On Friday 3 October at the Crown Palladium, Collingwood will honour the best first year player with the Harry Collier Trophy.
Harry Collier arrived at Collingwood already a decorated player after winning the best and fairest award for Ivanhoe in 1924.
Over the course of his 15 year career at the Magpies, he would become one of the most decorated players in the club's history.
In 1926 the former Victoria Park Primary School student, who used to earn pocket change by selling Footy Records outside Victoria Park, signed with the Collingwood Football Club.
Collier played 253 games (299 goals) for the Magpies and played a part in six premierships for the club.
Albert Collier, Harry’s younger brother, joined the Magpies in 1925 and the two brothers quickly became an overwhelming force in the VFL.
In what would be later called “The Machine Team”, Collier and his teammates won four consecutive premierships (1927-1930), a feat that has never been surpassed to this day. The star rover was vital to the team’s success in that period having won the 1928 and 1930 Copeland Trophy.
His success and dedication to the club was rewarded in 1935 when he took the reins from Syd Coventry as captain. Collier captained the club to the 1935 and 1936 premierships.
In the 1935 premiership game, Collier proved to members that he was the correct choice in replacing Coventry as skipper.
The third term ended with Collingwood 12 points in front of their arch rivals South Melbourne. ‘The Bloods’ came out in the final quarter with guns blazing and fear soon crept into the Magpie faithful.
Collier had been prominent all day and when he stepped forward and kicked a crucial goal late in the quarter, the Magpie army relaxed knowing the flag was home.
After the game, President Harry Curtis declared Collier’s appointment as captain cemented, “friendships which led to the determination to win the premiership.”
Collier’s final few years at the club were unjustly cruel to him. In 1938, the two-time Copeland Trophy winner was found guilty of hitting Carlton’s Jack Carney and received a 14 match ban. The ban constituted for the rest of the season and saw Collier miss out on the Grand Final.
On the eve of the 1940 season, the club forced the Collier brothers to retire, a decision which later proved costly as the 1940s were gloomy times for Collingwood. Harry was afforded one match in 1940 to qualify for 15 years of service.
Collier coached the Essendon Reserves to the 1941 flag before rejoining Collingwood as a committeeman and talent scout.
His death on August 16 1994 saddened the Collingwood community and the funeral service was held at Victoria Park.
It is only fitting that Collingwood’s best first year player receives the Harry Collier Trophy.
Notes
Collier finished the 1930 season tied for first in the Brownlow voting and subsequently lost on a count back. The club lobbied the VFL to award retrospective Brown Medals to those players who had ‘lost’ on count back. It paid off in 1989 when Collier was awarded his Brownlow medal.
Harry and Albert Collier are the only two brothers to have won Brownlow medals.
Collier had a stint in television commentary in the late 1950s.
Information used to compile this article was sourced from “The Official Collingwood Illustrated Encyclopaedia” which can be purchased at the Collingwood Superstore.
