Last week, we spoke of Shane O’Bree and Shane Morwood’s premiership triumphs in local football.
But they aren’t the last of the ex-Magpies to have stood triumphant on the dais this September.
Two of O’Bree’s old teammates linked up on the other side of the city to bring premiership glory back to Doncaster.
Ben Johnson and Heath Scotland helped propel Doncaster to a win over local rivals East Doncaster in the Eastern Football League Division Two Grand Final.
The pair was named in the team’s best players alongside fellow former AFL players Nathan Thompson (Hawthorn and North Melbourne) and Aaron Fiora (Richmond and St Kilda).
STORY: O'Bree and Morwood salute.
Doncaster was never troubled, opening the game with four goals to nil and holding the Lions to just three goals, which were all kicked after half time.
Johnson managed one of the Sharks’ eleven goals, and received best afield honours after playing a key role in driving the club back into Division One for the first time since 1992.
“He was named in the side's best on multiple occasions and kicked six goals for the season, including a final term bomb in this year’s Grand Final as part of a best on ground performance,” wrote the EFL’s Media Manager Dyson Baker.
“Johnson was the clearance king in the Grand Final, feeding Thompson as the Sharks comfortably accounted for their local rivals.
“Scotland, in his first season in the league narrowly missed being named this season's Wright Medallist (the Division Two Best and Fairest), as he was beaten out in the final round by teammate and captain Chris Annakis."
Johnson and Scotland’s Sharks are coached by former Pie Andrew Tranqulli, who played twelve senior games between 1993 and 1995.
Tranqulli was named coach of the EFL’s Division Two Team of the Year.
Meanwhile, in Queensland, another of O’Bree, Johnson and Scotland’s old teammates has made a mark on local football.
Tyson Lane, who played 41 games for the Magpies between 1999 and 2001, coached the Manunda Hawks women’s team to a premiership against the North Cairns Tigers earlier this month.
PROFILE: The story of Tyson Lane.
The Hawks won 5.1 (31) to 4.5 (29).
Lane originally hails from Melton in western Victoria.
“They have a national draft in place – there is talk of a women’s academy to be based up here and I don’t want to see these girls fall behind,” Lane told The Cairns Post’s Murray Wenzel last year.
“It’s been a great learning curve for me – they respond to different methods but one thing I like is once they learn something they don’t forget it (like the guys do).”
Thank you to all who sent through information about the on-field exploits of past Magpies in local football. Know of another ex-Collingwood footballer who was involved in a premiership this year? Email digitalmedia@collingwoodfc.com.au or tweet @CollingwoodFC to let us know.
Flag Pies once again
Two old Collingwood teammates linked up to bring premiership glory back to Doncaster.