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.
Noel Lovell
The back page of the Sun News-Pictorial posed a question many Melburnians were asking on the day before Collingwood's 1981 Preliminary Final against Geelong.
The headline read: "Noel Who?"
It centred on a young footballer few had heard of - "an unknown teenager", as the paper called him, who was a week away from turning 20 - selected on the interchange bench for his VFL debut match in the second most important game of the season.
Carrying on a grand Collingwood tradition of debuting players in finals - just as the club had done with young ruckman Len Thompson in Preliminary Final 16 years earlier - the bolt from the blue in 1981 was Noel Lovell. It was one of the great footy shocks of the season.
But unlike Thompson, who went on to a long and successful career with the Magpies, Lovell's time at Victoria Park was fleeting. He played 16 senior games for Collingwood across four senior seasons - and never more than seven in a season - as well as four games with Richmond in his part of the revolving door that seemed to exist between Victoria Park and Punt Rd throughout the turbulent 1980s.
Yet he can still lay claim to playing on the game's biggest stage, representing Collingwood in a Grand Final at the MCG in front of 112,964 fans in only his second VFL match.
Lovell was the product of the strong Preston and District Junior Football Association, which supplied a steady stream of Collingwood footballers. But his pathway to the Pies was different to some of the others who joined him there.
Initially, as a kid playing with Preston RSL, he was overlooked by the Magpies. But when one of his junior teammates who had already attracted Collingwood's attention “badgered” the club about Lovell, they had no other choice but to listen.
The would-be recruiter was none other than Peter Daicos, who had played most of his junior football with Lovell and was six days older.
As The Age reported after Lovell's debut in 1981: "There is more to Collingwood's Peter Daicos than his breathtaking football. Daicos (said) proudly after his four-goal performance in Saturday's Preliminary Final that he was the man who had recruited first-gamer Noel Lovell to Collingwood."
"Daicos said when he first arrived at Victoria Park from Preston RSL in 1978 he told the club about the captain of his old team (Lovell), but they weren't interested.
"Finally, he badgered thirds coach Keith Burns into giving Lovell a try. Lovell became captain of the (Collingwood) under 19s and made the senior list for the first time this year."
When quizzed about it, Daicos said: "I reckon I'd make a good recruiting officer if I can't get a game in the future.”
Described as "a talented utility player" who played his best on the wing or in the back pocket, it was said Lovell was "a pacy, very determined player (who) possessed plenty of courage." He also needed nerves of steel to deal with the pressure associated with his elevation to the seniors in September 1981.
Lovell had played two seasons in the under 19s in 1979 and 1980, before working diligently across a few seasons in the reserves ahead of getting his lucky break.
His good fortune came from the bad luck of veteran back pocket Stan Magro, who injured his left thigh on the Thursday night before the Preliminary Final, ruling him out. That left an opening for Lovell, who had been playing solid football in the reserves - even if his selection was a total shock.
Trying to alleviate the hype surrounding him, the club "refused permission for any photographs or interviews with Lovell". Described as a "tradesman" by day, he was one of the most talked about footballers by worthy of his elevation to the Collingwood team ahead of the 1981 Preliminary Final, even if few knew anything about him.
One nameless Collingwood official told the Sun Lovell was "a quiet kid who goes about doing his job ... he is a fine cut of a lad."
Noel Lovell (far left) trains at Victoria Park during the early 1980s.
The Herald pressed for more details, with Collingwood secretary Bill Hoogen revealing the advice he had given Lovell after telling him he was in the side on Thursday night: "I told him to have a good sleep because he mightn't get too much tonight (Friday night)."
An injury to Ross Brewer saw Lovell brought into the game earlier than expected, during the second term. It was said he "conquered his nerves to perform with credit", having nine disposals in the No. 54 jumper.
He ended up having nine disposals for the game, as the Magpies scored a seven-point victory to advance to the Grand Final against Carlton. He had made an impression, though his relative anonymity didn't stop the Herald calling him "Nigel" Lovell after the game.
Doubt was raised on whether he would keep his spot in the side, especially when he was "sore" and forced to run laps in the first training session at the start of Grand Final week. His coach Tom Hafey said of Lovell: "he was a bit sore and might have a strain, but I'm not sure."
Yet when the coach named the team on the Thursday night, Lovell retained his position for the Grand Final. The Sun detailed: "The Magpies have shown faith in teenager Noel Lovell and named him on the bench after he performed admirably in the preliminary final."
He spent his 20th birthday living out a childhood dream, having eight disposals in the 1981 Grand Final. Sadly, he didn't get the birthday present he wanted, as the Magpies looked in control of the game midway through the third term before Carlton overran them to win by 20 points.
As disappointing as it was, Lovell looked to have a bright future in Black and White, with his two games for 1981 enough for him to win the club’s best first year player.
He even switched to No. 16 and played the first seven games of 1982 season, in very different circumstances with the Magpies lost all but one of them. He had 22 touches against Geelong in round one and then a career-high 25 disposals against Fitzroy in round six.
But just when he looked to have secured a spot, luck went against him. Against Essendon, at Windy Hill, he had three early disposals in the first 12 minutes before suffering a broken collarbone. It was suggested he would miss six weeks, but he never made it back to the seniors that season.
It was a sign of things to come. Shoulder injuries derailed his career. He played six games in 1983, and could muster only one game the following year.
Lovell's last game with Collingwood - his 16th overall - came against Essendon in round 13, 1984. That was Peter Daicos' 99th game, and while he would go onto more success, Lovell's time in Black and White was over.
He transferred to Richmond for two seasons. He played a further four games with the Tigers before being forced into retirement owing to more injuries.
Noel Lovell’s career began against a spectacular backdrop, but frustratingly his battle with his body meant he never got the chance to have a more sustained VFL career.
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
Mr Reliable: Michael Taylor
An impact beyond Collingwood: Tony Burgess
Another Shaw thing: Neville Shaw
What could have been: Russell Dickson
A flash in the pan: Darren Collins
It's not just about the name: Paul Tuddenham
A Shaw of a different kind: Gary Shaw
The Tassie boy who had no luck: Colin Alexander
A member of a fine football family: Mark Weideman
