As we celebrate the career of 2010 premiership hero Alan Toovey, Collingwood Media looks back at his ten years in the Black and White jumper.

The story
Doubted by many during his early years, Toovey has gone on to spend the vast majority of his career as one of the first players picked every week. He is a reliable performer in the back pocket, putting the clamps on small forwards the calibre of Betts, Chapman and Rioli. He has also developed a penchant for backing himself to run off his man and create from half back where his underrated pace and ability to evade onto his left foot makes him tricky to stop. The respect that Toovey's style of play commands from his fans is illustrated by the 'Tooooves' chant that echoes around the MCG whenever he is in possession.

2004
Played for the Claremont Colts in the WAFL. Represented Western Australia at the U18 National Championships. Was tipped by many to be taken in the National Draft but was overlooked.

2005
Made his debut for the Claremont seniors, performing well in the finals, and again represented Western Australia at the U18 National Championships. Selected in the WAFL Colts Team of the Year, but again missed the boat in the National Draft. Trained with Collingwood over the summer and was granted an AFL lifeline when he was drafted with selection No. 2 in the Rookie Draft.

2006
Spent the entire year wear the No. 41 for Williamstown in the VFL. Split his time between the Seagulls seniors (nine games) and reserves (six games), and played in one senior final.

2007
Promoted to the senior list over the pre-season, and took over Jason Cloke's No. 34. Was given a run in the NAB Cup and practice match fixtures and was subsequently named as an emergency in the first two rounds.

Made his senior debut alongside fellow Western Australians Brad Dick and Shannon Cox at the MCG in round three against Richmond. Enjoy an extremely impressive debut, kicking 3.2 for the night despite a nervous start in front of goal, and winning 12 disposals. Played the next eight matches, primarily as a wingman-cum-tagger, and was a useful contributor along the way. Began to struggle by the midway point of the season and fell out of favour after the Queen’s Birthday in round 11.

Returned only once more in round 19, again against Richmond. This time the tables were turned, as Brett Deledio got hold of him and helped see the Tigers to an upset 20 point win.

2008
Bobbed up in the senior team in rounds three and four but dipped back into the VFL side and played only once more (round 13) between rounds four and 18 mainly due to a shoulder injury. Began to settle in the senior team late in the year, playing every match between rounds 18 and 21 but suffered a broken foot in round 21 against Sydney. Courageously played on despite his injury, but was forced to sit out the remainder of the season.

Had been used mainly as a tagger or defender and rarely spent time on the bench when selected. Was in the match committee’s thinking throughout the year as he was named as an emergency on six occasions.

2009
Established himself as a fixture in the senior side. Missed only one senior game when omitted for round three, but steadily remodelled his reputation from battler to critical to the team’s success. As his confidence grew, so did his possession count (peaking at 22 disposals against West Coast in round nine in front of his home crowd in Western Australia).

Was consistent during the finals series, and one of Collingwood’s best in the loss to St Kilda in the Qualifying Final when some bigger name teammates failed to fire. Helped get the Magpies back into the semi final against the Crows the following week through his run and ability to back himself to burn off an opponent.

His pace was illustrated famously against the Western Bulldogs in round 15 when he took on Jason Akermanis and left the Brownlow Medalist in his wake.

2010
Had a super season, not missing a game and featuring in the premiership victory and ending the year as a key player in the all conquering Collingwood outfit. Started the year slowly on field, but by Anzac Day in round five he had become a regular weekly contributor. Again registered 22 disposals against the Western Bulldogs in round 11, and reached an amazing 124 tackles for the season and only went without a tackle in one game.

His importance to the side was recognised by the fans, who began to chant ‘Tooooves’ whenever he went near the ball (and when he received his premiership medallion). Was a reliable figure in all four finals and never once lowered his colours.  Laid 11 tackles in the preliminary final onslaught against Geelong, and was one of the few four quarter players in the Grand Final draw. Backed it up with another solid performance in the replay victory, and thoroughly deserved his premiership medal.

2011
Started the year where he left off in 2010, featuring in the NAB Cup premiership team and playing steadily in the early weeks. Was named as a substitute in round four against Richmond, but was on track for another strong season when he suffered a bruised lung and chest contusion in a heavy collision with Geelong’s Tom Hawkins in round eight. Toovey was widely lauded for his courage in fearlessly running back with the flight of the ball, completely oblivious to the man mountain that was about to cross his path.

He remarkably missed only one match, underlining his toughness. Was again struck down by injury in round 17 when he broke his finger against the Blues. Missed a month and returned on the eve of the finals. Wasn’t able to regain his touch during the finals, but still laid 10 tackles in the Grand Final loss.

2012
It was another consistent season from the versatile defender. Missed three games with injury but was still relied on to perform roles on a range of different sized players. Won the Darren Millane Memorial Trophy for best clubman and is contracted for another season.

2013
If the football public didn’t comprehend his importance to the Collingwood machine before 2013, they quickly picked up the threads as the year progressed. Sadly, it was his injury-enforced absence that brought his value into the spotlight.

For four years, Collingwood fans could take Toovey’s role to the bank. Each week, he would lock down on one of the opposition’s gun forwards and regularly render them ineffective.

The Magpies sorely missed their dependable half back’s discipline and dash after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the dying stages of the ANZAC Day loss to Essendon.

Up until that point, Toovey had been in fine form, laying five tackles in three of his four full games, and appeared to be in for another solid season on the back flank.

2014
Made a swift return from the knee surgery that cruelled his 2013 season after only five games, reappearing against Gold Coast in the final practice match of the pre-season.

He slotted into his customary position in the back pocket and, as ever, diligently went about his work with a minimum of fuss.

Toovey managed to play 17 games for the season, peaking with 20 disposals and seven tackles against Carlton in round 15, but missed five matches with a series of niggling injuries, including the final fortnight.

He ranked third at the club for one per centers and played 89.5 per cent game time for the duration of his 17 games.

2015
The defender entered the 2015 season as one of Collingwood’s oldest and most experienced players, but at times played like a 21-year old.

After playing 17 games in 2014, he missed just two games this season, with injury preventing him from taking the field in rounds eight and 22.

When he was patrolling the backline, the nine-year veteran was a tackling force. With the exception of when he was substituted early in the game in round seven, Toovey registered at least one tackle in every game. Another obvious strength was Toovey’s ability to win the contested ball. In ten games throughout the season he collected more contested possessions than uncontested.

2016
For the first time since 2008, Collingwood began the season without Toovey in its senior line up. Youngsters Jackson Ramsay and Ben Sinclair held down the back pocket roles in the early rounds, but injuries to Ramsay and Marley Williams provided the opening Toovey needed. He returned against Melbourne in round four and held his place until round 11, playing the final senior match of his career against Port Adelaide in the wet at the MCG.

But while his AFL days had come to a close, Toovey continued to make an impact in the VFL, where he had not played since early 2009.

At the time of his senior retirement, Toovey had played nine VFL games, averaging 16.8 disposals and 2.8 tackles per game. Importantly, he provided his younger teammates with tremendous leadership in the back half of the ground, and he remains a key pillar of Collingwood’s attempts to secure a VFL premiership later this year.