:40. Train from woodend. Get to vic park and just wait a couple hours before we went in for the ressies then watched it. Looking back at it, ti felt like the times in teh queues, with the like-minded faithful in their black and white, we were all as I said, family. What a club. Then when my bro moved to Melbourne, I was 12, and had to do the commute on my own. But it mattered not (other than missing my bro) cause some of the older local lads would take me under their wing, always lookin out for me to make sure I was ok until my brother got to the game. Goddamn those days really nailed in my support, my passion for the club. I think i saw more losses, but being with my brother, he made them feel like wins. "morgs how good was dougy barwick?" my then fave player. "how good were the pies in that second quarter! we are going places mate!" things like that. Really helped a little tacker, especially on the 2hr trek home, tired, knackered, exhausted but happy I got to barrack for my magpies! We used to always see our cousins, a fair bit older than us, on the turps having a laugh but always making sure I was ok. Amazing. My first ever VB was with them sitting on the railings in vic park

Now fast forward and that same brother has a 4mth old boy - cannot WAIT to be the uncle taking him to the footy. Passing on the Collingwood genes is easy! Also, got him his baby membership and by the time he is 18 he will bleed black and white!

There really is that unspoken brotherhood-bond-connection-whatever you wanna label it, that we all share. It is the same thing that is a nod and a wink on the tram or train on the way to the game. The work mates who are always a little skittish on a friday before a huge game. The SMS from mates about injury reports or gossip. It is just this unbreakable connection we all have with something bigger than us. To me, it is as close to a religious faith as I have really.

Just typing this after reading your post Jonbe mate, well, honestly I am absolutely pumped and full of pride. We can all walk taller in our black and white, because we are Collingwood.

Morgues,
As a Cat supporter I hear you!
For 40 years I endured pain. The last five years I have walked tall in the wake of some modern giants of the game. I truly understand the passion you have for The Woods, because I have it for my Cats.
Last year's GF was a clash between arguably the two greatest sides in decades. It was an honour to be able to win against such a monstrous force. It amplified our glory by being pitted against true champions. It was a pleasure and object lesson to see such passionate supporters acknowledge loss with grace and dignity - despite their pain; pain which we had also felt for so long.
I tip my hat to you and your boys. Best wishes.

Monniehawk mate, you would have got a handshake from me after the game, purely cause you have suffered for ya club. Just like the Pommies in 2005, when I said "ah good on em, we will get it back", so too now must the Pies exact revenge. So when the Collingwood rapture comes, we will spare you...hehe nah all good mate.

Glad people can be passionate - those are the ones I get along with the best at the footy! Have had some classic nights watching the Pies vs Tigers and Doggies as well. Some of their faithful are truly remarkable cause they never stop loving. Other bandwagoners, well, put em all in a bag smash em against a brick wall please!

If the cats go up a gear...somehow...this year...*deep breath*...CARN THE PIES

Oh and I must agree that Cats supporters on a whole seem ok.
Enjoy this wildly amazing ride.
But now its time to let the Magpies have their turn
(just never ever let Carlton have a crack!!!)

I've walked across that bridge a few times. Last year was the first time I did it, seeing a few games during the season.

Does that indigenous music freak anyone else out? I thought it was a ghost or something when I first made the journey.

Sometimes it scares me, especially if I have sunk a few before/during/after the games!

I love how it easily mixes history of Melbourne and indigenous Australia with the greatest sport. Our sport. Aussie Rules!

 

[jonbe54]

Morgues you're right I had to wait a bloody long time for my flag but I am one of a priveledged and dying breed - I got to walk out onto the hallowed turf of Victoria Park in its heyday, holding on to my dad's hand and clutching my autograph book in the other. Out there in the middle of Victoria Park, in the heart and soul of Collingwood my heroes took a few minutes out to kneel down to a 10 year olds level and say a few words while they signed my precious book. Those days are sadly long gone and so to is the autograph book, sadly and visciously burned by my ex in a viscious break up but the memories of all that it contained, the men and young men who signed it and the joy and sheer wonder of standing up tall while my idols talked to me and dad is something I cherish and greive that I was never able to give my son.

