The Prince of Full Backs

South of the Yarra

Norm Smith Medallist
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The next in my list of Collingwood Greats.

Jack Regan- The Prince of Full Backs. The rightful owner of Full Back in the Team of the Century.
A local Northcote boy and not only one of the finest footballers to ever represent the Black and White but also one of the finest men.
A magnificent Mark and magnificent kick Regan epitomised style and class. In what was described as the Golden era of Full Forwards Regan stood alone as the Greatest Full Back having wonderful success against Champions such as Pratt, Titus, Mohr and Vallence to name but a few. The legendary Dick Reynolds said Regan was the greatest Full Back to ever play the game.
'He made them earn every goal they kicked against him. It was great to see the way in which he shadowed them or marked or punched the ball away, and then, with great dash and a beautiful kick, sent the ball in the right position for an attack. His quick thinking and unruffled style at critical moments made him a star full-back.'

Bob Pratt shared these thoughts by rating Regan as the greatest Full Back ever.

Originally a forward there is the legendary story where Regan missed a shot at goal to win a game against Fitzroy and we went down by 4 points. He returned to the rooms and said 'Sorry Mr McHale, What can I do?' McHale's reply was 'go and throw yourself in the bloody Yarra and don't come up'.
The next week Regan was sent to the Back Line and the greatest Full Back ever was born.
Let's not forget Regan finished 3rd in a Brownlow missing by two votes and fifth in two others. Team of the Century, Hall of Famer at Collingwood and AFL, Copeland winner, Captain, Victorian Star and Premiership Player.
Jack enlisted and served in the RAAF during WW11.
Still my finest footballing moment when Old Jack and Harry Collier carried me down the Collingwood rooms.
Legends of our great game would turn in their grave if they knew the disgraceful decision that had been made. Jack Regan is the Greatest Full Back to have ever played our game.
 

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Countrypie

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#3
Here's another example of a Collingwood great not being given due recognition.
Let's be honest if Regan had of played for Carlton, Essendon or anybody else he would have been a shoe in for full back of the century.
Frankly I don;t give a flying frogs leg what the world at large thinks. Regan was the best. My grandmother will be spinning in her grave. Her brother was Jocka Todd (famous Geelong Full Back from similar era) but the words of Pratt speak for themselves. As do the actions of Regan
 
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#5
Here's another example of a Collingwood great not being given due recognition.
Let's be honest if Regan had of played for Carlton, Essendon or anybody else he would have been a shoe in for full back of the century.
Frankly I don;t give a flying frogs leg what the world at large thinks. Regan was the best. My grandmother will be spinning in her grave. Her brother was Jocka Todd (famous Geelong Full Back from similar era) but the words of Pratt speak for themselves. As do the actions of Regan
I agree. SOS was great by all accounts, but say if all our success had come later, rather than earlier in the century, imagine the amount of CFC players that would be in there. I can't believe that Coventry isn't in there either.
 

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#6
Another outstanding entry.
These threads are part of what actually makes big footy a lot of fun.
Regan was a great club admin man too if I'm not mistaken.
Gentleman and rightfully our greatest ever full back.

Whilst it will mystify me how sos was even considered for the afl team of the century it is even more perplexing that regan was not the full back. Id suggest sos was not even carltons best full back, certainly southby was better.
But no point complaining it won't be changed.

Our best ever spine, imo, beats all comers and it starts with Regan.
J Regan, A Collier, N Buckley, R Todd, G Coventry.

Wow that's some spine.
I know some will say The weed was our Chf but that's a whole story in itself.
 

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#8
David Parkin was on the selection committee - while he was still coaching SOS
I have a lot of time for parkin, even the carlton thing, but i did not know that.
That should not have happend.

The greatest single problem the so called team of century had was it focussed way too much on the last 30 years or so at the time.
Not enough thought to earlier history

Two glaring errors: Jack Regan, that was a total howler and also Jock McHale with 8 flags not being the coach was ridiculous though Smith had claims whilst sos was very good but im not certain ge was even a champion.

Anyway our team of the century to ne had some errors: Ron Todd not being in the side as CHF (apparently theres a whole story about it) and also Dick Condon being left out, got me beat that one
 

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#9
I have a lot of time for parkin, even the carlton thing, but i did not know that.
That should not have happend.

The greatest single problem the so called team of century had was it focussed way too much on the last 30 years or so at the time.
Not enough thought to earlier history

Two glaring errors: Jack Regan, that was a total howler and also Jock McHale with 8 flags not being the coach was ridiculous though Smith had claims whilst sos was very good but im not certain ge was even a champion.

