It was the era of mullets and moustaches; a time when tight shorts and lace-up jumpers were the trends; and when footy expansion meant national, not international as it does today.

Remember the ‘80s?

If you can, you will recall it as one of the most volatile periods in Australian football history. It was a time of seismic change which dragged a near-broke Victorian Football League – with its 12 parochial clubs who played predominantly on suburban grounds each Saturday afternoon (often on muddy grounds) – towards the Australian Football League of today – when 18 clubs play in every state and territory at an assortment of times during the day and night (often under a roof).

If can’t recall them, you missed a remarkable decade for the game, and for Collingwood.

But don’t fret; Collingwood Forever plans to transport you back in time each week for a blast from the 1980s past, profiling a player who made an impact for one reason or another during that decade. They might not have all been stars, but each contributed to one of the club’s most tumultuous periods.

Michael Taylor

Those willing to do the hard yakka with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of effort are so often among the most important performers in any team environment.

They mightn't necessarily the loudest, or the ones who stand out the most. But they can generally be relied upon to get the job done.

Michael Taylor, Collingwood's ever-reliable, ever-resilient footballer of the early-to-mid 1980s, neatly fits that bill.

Never mind the fact that his time as a Magpies player was fleeting in comparative terms to other higher-profile teammates, nor that so many of his personal honours came from his more lasting football home, Norwood.

That doesn't alter the fact that Taylor was - and remains - a much-loved figure in Collingwood's history.

He was already an established SANFL star when he crossed to the Magpies for what was meant to be one season on lease. But he loved Collingwood so much that he ended up staying four seasons, playing 92 of a possible 95 games between 1981 and 1984.

His career in Black and White was bookended with finals appearances, including as one of the Magpies' best players in the 1981 Grand Final. Even after that, he would later return to assist the club in a different guise, playing a support role in one of Collingwood's finest hours.

Through it all, Taylor never sought the limelight.

"It's not as if I'm lonely as an unsung hero," Taylor would say. "I'm not a fellow who looks for accolades ... it's just my way."

Perhaps it came from his upbringing on the family's sheep and cattle farm near Reedy Creek, on South Australia's Limecoast region. The self-confessed "quiet achiever" was one of only four kids in his class at the local school and would detail how he had to travel to play with Kingston when Reedy Creek's footy team folded.

It was from his time at Kingston that he came by the nickname that would stick with him during his footy days - 'Kingo'.

As a 15-year-old, he moved to Adelaide to join Norwood, where he played for the colts before making his debut - at 18 - in the seniors.

In his first nine seasons with Norwood, he won an astonishing five best-and-fairests, pricking the interest of numerous VFL clubs. For the most part, he held them at bay, as he won two flags at Norwood - in 1975, and in his first season as captain, in 1978.

But the temptation became too much. After the 1980 season, the rising 27-year-old made a decision that he wanted to play a season in the VFL. Having had interest from Hawthorn and Carlton, he ultimately chose Collingwood.

The industrious ruck-rover and defender – then 27 - seamlessly slotted into a team that had made the previous year's Grand Final, joining in 1981, at the same time as another South Australian, Mark Williams, came to Victoria Park.

Taylor went on a one-year lease arrangement, which Norwood didn't oppose, because of the service he had already given.

"I felt I needed the change and a new challenge," Taylor would tell the Adelaide Advertiser. "But I went to Collingwood thinking I would play only one year - I stayed for four because I enjoyed it so much."

He cited coach Tom Hafey as the reason. "He (was) unbelievable - a man's man and very honest. He relates extremely well to his players. His communication is unbelievable. There is no rubbish with him. He talks straight and tells you whether you're going to make it or not."

There was never any doubt Taylor would make it. He had watched countless hours of VFL broadcasts on television, and was a student of the game.

"Before I went over I used to look at television replays of VFL footy and think 'he's a good player'," he said. "The next thing, I'm standing him. But I realised they (VFL players) aren't megastars. They've got two arms and two legs just like us. They do hurt and they do have bad days, too."

