Gavin Brown? Tick. Ben Johnson? Tick. Chad Morrison? Sure did. Blake Caracella? Him too.
How about those on the current list?
Unbelievably, the retirement of Johnson left Paul Seedsman as the only player on the list who had been a Magpie from birth.
Fortunately, he’ll be able to compare his Magpie memories with a new teammate – Patrick Karnezis.
“I was a massive Collingwood fan when I was young. I was part of the Buckley’s Brigade’s and all that sort of thing so it’s a dream come true,” Karnezis told CTV hours after he had been traded by Brisbane and landed at the Westpac Centre.
Karnezis grew up in Collingwood heartland and was a Marcellin College graduate in 2010. The school has strong links to the Magpies, for it was where Brown himself received his secondary education in the 1980s.
“I used to admire Buckley and Anthony Rocca as well who is now on the coaching staff,” smiled Karnezis.
“I couldn’t ask for much more, playing for Collingwood now as a grown up, wearing the Collingwood jumper all the time.”
He played 21 games in three seasons with the Lions but was keen to return to Victoria after he managed only three in 2013.
“Being a Greek boy from Melbourne with a tight and relatively big family as well it was a bit tough to leave home when I was 18,” he explained.
“I think I got drafted on the Thursday and I was out by Sunday morning. A bit of a shock to the system but it was an experience in the end on and off the field.”
Karnezis kindly brought in a handful of photos from his childhood that show him proudly wearing the famous stripes in the living room.
Now he and his parents, Kon and Sandra, have a new set of Black and White snaps to add to the photo album.
The Karnezis Collection (photos of Patrick during his childhood were kindly provided by Patrick and his mother):
