Every match that Collingwood plays feels like it's the most important game in the world.

But the truth is that some games matter more than others. And some have impacts that last for decades, even if that significance isn't always apparent at the time.

So here is a trawl through the history books to come up with the most significant games in Magpie history. These aren't just the biggest wins or the most memorable days, but the games that had a significant influence on the club's history.

We've excluded all finals, simply because otherwise the list would almost be completely taken up with premierships and a few painful Grand Final losses. But the home-and-away games covered in this series have had a huge impact on the club – sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. They've led to club turmoil, coaches being sacked, major changes in the game or sometimes set us on the path to a flag.

Whatever the outcome, these games represent major turning points in our club's story. And they're worth recalling.

The loss that elevated Lethal: Round Three, 1986

As the awaiting media headed into the dingy visitors' change rooms at the MCG after the round three game against North Melbourne in 1986, they were confronted by a rare and unusual sight. Kangaroos coach John Kennedy was singing to his players.

It wasn't the club's 'Join in the Chorus' theme song, but it was a parody of Collingwood's own tune, highlighting how much he had enjoyed giving the Magpies a hiding on their home deck.

Kennedy mouthed the words: "Good Old Collingwood For Never" to the jocular roar of his players.

Rival clubs have always enjoyed giving stick to the Magpies when they are down, and on this occasion, black and white fans knew how precarious the situation was for a club seemingly on its knees.

Earlier that week, it had emerged Collingwood had asked its players to take a uniform pay-cut of 20 per cent to stave off the creditors threatening to close the doors on one of the most famous sporting organisations in the land.

The Magpies were in a mass of debt. Some players were preparing to walk away. On the field, the season had started with three consecutive, hefty losses - a 65-point flogging at the hands of Essendon, a 34-point defeat against Sydney and a 43-point loss to North Melbourne.

Compounding that was the fact the Magpies reserves lost to the Kangaroos in the curtain-raiser by 146 points.

Bob Rose had always intended 1986 to be his final year of his second stint coaching Collingwood. He was grooming his newly-appointed assistant coach Leigh Matthews, who had retired from Hawthorn at the end of the previous year, take over in 1987.

But what happened in that loss to the Roos, coupled with the other issues swirling around the club at the time, Rose knew a circuit breaker was needed. Once more, he put the club ahead of himself.

The Age's Martin Flanagan described Rose that night as looking like "a small figure with a ruddy, beaten face and erect carriage", as he faced the journalists gathering in the Collingwood rooms seeking an answer to what was wrong with the ailing club.

The coach didn't give much away, but lamented the waste of a good first half, saying he couldn't have foreseen what would happen after half time.

The Magpies had led by five points at quarter time, and had boosted that to 22 points by the main change. The Age said at half-time that Collingwood's "grip on the match looked so rigid, so all-embracing that a North Melbourne victory seemed inconceivable."

The Sun detailed: "With ruckman Wes Fellowes leading the way, rover Tony Shaw at his busiest, spearhead Brian Taylor working hard and the speedy Ricky Barham three times in the right place and time, the Magpies gave hope of the breakthrough victory so desperately needed by the besieged administration."

Rose, too, was confident a much-needed win was on the horizon.

So when North Melbourne came out after the break and kicked 12.6 to Collingwood's 1.7 in the second half, the coach was completely stunned by the turnaround.

"I am at a loss to understand why we dropped away as badly as we did," Rose said after the game.

"Our endeavour and our team play was very good during that period of the game. However, over the day, the emotional strain perhaps sapped some of the energy out of the players. We just fell in such a hole after half time. I'm not sure what the reason was."

Barham kicked three of Collingwood's nine goals, while Mark Williams and third-gamer Greg Daniels booted two each.

Tony Shaw, described as "an angry little bull ant", fought tirelessly for the Magpies with 27 disposals. In the first half, it was said "if raw emotion was a power source, an SEC-converted Tony Shaw would light up Collingwood and another half dozen suburbs." Yet not even he could stop the second half Black and White blackout.



The gusty Tony Shaw was one of Collingwood's best during its loss to North Melbourne in round three, 1986.

The final margin was 43 points.

Rose knew that night what had to happen – he would hand over his job to Matthews, who was going get it the following year anyway. A phone call to Matthews on the Sunday morning confirmed it. Rose would be saying on as a board member, but was retiring as a coach.

This was confirmed on the Monday after the North Melbourne game on one of the most explosive days in the club's history. President Ranald Macdonald also confirmed he was stepping down as president, while General Manager Peter Bahen was also a casualty.

Rose would say of his selfless act: “I first discussed it with Leigh Matthews (on Sunday morning). From the football side of things something had to be done."

"I had worked my butt off to try to get something done and Saturday's second half was a really shattering blow.

"I would not have stepped down unless I knew Leigh Matthews was capable of stepping straight into the position.

"I have been very impressed with Leigh over the past six months.”

The highly-respected Rose said he still maintained the support of the board, but felt some sort of change was needed to take the pressure off the players.

"Leigh didn't want to coach at the beginning of the season because he wanted to feel his way along for a while,” he said. “I do feel a bit embarrassed about him taking over this way.”

It would prove a telling moment in the club’s history.

Excited by the challenge, Matthews was also realistic. He made “no promises whatsoever … talk of premierships and the (top) five are pretty much folly. Let’s just take it a week at a time.”

That first week was a good one, on the field at least. Against the backdrop of board upheaval and a handful of players quitting because they wouldn’t accept the pay cut, Matthews somehow as able to galvanise them as a group, and it ended that losing streak.

In his first game as senior coach, Matthews led his team to a 45-point win over Geelong at Victoria Park.

He insisted he would look to build a side based on defence. He wanted to indoctrinate the professionalism that had driven Hawthorn through the 1980s into those already at Collingwood, and those who come in the future. He resolved to play the kids at every chance.

Matthews’ debut season would end up seeing the Magpies win 12 games, missing the finals only on percentage.

Four years later, with Rose watching on as a board member and passionate fan, Matthews led Collingwood to the drought-breaking 1990 premiership, putting an end to the ‘Colliwobbles’ forever.

Turning Points
Written by Glenn McFarlane and Michael Roberts

Turning Points: A game of belief.

Turning Points: The first game.

Turning Points: History's ugly repeat.

Turning Points: Honouring the greater good.

Turning Points: A turning point for football.

Turning Points: How we landed McHale.

Turning Points: Ending the Cat empire.

Turning Points: The practice match that led to a revolution.

Turning Points: Starting from the bottom.

Turning Points: Attacking the Cats.

Turning Points: The drama before the revival.