 

[HAWKS HEROES]

i may be a hawks and i thought i would add my 2 cents worth , hope you don't mind .

that prelim was an awesome game , the atmosphere was out of this world , both teams supporters passionate about their team , both wanting them to win , it was a nail biter at the end that is for sure .

the noise was out of this world too , loved it .

still have not been able to re watch that game though , but i reckon it was the best game, out of all games including the gf in 2011 , don't know if others agree but that is my feeling on it even though hawks lost it

round one will be a ripper and i am guessing that noise will be just as loud the passion from both sides just as strong and it should make for another epic game if all goes well , no matter who wins and who loses .

may it be a ripper of a game that we all walk away proud of our teams efforts no matter the out come .
cheers
guys and good luck for the nab cup

 

[Swooop]

Great thread and excellent OP morgues.

Living a long time out of Victoria, I've been mostly an interstate supporter all my life, but it's been eye-opening coming to Melbourne during the last year and seeing things up close.

It's just like being part of a family - all types , all ages, all backgrounds bonded together - a really amazing feeling of kinship, I'm sure forged by the 'them and us' thing over the decades, the fact that so many others irrationally or otherwise, hate us and the pain we have all mutually endured so many times.

Love this club and everything to do with it.

 

[Premier Pies]

I am only 36 years old but the memories I have of our beloved Pies are many and varied, especially at Victoria Park our spiritual home. I would like to share a childhood memory of the Pies and how I came to love them oh so very much.

When I was about 7 or 8 years old I used to go and stay at my Grandmother's unit in Hawthorn the night before a home game. In the morning my cousin who was 5 years older than me would arrive to go to the footy with us. We would walk about 1.5kms to the bus stop and ride on into Vic Park in time to see the second half of the thirds.

We would find our member's seats in the Jack Ryder stand. Our seats were situated behind all of the players wives and girlfriends. Sometimes we would get really lucky and senior players would come and sit with their partners to watch a bit of the reserves match. My cousin and I would race each other to finish the puzzle in the record. We would revel in watching the reserves and trying to predict who would be the next player to make it into the seniors.

Our Nanna would pack a basket of fod for us to consume through the day. If I remember correctly it was two cold chickens, a packet of chocolate biscuits and a few cans of soft drink. That would all be eaten in record time and we still had room to buy hot chips just before three quarter time when the stalls would close.

The seniors of course was where it all happened and the ground would just erupt with passion, screaming, shouting and of course everyone to a person singing the theme song with gusto. Players like Wes Fellowes, Mark Richardson, Ricky Barham, Peter Daicos (my hero still to this day), Mark Williams(Captain), Geoff Raines, Shane Morwood would run out and give their all for the black and white.

We would eagerly watch the old scoreboard and check the updates of matches at other grounds. When the matches were all completed my cousin and I would quickly calculate the Pies current percentage against all of the other teams percentages, seeing whether our ladder position has changed at all.

Many a great victory was watched by the three of us at Victoria Park, so many wonderful memories and it's all thanks to our wonderful grandmother. She is almost single handedly responsible for harnessing and helping to flourish our love for all things black and white. It is giving me goosebumbs typing this right now to think it was almost 30 years ago.

Sadly my Nanna left this world a couple of years before our 2010 triumph. I know she would've been watching the big game and enjoying it immensely, especially seeing how happy her grandsons were.

To this day we still go to every Melbourne game together and have been doing so for the last 9 years. We are now reserved seat members and always look forward to the footy commencing every year. My cousin is now my best mate in the world and is the brother I never had. This I thank my Nanna eternally. Without her efforts taking us to the game, I wouldn't have the special bond with my cousin (brother) or the love for Pies as it is today.

Now I have two kids aged 4 & 2 who are already brainwashed and love the Pies. My four year old daughter could sing the theme song word for word when she was two. My son is a work in progress but it's coming along nicely.

So my love for Collingwood runs very deep and my family actually grew up in Collingwood in the 50's. Some of the stories I hear from my dad are amazing and scary.

