Andrew Schauble (Sydney)
Round Four 2000
Statistics: 1 kick, 0 marks, 1 handball, 2 possessions, 1 tackle
The reliable centre half back’s first meeting with the men from Victoria Park was not one to remember. Schauble only managed to touch the ball twice in Collingwood’s narrow victory that was fuelled by a late goal by Anthony Rocca, himself a former Swan. Schauble would go on to have the last laugh, winning Sydney’s best and fairest in his first season before missing out on their drought breaking 2005 flag.
Clinton King (Richmond)
Round 10 2000
Statistics: 9 kicks, 3 marks, 16 handballs, 25 possessions, 2 tackles, 4 inside 50s
Some considered King unfortunate to vacate Victoria Park when Mick Malthouse arrived at the end of 1999 and he made his old club pay when they first met midway through the following year. King, forever a ball magnet, had 25 possessions and drove the ball inside 50 four times in Richmond’s 48-point win at the MCG.
Damian Monkhorst (St Kilda)
Round 15 2000
Statistics: 1 kick, 0 marks, 2 handballs, 3 possessions, 6 hitouts, 3 clearances
Fittingly, the big Monkey played the last of his 215 games against the club with whom he tasted premiership glory in 1990. Monkhorst played his 200th game for Collingwood against the Saints out at Waverley in 1999 before spending one season under Tim Watson at Moorabbin. He only managed 10 games at the Saints before calling it quits. His one match against the Magpies was hardly memorable, with Collingwood running out 33-point victors.
Sav Rocca (North Melbourne)
Round Seven 2001
Statistics: 10 kicks, 5 marks, 0 handballs, 10 possessions, 2 goals, 1 behind, 5 hitouts
A message for Dawesy: Whatever you do on Monday, don’t do a Sav! The oldest Rocca brother broke Collingwood supporters’ hearts when he left at the end of 2000 and again when he met his old side at Colonial Stadium on Mother’s Day the following year. Sav “piggy-backed them in front”, as commentator Anthony Hudson put it, when he kicked a late goal. At the other end, younger brother Anthony had the chance to win the game for Collingwood with a shot from 35m out. Unfortunately, ‘Pebs’ missed. Mrs. Rocca didn’t know which way to look. North home by two points.
Paul Williams (Sydney)
Round 10 2001
Statistics: 19 kicks, 7 marks, 6 handballs, 25 possessions, 1 goal, 4 tackles, 4 rebound 50s
It hurt to see ‘Willo’ leave Lulie Street at the end of 2000 and the pain worsened when he played a key role in Sydney’s win over the Black and White midway through 2001 at Colonial Stadium. The speedy midfielder put the Magpies to the sword and was unlucky not to receive Brownlow votes in his side’s 18-point win.
Brent Tuckey (West Coast)
Round Two 2002
Statistics: 2 kicks, 1 mark, 1 handball, 3 disposals, 2 behinds
Tuckey, Collingwood’s first selection in the 1997 National Draft, never quite made the grade in his four years in Black and White but after he was released he quickly bobbed up in West Coast’s senior team in John Worsfold’s first year in charge. He came up against his old mob early in the season but couldn’t convert his two shots at goal in a match best remembered for Brodie Holland’s eight goals and the debuts of Chris Judd and Jason Cloke. For the record, the Pies got home by a point.
Nick Davis (Sydney)
Round Six 2003
Statistics: 6 kicks, 3 marks, 5 handballs, 11 possessions, 1 goal
The skilful forward looked set to become Collingwood’s next superstar when he hit his straps midway through 2001 but things turned sour in 2002 as he found the lure of his home state too great. He returned to NSW and copped a fiery reception from the Collingwood crowd when he met them at Telstra Dome early in 2003. Davis had the last laugh, kicking the sealing goal and later featuring in the Swans 2005 premiership side.
Heath Scotland (Carlton)
Round Seven 2004
Statistics: 14 kicks, 3 marks, 5 handballs, 19 possessions, 1 goal, 4 tackles
Scotland, who was an important member of Collingwood’s 2002 and 2003 Grand Final sides, ended up at Princes Park under Denis Pagan during the 2003 trade period and has since gone on to become one of Carlton’s best players of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, his first match against the Magpies wasn’t one to remember for his old club. Scotland helped himself to 19 possessions and a goal as the Blues overran the Magpies to win by nine points as season 2004 turned ugly.
