Every premiership outfit needs its key forwards.

For the Magpies of 2010, Chris Dawes was one of them.

At the age of 22, Dawes, Travis Cloke and Leigh Brown helped spearhead Collingwood to Grand Final day glory.

Dawes was one of five Magpies to kick two goals on that sunny October afternoon, a tally that took him to a career-high 30 for the season.

It came at the end of a breakout season that put Dawes on the map as a forward to be reckoned with.

His journey to that point wasn’t easy.

He arrived at the Holden Centre via the 28th overall selection in the 2006 National Draft and spent the bulk of the season recovering from a knee reconstruction.

It took a five-goal haul in the VFL to propel him into the senior side, a night he shared with fellow debutant John McCarthy.

Against St Kilda, in front of 52,000 fans, Dawes kicked the first goal of the night with his first kick and held his place for the remainder of the season, kicking three in Collingwood’s win over Adelaide in the Elimination Final.

The next season ultimately proved fallow, but his two-goal performance on ANZAC Day 2010 marked him as a player on the rise. He missed just one more game from there on, earning Brownlow votes against Port Adelaide and averaging a goal per game in the finals.

Dawes flew out of the blocks in 2011, kicking nine goals in the opening three games and collecting 26 disposals against North Melbourne. It took an untimely thumb injury to put the stoppers on him, although he returned in time to kick three goals in the heart-stopping win over Hawthorn in the Preliminary Final.

Unfortunately, Dawes’ Collingwood journey would come to an end just twelve months later. He played 23 games, spending added time as a back-up ruckman to help fill the void left by the retired Leigh Brown.

An untimely knee injury made for a challenging finals campaign, though it remained a surprise to many when he was traded to Melbourne at season’s end.

Dawes played 50 games in four years in the red and blue, but slipped off the Demons’ list at the end of 2016.

Now at the end of his AFL journey, Dawes will spend 2017 plying his football trade with Sorrento in the Nepean Football League.

With his league days behind him, Dawes joins 10 of his 2010 premiership teammates in retirement. As the sun gradually sets on that class of Collingwood heroes, Dawes’ role in their triumph remains as pivotal as ever.

On Monday, he was honoured with Life Membership at the 2016 Annual General Meeting, an honour bestowed only to Collingwood’s finest servants.

Chris Dawes
Jumper numbers: No. 31 (2007-2012)
Drafted: Pick No. 28 National Draft 2006
Debut: Collingwood v St Kilda, Round 19 2008 at the MCG
Last game: Sydney v Collingwood, Preliminary Final 2012 at Stadium Australia
Games: 71
Goals: 83
Finals: 12
Honours: Collingwood premiership side 2010; Collingwood pre-season premiership side 2011; Collingwood Life Member 2016