Or on his back, to be more precise.
Handed the No. 43 jumper upon joining the club as a rookie last December, Oxley broke through for his league debut against Melbourne in Monday’s 83-point win and looked the part with six disposals, a mark and a tackle.
In recent years, the No. 43 has been a good luck charm for Collingwood’s rookies.
Rookies often have to walk a tightrope when they enter a club with their prospects of a game slightly slimmer than their teammates on the senior list, but since its introduction in 1997, six of the eight rookies to have been assigned the number have played senior football and carved out a regular position at AFL level.
In fact, three of them are still regular members of Collingwood’s senior side.
Skipper Nick Maxwell debuted in the No. 43 jumper in 2004 after wearing No. 41 in his first season at the club.
He played 10 senior games in the number and played in six of Collingwood’s eight wins before graduating to No. 27 (2005-2007) and finally Nathan Buckley’s No. 5 (2008-2013).
When Maxwell moved up to No. 27, Harry O’Brien was chosen to replace him in the No. 43.
O’Brien played 13 games in the number in his two years as a rookie (2005-2006) before wearing No. 30 for a season (2007). When James Clement retired at the end of ’07, he chose O’Brien as his successor in No. 8.
Many also forget that Marty Clarke wore No. 43 in his first season on the rookie list in 2007. The Irishman debuted as a 19-year-old in round 12 and missed only two more games for the remainder of the season. He crowned his debut year with a near best afield display against Geelong in the Preliminary Final.
He graduated to Paul Licuria’s old No. 18 in 2008 and 2009 before his two-year hiatus from the game. As Darren Jolly had made the No. 18 his own in Clarke’s absence, he was assigned No. 9 when he returned at the end of 2011 and has since worn it in 26 senior games.
Essendon and Brisbane have also been the beneficiary of Collingwood’s good luck charm.
Nathan Lovett-Murray (143 games for Essendon) spent 2001 as a Collingwood rookie, while Jason Roe (50 games for Brisbane) wore the number in 2003 before finding his feet elsewhere.
Since the advent of the rookie list, only two senior Magpies have worn No. 43.
Luke Godden was already wearing it when the inaugural Rookie Draft was held at the end of 1996. The bull-at-a-gate back pocket played 36 games for the Pies in Tony Shaw’s last three seasons at the helm.
The other senior player to wear No. 43 was Jaxson Barham. He took the number in honour of his father, Ricky, who wore it in his first 43 games from 1977-1979 (including three Grand Finals). After a blistering 28-possession performance on debut in 2009, Barham couldn’t maintain a regular place in the senior team and left the club at the end of 2010.
Collingwood’s No. 43s since 1990
Brendan Tranter (1990-1992; 3 games, 0 goals)
Jon Hassall (1993; 0 games, 0 goals)
Chris Curran (1994-1995; 10 games, 2 goals)
Luke Godden (1996-1999; 36 games, 0 goals)
Damien Lyon (2000; 0 games, 0 goals)
Nathan Lovett-Murray (2001; 0 games, 0 goals)
Mark Dubyna (2002; 0 games, 0 goals)
Jason Roe (2003; 0 games, 0 goals)
Nick Maxwell (2004; 10 games, 0 goals)
Harry O’Brien (2005-2006; 13 games, 1 goal)
Marty Clarke (2007; 12 games, 3 goals)
Jaxson Barham (2008-2010; 7 games, 1 goal)
Trent Stubbs (2011-2012; 0 games, 0 goals)
Adam Oxley (2013; 1 game, 0 goals)
