With season 2016 nearing its end, and Hawthorn still a disturbingly good chance for the flag, this is the perfect time to once again celebrate the achievements of our famous Machine team of the late 1920s.
This was the team that, under the expert guidance of the King of Coaches, Jock McHale, and captain Syd Coventry became the first - and so far only - team to win four Premierships in a row.
The Machine display is now available for viewing at the Holden Centre. Photo: Collingwood Media.
Three other teams have since tried but failed to equal that mark - Melbourne in 1942 and again in 1958, and Brisbane in 2004 - and Hawthorn is also hoping to equal our much cherished record this year.
So the club:
- Organised a special members-only function at the Holden Centre last month, where club historians Michael Roberts and Glenn McFarlane spoke about The Machine.
- Commissioned the club's Archives Committee to set up a wonderful display in the foyer of the Holden Centre paying tribute to the Machine
- Re-released the magnificently researched and beautifully illustrated book on the Machine, written by Roberts and McFarlane. The book was originally released in 2004 but has been out of print for many years.
The book can be purchased online here.
All four premiership cups from 1927 to 1930 are on display. Photo: Collingwood Media.
The display features original memorabilia, photographs and artefacts relating to the four-in-a-row years. A highlight is the recently donated collection of all four Premiership medals belonging to Bob Makeham.
Club historian Michael Roberts presents at the inaugural Collingwood Forever lecture last month. Photo: Collingwood Media.
Another highlight is the collection of travelling memorabilia - including tickets, invitations and a hat band worn by the touring party - and personal snapshot photos taken by players on their interstate trips to Western Australia in 1927 and Tasmania in 1929.
The display is in the foyer of the Holden Centre until the end of the year.
Members take in the Collingwood Forever lecture at the Holden Centre last month. Photo: Collingwood Media.
The book can be purchased online here.
Honouring the Machine team
The Collingwood Archives Committee has set up a wonderful display in the foyer of the Holden Centre that pays tribute to the Machine team that won four consecutive premierships between 1927 and 1930.