Chris Tarrant (Fremantle)
Round 10 2007
Statistics: 17 kicks, 12 marks, 10 handballs, 27 possessions, 2 behinds, 10 inside 50s
Taz’s four year sabbatical in purple feels like a distant memory now that he has retired, but his first game back at the MCG against the Magpie Army certainly created headlines at the time. Collingwood Cheer Squad leader Joffa Corfe promised Tarrant that “no one will be blowing kisses to Chris at the weekend and he will be packing himself”. Tarrant made the best of a strange situation, gathering 27 possessions and taking the Dockers inside 50 on 10 occasions. But it was his two behinds that stung both he and his team as the Magpies snuck home by nine points. All was forgiven when Taz returned to the Westpac Centre at the end of 2010 and finished his career as he had begun it – a favourite son of the Black and White.
Rhyce Shaw (Sydney)
Round 12 2009
Statistics: 16 kicks, 4 marks, 8 handballs, 24 possessions, 1 tackle
Poor Shaw could never quite catch an even break during his time at Collingwood. First it was inconsistent form. Then it was a blunder in the 2003 Grand Final that knocked his confidence off course. After that, a knee reconstruction, hamstring issues and finally the advent of a group of talented youngsters prevented him from ever getting the traction in his career that he was after. A switch to Paul Roos’ Swans proved just the tonic for getting his career back on track. He performed solidly in his first game against his old mob (Collingwood winners by 23 points) and last year was a member of Sydney’s premiership team (knocking Collingwood out of the finals race at the penultimate hurdle in the process).
Cameron Cloke (Carlton)
Round Four 2008
Statistics: 9 kicks, 5 marks, 5 handballs, 14 possessions, 15 hitouts, 3 tackles
At the end of 2006, Collingwood and Carlton picked up each other’s second string ruckmen in the Pre-Season Draft. Chris Bryan became a Magpie and Cloke made Princes Park his new home. Cameron, the second of David’s three sons, played some handy games for both Collingwood and Carlton and was a solid contributor in Carlton’s 23-point win over Collingwood in April 2008 (their first win since round 12 of the previous season).
Josh Fraser (Gold Coast)
Round 18 2011
Statistics: 9 kicks, 4 marks, 10 handballs, 19 possessions, 13 hitouts, 8 clearances
Fraser played 200 fine games for Collingwood after joining the club as the number one draft pick of 1999. He saw out his time as a league footballer with the AFL’s 17th club as an on-field mentor to his younger teammates and gave one last reminder to Pies fans of just how good he was at his peak with 19 possessions and eight clearances at Metricon Stadium. Unfortunately for Fraser, Cameron Wood, his one-time understudy, had 27 hitouts in Collingwood’s 54-point win.
Sam Iles
Round 18 2011 (Gold Coast)
Statistics: 9 kicks, 4 marks, 12 handballs, 21 possessions, 1 goal, 3 tackles
The Tasmanian played a handful of games for the Magpies in his three years at the club before reappearing with the Suns in 2011. A reliable backman who could take a turn in the midfield, Iles was one of Gold Coast’s best in their first meeting with the reigning premiers, gathering 21 possessions and kicking a goal. He is currently playing for VFL club Box Hill.
Danny Stanley (Gold Coast)
Round 18 2011
Statistics: 10 kicks, 10 marks, 13 handballs, 23 possessions, 5 tackles, 1 goal, 1 behind
Stanley was seldom missing from the list of Collingwood’s best VFL players each week in 2008 and 2009 but could never manage to make a successful transition from the state league to the big time in his five senior games. But at Gold Coast, Stanley has proven himself to be a productive onballer and medium forward, having led the Suns’ goal kicking in their inaugural season. In his first meeting with the Magpies, Stanley did all he could to prevent the Suns’ 54-point loss, collecting 23 possessions, laying five tackles and kicking a goal. It was the sort of form VFL watchers had come to expect from Stanley during his time in Black and White.
Jack Anthony (Fremantle)
Round 23 2011
Statistics: 9 kicks, 7 marks, 7 handballs, 16 possessions, 1 hitout
‘Jack Attack’ was all the rage when he led Collingwood’s goal kicking (50 goals) in 2009 but within 12 months he was out the door and on the plane to Fremantle after playing only six games the following year. His time with the Dockers didn’t go as planned, but he could hold his head high in his one and only game against his old club. Although the Magpies stormed to an 80-point win, Anthony managed 16 possessions and seven marks playing at centre half back, giving hope that he may make that part of the ground his own in 2012.
John McCarthy (Port Adelaide)
Round Four 2012
Statistics: 16 kicks, 6 marks, 14 handballs, 30 possessions, 3 inside 50s
The late Johnny Mac saved a career-best performance for his old club in his only meeting with them at Etihad Stadium in April 2012. The highly respected midfielder, who was caught in the logjam of onballers during his four years at Collingwood, earned an equal career-high 30 touches and sent the Power inside 50 on four occasions in their four goal loss. “Excited for the game today, should be fun running around with some old teammates..” he tweeted two hours before the game. His performance in a losing side summed up one of the many reasons why McCarthy was held in such high regard.
