Collingwood's Under-19s teams played a huge role in the club's history during the 40 years they existed. So many big stars emerged from our thirds teams over the years - names like Murray Weideman, Len Thompson, Peter Daicos, Denis Banks, Gavin Brown, Mick McGuane, Gavin Crosisca and Saverio Rocca. In all, an estimated 148 of our Under-19 graduates went on to play senior football for the Pies (a further 11 played senior footy but not at Collingwood).
But we've had an estimated 1049 Under-19 players in total. That means there's around 900 guys who played Under-19s for us who never played senior footy. They may have played reserves, they may have continued their careers elsewhere. But no matter how fleeting the career, every one of those players has been a part of the Collingwood story.
Now, for the first time, we are able to recognise those careers, by chronicling the full list of all those known to have played for the Under-19s between 1951 and the competition's cessation in 1991. This is due almost solely to the work of gun Magpie researcher Phil Taranto, who has devoted hundreds of hours to working through old newspapers, annual reports, club newsletters and other internal documents to come up with the most accurate list yet produced.
It's not quite complete. You'll see there are a number of instances where we don't have a player's full christian name, for example. In 1956, 1980 and 1981, we have been unable to find complete player lists and associated games records. There's a few years in the 1950s where we don't have accurate or complete goalkicking records. So there is still some variability around some of the figures from those years.
Still, this is the list as it stands, based on extensive research. That research is ongoing, too, and we'll update our records as new information comes to light. So if you can fill in any of the gaps in the information below, or you have a photo or records of an Under-19s team from any year, then please get in touch with us at [email protected]