Still, he felt the tempo immediately from his first game against Fitzroy in round one, 1981: "I was amazed at the pace and pressure ... players are expected to perform extraordinary feats. They know they can do things in a match because they've trained so hard on the track."

Taylor played 24 matches in his first season, as Hafey and his Magpies made it through to the Grand Final against Carlton. The coach used him in a tagging-type role in the first half of the game to try and limit the impact of Rod Ashman.



Taylor played 92 games for Collingwood between 1981 and 1984.

"He did so well that Ashman was interchanged towards the end of the first quarter," Brownlow Medallist Ross Smith wrote in The Age. "An interesting tactic used by Hafey was to have Taylor follow him not only on the ball, but also when he rested in the forward pocket meaning that Ashman was unable to relax from the psychological effect of having his shadow next to him all day."

"Once released from his rather negative role, Taylor enjoyed the freedom to become a major contributor to the team."

The Magpies lost, but Taylor performed well on the big stage. He won the club's most determined player in his debut year.

Taylor's form saw him finish runner-up in both the 1982 and 1983 Copeland Trophies, with some of his teammates, including future captain Tony Shaw, lauding his quietly-spoken leadership qualities, and wondering if an interstate bias might have cost him a higher honour.

Taylor often helped to drive the training standards at Victoria Park. He would say later: "It was a time to know your body ... learn how it worked and what to look out for. Looking after yourself became important."

He fitted perfectly into a defensive role the longer he remained at the club, where he faced what he classed as his hardest opponent, Hawthorn's Leigh Matthews, and it wouldn't be the last he would have to do with him.

After the Magpies bowed out with a flogging in the 1984 Preliminary Final, Taylor returned home to South Australia - and to Norwood.

He took his experiences back with him, and ended up winning a sixth best-and-fairest for Norwood - a feat that saw the club eventually name the award after him.

But a phone call from Collingwood ahead of the 1988 season saw him end his SANFL career and shift back to Melbourne to become Matthews' assistant coach. He had been recommended by former Pies teammate Graeme Allan, and offered to keep playing in the reserves to help teach the younger players.

In that first season - 1988 - his form in the reserves was such that ruck coach Peter Keenan suggested he was almost being considered for a senior match.

Keenan wrote in a newspaper column at the time: "Former Norwood star Michael Taylor is on the verge of the biggest comeback since that well-documented miracle in the Middle East some 2000 years ago.

"At the age of 34 ... his form in the reserves has been so good over the past month he is being seriously considered for promotion to the league side."

It never happened, but he played a critical role in assisting the young players to expand their depth of knowledge, and their skills set.

Peter Daicos said of Taylor in 1990: "As assistant to Leigh Matthews this fitness fanatic and super clubman has been one of the quiet forces behind the club's success. His application to training is second to none. He does everything we do, not because he has to, but because he wants to set an example to others."

"His quiet, encouraging manner also is a source of strength.

"Everything he has applied himself to in football has resulted in worthy success. A top-line coach seems to be the next logical step."

Taylor played a significant role in helping to develop so many of the young Magpies who helped break a 32-year premiership drought in 1990. It was his third and final season as Matthews' assistant coach.

After that, he became an assistant to Graham Cornes with the inaugural Adelaide Crows team, and when Cornes left, it was understand that many of the players wanted him to be the successor. Sadly, that never happened.

But Taylor accepted the decision with the same grace and dignity that he displayed across his entire career.

Leigh Matthews summed him up when he said: "You wouldn't find someone so universally respected, so universally regarded ... as Michael Taylor."

The Electrifying Eighties
Written by Glenn McFarlane and Michael Roberts

A lasting impact: Greg Phillips

A loved rover's big year: Matthew Ryan

A comet in the Magpie sky: Phil Walsh

Sweet sixteen and a senior debut: Terry Keays

Quiet, no fuss and got the job done: Ron McKeown

A man for all seasons: Jamie Turner

Almost ahead of his time: Bruce Abernethy

Hawke's rise and fall: Paul Hawke

Our first Indigenous Magpie: Wally Lovett