I will always have a special place in my heart for the Pies and it's something I hope to instill in my kids also. I will teach them about all the hatred, snide remarks and idiots they will encounter barracking for the Pies. I will also teach them about the amazing highs and the feelings they will experience after a famous victory, a freakish goal or mark, a grand final victory!

Collingwood is our club, the people's club. Side by side is the most perfect motto I could ever think of. Bring on season 2012 and hopefully our 16th flag.

 

[Histrionics]

I've walked across that bridge a few times. Last year was the first time I did it, seeing a few games during the season.

Does that indigenous music freak anyone else out? I thought it was a ghost or something when I first made the journey.

I always think how scared/freaked/tripped out I would be if I walked over it stoned lol.

 

[morgues]

Morgues you're right I had to wait a bloody long time for my flag but I am one of a priveledged and dying breed - I got to walk out onto the hallowed turf of Victoria Park in its heyday, holding on to my dad's hand and clutching my autograph book in the other. Out there in the middle of Victoria Park, in the heart and soul of Collingwood my heroes took a few minutes out to kneel down to a 10 year olds level and say a few words while they signed my precious book. Those days are sadly long gone and so to is the autograph book, sadly and visciously burned by my ex in a viscious break up but the memories of all that it contained, the men and young men who signed it and the joy and sheer wonder of standing up tall while my idols talked to me and dad is something I cherish and greive that I was never able to give my son.

That is horrible that such a precious thing was lost. Thank god for memory; the brain truly is a wonder. I look back at the days at vic park, with my brother, my cousins, all of us having a great time. There was one game where my cousin and his mates were going to a pub called The Village (?) cause they heard some Pie players would be there? I was a kid and it was quite interesting. Then being in the train as they drunkenly took me back home was memorable.

My brother and I bought his son's first membership. $50 a year. Worth every cent. He will grow seeing the world in colour but recognising only black and white when it comes to this great game. He will know the good and the bad. He will grow up when Collingwood will have hopefully established itself as the most dominant (more flags please) and most powerful (already are) club in the land - easily. He will learn humility - no point bad-mouthing clubs when we win - except Carlton/Essendon

My older brother has a parking sign from around vic park. Talks about matchday times changing. pretty cool. wish I could have gotten some turf

 

[morgues]

i may be a hawks and i thought i would add my 2 cents worth , hope you don't mind .

that prelim was an awesome game , the atmosphere was out of this world , both teams supporters passionate about their team , both wanting them to win , it was a nail biter at the end that is for sure .

the noise was out of this world too , loved it .

still have not been able to re watch that game though , but i reckon it was the best game, out of all games including the gf in 2011 , don't know if others agree but that is my feeling on it even though hawks lost it

round one will be a ripper and i am guessing that noise will be just as loud the passion from both sides just as strong and it should make for another epic game if all goes well , no matter who wins and who loses .

may it be a ripper of a game that we all walk away proud of our teams efforts no matter the out come .
cheers
guys and good luck for the nab cup

That prelim was a very physically and emotionally draining night for me.
I felt for three quarters that the hawks had us, just didnt close it off...and we snuck up and won. I was shocked. Couldnt talk. Screamed so hard I got a lump in my throat. Very emotional. A mate of mine is a hawk and he was devestated. I was in shock. The noise was amazing...one of the loudest I have ever experienced. I have not watched it since, nor will I.
And will never, ever, watch the 2011 GF again. no thanks!

I am so anxious and excited about round 1. cannot wait! will be HUGE.
great chance for both teams to set a standard for the rest of the year going up against very evenly matched teams. I hope we can send a message.

 

[morgues]

Great thread and excellent OP morgues.

Living a long time out of Victoria, I've been mostly an interstate supporter all my life, but it's been eye-opening coming to Melbourne during the last year and seeing things up close.

It's just like being part of a family - all types , all ages, all backgrounds bonded together - a really amazing feeling of kinship, I'm sure forged by the 'them and us' thing over the decades, the fact that so many others irrationally or otherwise, hate us and the pain we have all mutually endured so many times.