Anyway our team of the century to ne had some errors: Ron Todd not being in the side as CHF (apparently theres a whole story about it) and also Dick Condon being left out, got me beat that one
Here is our team of the century

Collingwood’s Team of the Century
B:Harold Rumney, Jack Regan, Syd Coventry Snr (c)

HB:Billy Picken, Albert Collier, Nathan Buckley

C:Thorold Merrett, Bob Rose, Darren Millane

HF: Des Fothergill, Murray Weideman, Dick Lee
F:Phonse Kyne, Gordon Coventry, Peter Daicos

Foll:Len Thompson, Des Tuddenham, Harry Collier

Int:Tony Shaw, Wayne Richardson, Marcus Whelan, Gavin Brown

Coach:Jock McHale

Great side BUT Ron Todd should be CHF instead of the Weed.
Richard Condon was champion of the colony twice, ie the brownlow type award of the time,
And condon was a bona fide star and id judge up there with rose, collier, and could replace any of brown, millane, wayne richardson or tony shaw or marcus whelan.
Just saying he was a better player. All opinion ofcourse.
Fred leach and Bill Poudfoot from the early days also unlucky missing out.
And peter mckenna unlucky but who to leave out?
 

Countrypie

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#11
Another outstanding entry.
These threads are part of what actually makes big footy a lot of fun.
Regan was a great club admin man too if I'm not mistaken.
Gentleman and rightfully our greatest ever full back.

Whilst it will mystify me how sos was even considered for the afl team of the century it is even more perplexing that regan was not the full back. Id suggest sos was not even carltons best full back, certainly southby was better.
But no point complaining it won't be changed.

Our best ever spine, imo, beats all comers and it starts with Regan.
J Regan, A Collier, N Buckley, R Todd, G Coventry.

Wow that's some spine.
I know some will say The weed was our Chf but that's a whole story in itself.
Care to share?
 

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#12
The story goes and i think it was trevor grant who may have told it. He was i think in the panel deciding the team.
They the selection committee was ready to have ron todd in the team, as centre half forward.
Then it was pointed out that todd left collingwood, for money, to Williamstown* voila they decided murray weideman was getting the nod, not todd.

* there is No dispute that Todd left for williamstown, and it was a money decision. Collingwood at the time were aggrieved, but Todd was entitled to set himself up he would argue.
He kicked 188 goals, yes 188 goals for williamstown in a year.
He was a gun thats for sure.
 

South of the Yarra

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Another outstanding entry.
These threads are part of what actually makes big footy a lot of fun.
Regan was a great club admin man too if I'm not mistaken.
Gentleman and rightfully our greatest ever full back.

Whilst it will mystify me how sos was even considered for the afl team of the century it is even more perplexing that regan was not the full back. Id suggest sos was not even carltons best full back, certainly southby was better.
But no point complaining it won't be changed.

Our best ever spine, imo, beats all comers and it starts with Regan.
J Regan, A Collier, N Buckley, R Todd, G Coventry.

Wow that's some spine.
I know some will say The weed was our Chf but that's a whole story in itself.
Cheers SV. Always appreciate your positive feedback. That is surely the greatest spine of all time.
 

Visions

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#16
Here is our team of the century

Collingwood’s Team of the Century
B:
Harold Rumney, Jack Regan, Syd Coventry Snr (c)

HB:Billy Picken, Albert Collier, Nathan Buckley

C:Thorold Merrett, Bob Rose, Darren Millane

HF: Des Fothergill, Murray Weideman, Dick Lee
F:Phonse Kyne, Gordon Coventry, Peter Daicos

Foll:Len Thompson, Des Tuddenham, Harry Collier

Int:Tony Shaw, Wayne Richardson, Marcus Whelan, Gavin Brown

Coach:Jock McHale

Great side BUT Ron Todd should be CHF instead of the Weed.
Richard Condon was champion of the colony twice, ie the brownlow type award of the time,
And condon was a bona fide star and id judge up there with rose, collier, and could replace any of brown, millane, wayne richardson or tony shaw or marcus whelan.
Just saying he was a better player. All opinion ofcourse.
Fred leach and Bill Poudfoot from the early days also unlucky missing out.
And peter mckenna unlucky but who to leave out?
I have the limited edition signed print they did of the above, my favorite memorabilia piece. It's always hard to please everyone when you do these types of lists. Especially when you have players from the early years who most wouldn't have seen or even heard of.

As time gets on and more players play for the club, it gets even more complicated. While the above is the team of last century, you can bet there will be a revision and it becomes the best Collingwood team of all time. And my money would be on Pendles eventually replacing one of those names above.
 

35Daicos

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#17
I have a lot of time for parkin, even the carlton thing, but i did not know that.
That should not have happend.

