As we move into 2018, Collingwood Media looks back on some of the names that donned the No. 18 in the Magpies’ first 125 years.

Max Richardson
Richardson and his brother Wayne were vital parts of the Victoria Park machine for many years during one of Collingwood’s most frustrating eras.

Max joined the Magpies from South Fremantle and played in a number of positions. He could ruck-rove, but also excelled in defence.

A regular Victorian representative, Richardson was runner-up in Collingwood’s best and fairest in 1974 and was club captain in 1977.

Richardson wore the No. 18 in his first 147 games for Collingwood, last wearing it in the Elimination Final loss to Richmond in 1975.

Con McCarthy
Back in the time that players regularly wore a new number into each season, McCarthy held onto No. 18 for 35 games between 1915 and 1917.

A man with enormous physical strength and great fitness, McCarthy helped win the 1919 flag for Collingwood as the foil for No. 1 ruckman Les Hughes.

He captained that side and had played in the flag sides of 1917 and 1919 as well as the runner-up team of 1918, wearing a further three numbers in his final four years as a Magpie.

Paul Licuria
A heart and soul Magpie who was a key member of Mick Malthouse’s Collingwood teams, Licuria won back-to-back Copeland Trophies in 2001 and 2002.

They marked the high points of a childhood dream, for Licuria had grown up following the Black and White in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

He wore No. 32 in his first season as a Magpie, arriving via trade from Sydney, but played his final 169 games in No. 18.



Darren Jolly bursts through the banner ahead of Collingwood's clash with Carlton in round three, 2012.

Darren Jolly
Four numbers, three clubs, two premierships.

Darren Jolly’s football career took its share of twists and turns, but Collingwood fans will fondly remember his vital input to the 2010 premiership triumph.

One of six players to manage all 26 games that season, Jolly took hold of the No. 1 ruck mantle and helped guide the Magpies to their first flag in 20 years.

He also managed 24 goals and won a career-high 327 disposals, having arrived from Sydney, where he had previously played a key role in the Swans’ success in 2005.

Jolly wore No. 18 in each of his 71 games in Black and White, and was the first player to wear the number in a Collingwood premiership since Jack Parker (59 games) in 1953.

Travis Varcoe
The most recent custodian of the No. 18 jumper, Varcoe has played 47 games with the number on his back since debuting in the opening round of the 2015 season.

He had previously made his name at Geelong in one of the club’s most famous numbers, wearing the No. 5 synonymous with Gary Ablett Senior.

Varcoe played 138 games for the Cats and became a premiership player in 2009 and again in 2011. Pies fans have bitter memories of his efforts in the latter Grand Final, streaming up field to kick three goals in Geelong’s 38-point win.

Now aged 29, Varcoe will begin his fourth season at the Holden Centre 15 games short of his 200th appearance.