Love this club and everything to do with it.

It is great that you can now live and breathe Collingwood here in Melbs. You are right about the family side of it. Just this weekend past I was driving to my mums for dinner and stopped by a 7-11 to get a drink (hungover, needed some sugar!) and was waiting behind a couple of fathers and their army of kids, each with a slurpee and each with their own money! Was going to take a while, and my patience was running thin (again, cause I was hungover). And before I could even think some lame first world problem complaint, I saw hanging out of one of the father's pockets a lanyard. "COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB MEMBER 2012". I instantly thought "ah grouse!" and proceeded to wait patiently; he was as good as family, they all were. One of the things I loved the most was he may have been a recent arrival to Australia, as he had a huge beard and a turban. I love how sport - and Collingwood - can bring people together from all cultures.

The whole "us against them" was done perfectly by the club in their new commercial. Goosebumps.

How awesome is it to be able to say "it is us against them". And know we are all a part of "US" we are all a part of "COLLINGWOOD" we are all "UP AGAINST IT". But united, we are unstoppable.
We are Collingwood.

 

[HAWKS HEROES]

That prelim was a very physically and emotionally draining night for me.

me too took me a while to recover from that game

I felt for three quarters that the hawks had us, just didnt close it off...and we snuck up and won. I was shocked. Couldnt talk. Screamed so hard I got a lump in my throat. Very emotional. A mate of mine is a hawk and he was devestated.

I was too and shocked and i agree we did not close it off sadly

I was in shock. The noise was amazing...one of the loudest I have ever experienced. I have not watched it since, nor will I.
And will never, ever, watch the 2011 GF again. no thanks!

me either won't watch it ever again and could not watch the gf either

I am so anxious and excited about round 1. cannot wait! will be HUGE.
great chance for both teams to set a standard for the rest of the year going up against very evenly matched teams. I hope we can send a message.

agree 100% should be a totally rip[per of a game and i am sure the noise will be the same can not wait

i am looking forward to another great battle best of luck to both sides lets show the others how it is done again

 

[jonbe54]

Trust Bux to tap into that heartbeat morgues. Us against them has always been the case and has always made us strong but this year especially shows we don't give a f**k what the rest think or do.

 

[morgues]

i am looking forward to another great battle best of luck to both sides lets show the others how it is done again

You bet mate!


Just remember those of us who bleed for our club if we end up losing. In the rapture, spare a seconds thought for us. I do it when I see mates who are shattered. A knowing nod and a pat on the back. Enemies again for next time but for the tram ride home we are still mates.

I love footy.

Trust Bux to tap into that heartbeat morgues. Us against them has always been the case and has always made us strong but this year especially shows we don't give a f**k what the rest think or do.

Very true mate. That add just says everything I want to say. It is perfectly timed to ride on the Magpie Army's wake. Goosebumps from that ad. Cannot wait to hear it at the G pre-game. Makes me so proud to be a part of. I just cannot see how anyone else can feel anything close to that - but by the sounds of it, they can - I just can't!

The Magpie Army is a way to live a life, and so far, it has been tough but triumphant, harrowing then heart-warming and satisfying and scintillating. Overall it has been a pleasure and I have recounted your story to my brothers to try and preach to them to get back. Rise up from the ashes of last October, like a pheonix, burning bright with the power and might of the Collingwood Football Club holding us up.

Because, it truly will be us against them. (even if some of the them are ok people)

 

[morgues]

I am only 36 years old but the memories I have of our beloved Pies are many and varied, especially at Victoria Park our spiritual home. I would like to share a childhood memory of the Pies and how I came to love them oh so very much.

When I was about 7 or 8 years old I used to go and stay at my Grandmother's unit in Hawthorn the night before a home game. In the morning my cousin who was 5 years older than me would arrive to go to the footy with us. We would walk about 1.5kms to the bus stop and ride on into Vic Park in time to see the second half of the thirds.

We would find our member's seats in the Jack Ryder stand. Our seats were situated behind all of the players wives and girlfriends. Sometimes we would get really lucky and senior players would come and sit with their partners to watch a bit of the reserves match. My cousin and I would race each other to finish the puzzle in the record. We would revel in watching the reserves and trying to predict who would be the next player to make it into the seniors.

