Vale Duncan Wright
1940-2023
The Collingwood Football Club is saddened to announce of the passing of former player Duncan Wright, who died this week.
One of football’s more controversial figures, Duncan played 23 games for the Pies in the early 1960s but is best remembered for his part in the infamous ‘Somerville Incident’ of 1965.
Duncan was born in Finley, NSW, but his family moved to Alphington when he was two, and it was the place he would call home for almost the rest of his life. He was a legend at local level, having starred with Alphington Amateurs as a teenager despite not having picked up a football until he was 14, and then returning to both the suburb and the club after his VFL career ended.
He was a tough, rugged, fearless competitor of a footballer who played mostly as a ruck-rover and off half-back. He was not the most polished of players, but what he lacked in ‘prettiness’ he more than made up for with desire and desperation.
His time at Collingwood was plagued by a number of controversial incidents, first being deregistered by the VFL after playing suburban football under an assumed name, then being rubbed out for eight games for striking the Lord twins in a game at Geelong.
But the biggest controversy came in the 1965 preliminary final, when he was involved in a behind-the-play incident with Essendon’s John Somerville. The Bomber half-forward was knocked out, and Wright briefly became football’s most divisive figure. No charges were ever laid against him, but Collingwood delisted him just before the start of the next season and his VFL career was over.
Many years later Wright would admit to his actions but claimed he had been provoked. He also expressed great sadness that he hadn’t been able to continue playing with his beloved Pies.
One of his former opponents at local level said recently that, despite his fearsome onfield reputation, Wright was “one of the nicest blokes you’d ever meet”.
Duncan had been battling prostate cancer in recent years, and he died in palliative care at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in Heidelberg on Monday. He is survived by his daughters Fiona and Suzi, and his grandchildren Jack, Billy, Amy, Sam and Josh.
The Board, management, staff, coaches and players of the Collingwood Football Club would like to acknowledge Duncan Wright’s contribution to our footy club and also at local level with Alphington. Our thoughts are with his family, and all his friends from Collingwood, Alphington and beyond.
Side by Side.
To read Duncan’s full story and the stats from his career, check his bio on Forever.