The greatest single problem the so called team of century had was it focussed way too much on the last 30 years or so at the time.
Not enough thought to earlier history

Two glaring errors: Jack Regan, that was a total howler and also Jock McHale with 8 flags not being the coach was ridiculous though Smith had claims whilst sos was very good but im not certain ge was even a champion.
This story sheds a bit of light on what may have cost Regan AFL Team of the Century selection:-

As for Regan, who carried the most eloquent of nicknames - the Prince of Full-backs - he was out of contention early because the two men on the selection panel who saw him play, Percy Beames and Bill Jacobs, didn’t rate Regan as highly as the Magpies did.

‘’Jack Regan’s name was brought up because he was considered at that stage, 1996, to be the doyen of full-backs, but he didn’t get support from the older people,’’ Aylett said.

‘’Regan was considered a dead-cert to be picked, but he didn’t get support from Percy Beams and Bill Jacobs. We took notice of them because they saw him play.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...tle-known-secret/story-fn8wskg9-1226946216665
 

Countrypie

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#18
THanks. At the risk of committing sacrilege, I've often wondered at the Mchale legacy on many fronts. This is another example. Jock was a wonderful coach, who it has to be said enjoyed having the cream of the football crop playing for him. I wonder whether his shadow hung over the club for too long and affected decision making on many levels. If you've ever read Williamson's the club the character Jock (former club champion coach,if you don't mind) seems just a little close to the bone for me
 

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#19
This story sheds a bit of light on what may have cost Regan AFL Team of the Century selection:-

As for Regan, who carried the most eloquent of nicknames - the Prince of Full-backs - he was out of contention early because the two men on the selection panel who saw him play, Percy Beames and Bill Jacobs, didn’t rate Regan as highly as the Magpies did.

‘’Jack Regan’s name was brought up because he was considered at that stage, 1996, to be the doyen of full-backs, but he didn’t get support from the older people,’’ Aylett said.

‘’Regan was considered a dead-cert to be picked, but he didn’t get support from Percy Beams and Bill Jacobs. We took notice of them because they saw him play.


http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...tle-known-secret/story-fn8wskg9-1226946216665
Im way to polite to say what i think of bill jacobs in general.
Lets just say when all those years ago i saw his name as a selector i groaned, how he could be asked for a task like that beggars belief. Zero credibility enough said
 

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#20
THanks. At the risk of committing sacrilege, I've often wondered at the Mchale legacy on many fronts. This is another example. Jock was a wonderful coach, who it has to be said enjoyed having the cream of the football crop playing for him. I wonder whether his shadow hung over the club for too long and affected decision making on many levels. If you've ever read Williamson's the club the character Jock (former club champion coach,if you don't mind) seems just a little close to the bone for me
Not sure i would go down the path of the club.
At the risk of me committing sacriligeous statements i thought the club was shlock, the movie was very average, very pedestrian. Just an opinion. But to be fair, dons party was a bigger bore to me. In other words im not a williamson fan at all.

If we have a coach win 8 flags im not we can say he was a cause of future matters.
He didnt always have the best players in fact he was very much about paying fair and equal amounts.
There was a world war the curtailed collingwood and other teams.no his legacy was great and that phone kyne followed with two flags meant orhers could follow mr. Mchale.
Our real tragedy was the loss of grand finals in horroble circumstances 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1981 etc if we won say even two or three of those our story would be so much different say we won 1966, 1977, and particularly 1970 then that who.e wobbles thing would never have entered the thoughts.

But you do raise an interesting point.
 

Countrypie

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#21
Not sure i would go down the path of the club.
At the risk of me committing sacriligeous statements i thought the club was shlock, the movie was very average, very pedestrian. Just an opinion. But to be fair, dons party was a bigger bore to me. In other words im not a williamson fan at all.

If we have a coach win 8 flags im not we can say he was a cause of future matters.
He didnt always have the best players in fact he was very much about paying fair and equal amounts.
There was a world war the curtailed collingwood and other teams.no his legacy was great and that phone kyne followed with two flags meant orhers could follow mr. Mchale.
Our real tragedy was the loss of grand finals in horroble circumstances 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1981 etc if we won say even two or three of those our story would be so much different say we won 1966, 1977, and particularly 1970 then that who.e wobbles thing would never have entered the thoughts.

But you do raise an interesting point.
Agree ... the movie was terribly average.
 

JB1975

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#24
To South of the Yarra, I just want to pass on my appreciation for your retrospectives, and to say that I hope you keep it up.

I was in another thread just before where one of the posters expressed ignorance about the 1990 GF, and suggested that (having been born in 1992) it meant nothing to him. The world seems less inclined to remember its past these days, but I reckon that a sport like football depends upon the transmission of stories about things which happened before. What does 'Collingwood' mean, if it has no connection to the past?

For myself, I think that these stories are more important than ever. In an age where clubs are becoming 'destinations' and 'bidders', Collingwood's heritage and its culture are something which we should be proud of, and they're things which should hold us in good stead is the current 'marketplace'.

Thanks.
 
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