Our Nanna would pack a basket of fod for us to consume through the day. If I remember correctly it was two cold chickens, a packet of chocolate biscuits and a few cans of soft drink. That would all be eaten in record time and we still had room to buy hot chips just before three quarter time when the stalls would close.

The seniors of course was where it all happened and the ground would just erupt with passion, screaming, shouting and of course everyone to a person singing the theme song with gusto. Players like Wes Fellowes, Mark Richardson, Ricky Barham, Peter Daicos (my hero still to this day), Mark Williams(Captain), Geoff Raines, Shane Morwood would run out and give their all for the black and white.

We would eagerly watch the old scoreboard and check the updates of matches at other grounds. When the matches were all completed my cousin and I would quickly calculate the Pies current percentage against all of the other teams percentages, seeing whether our ladder position has changed at all.

Many a great victory was watched by the three of us at Victoria Park, so many wonderful memories and it's all thanks to our wonderful grandmother. She is almost single handedly responsible for harnessing and helping to flourish our love for all things black and white. It is giving me goosebumbs typing this right now to think it was almost 30 years ago.

Sadly my Nanna left this world a couple of years before our 2010 triumph. I know she would've been watching the big game and enjoying it immensely, especially seeing how happy her grandsons were.

To this day we still go to every Melbourne game together and have been doing so for the last 9 years. We are now reserved seat members and always look forward to the footy commencing every year. My cousin is now my best mate in the world and is the brother I never had. This I thank my Nanna eternally. Without her efforts taking us to the game, I wouldn't have the special bond with my cousin (brother) or the love for Pies as it is today.

Now I have two kids aged 4 & 2 who are already brainwashed and love the Pies. My four year old daughter could sing the theme song word for word when she was two. My son is a work in progress but it's coming along nicely.

So my love for Collingwood runs very deep and my family actually grew up in Collingwood in the 50's. Some of the stories I hear from my dad are amazing and scary.

I will always have a special place in my heart for the Pies and it's something I hope to instill in my kids also. I will teach them about all the hatred, snide remarks and idiots they will encounter barracking for the Pies. I will also teach them about the amazing highs and the feelings they will experience after a famous victory, a freakish goal or mark, a grand final victory!

Collingwood is our club, the people's club. Side by side is the most perfect motto I could ever think of. Bring on season 2012 and hopefully our 16th flag.

Premier Pies thank you so much for sharing that amazing, inspiring and touching story. I too want to pass on the legacy I have been given.

I want to say that your nanna sounded like a lovely woman; the bags of food to take reminded me of the lunches my mum used to give to me before I jumped on the bus and then train into the big smoke. It was always 2 chicken sangas, a couple bags of those lunchbox chips and some primas. A couple apples too. I always saved a few pennies for a 4n20. THose pies are just magical memories.

I love the shared meeting point of your nanna's. At the moment ours varies from cousin to cousin or brother to brother. But we always meet. We might have a beer, we might have none, but we meet. The nervous anticipation reminds me of the childlike excitement as I sat in the old V-line carriages on the way into town.

I am incredibly close to my older brother and younger brother, so it always makes me feel good to hear that blokes have someone they can call brother. Hell, without mine I would be half the man I am and if I can be half the man my older brother is, well, I will die happy. And my younger brother, well, while he may not have the excessive pride, it is building. He has always been shy. But at the footy it doesn't matter. He is supported by his Collingwood family and loved by his two brothers.

Premier Pies I was touched by your story, thank you so much for sharing it. Your kids will grow up to be as proud as you - even in their own unique ways. As you said, they will know that SIDE BY SIDE we STICK TOGETHER. It is truly a powerful notion, one I am still trying to put into words, and thankfully the club knows it to. People have to decide if they are with us.

Your nanna brought you and your cousin together and Collingwood seems to be the cherry on that cake. It may have been the event to trigger it, but she started. Amazing story.

Good old Collingwood.
Forever.