There are just four teams left standing as season 2015 reaches its penultimate week.

Finding it hard to pick a bandwagon to jump onto for the next fortnight?

Maybe you refuse to take on any club that doesn’t wear Black and White?

But for those who like to fill a September soft spot when the Magpies are out of the running, let’s take a look at the Collingwood connections at the four remaining clubs.

Fremantle
Ed Langdon – The teenager debuted for the Dockers late in the season, and describes his older brother, Magpie backman Tom, as the greatest influence on his career to date.

Simon Lloyd – A man who has been touted as a senior coach of the future, Lloyd was Collingwood’s high performance manager and psychologist between 2005 and 2009. He joined the Dockers as the head of their development academy in 2010.


Hawthorn
Jonathon Ceglar – A ruckman with an enormous reach, Ceglar spent two years at Collingwood before moving to Hawthorn at the end of 2012. He did not play senior football during his time as a Magpie, playing 31 VFL games for the club under Tarkyn Lockyer. He has not appeared at AFL level since round 19 this year.

Damian Monkhorst – The Monkey famously played 205 games for Collingwood between 1988 and 1999, including the 1990 premiership. He crossed to Hawthorn at the beginning of 2010 where he has since served as a ruck coach to Alastair Clarkson.

John Wardrop – Currently Hawthorn’s Opposition Analyst, Wardrop became the first person to fill the role on a full time basis at Victoria Park when he arrived at the end of 1999. He had previously served alongside Mick Malthouse during the latter’s West Coast years.

As The Age’s Jake Niall wrote, the move was another indication of football’s charge towards uber professionalism.

“Collingwood football manager Neil Balme yesterday confirmed that the Magpies had broken new ground by hiring John Wardrop as a full-time scout to watch opposition clubs play and train,” Niall wrote.

“Traditionally, the forward scout, or club spy, has been a part-time job that involves watching the opposition play a week in advance and watching it train in the week leading up to a game.”

Graham Wright – Runner-up in the Brownlow Medal in 1990, Wright played 201 games for Collingwood before calling it quits in 1998. He began his time in recruitment at Waverley Park in 2007 after an earlier stint at Brisbane.


North Melbourne
Gavin Brown – Currently the Senior Development Manager at Arden Street, Brown was the original captain courageous. He led Collingwood with distinction between 1994 and 1998. Prior to that, he was a member of the club’s 1990 premiership, won three Copeland Trophies and later coached the club’s VFL team.

Brad Scott – How quickly we forget! Scott joined Collingwood as an assistant coach after retiring as a Brisbane Lion at the end of 2006. He remained in his post until 2009, when he left late in the season to take up his current role at North Melbourne.

Geoff Walsh – Collingwood’s Director of Football between 2007 and 2013, Walsh is now entering his 15th Preliminary Final since his early days at North Melbourne during the 1990s. He was a member of North’s premiership campaigns in 1996 and 1999, as well as Collingwood’s triumph in 2010.

Shane Watson – Before he played cricket for Australia, Shane Watson was famous for his exploits as a Magpie. Our version of S.Watson played 141 games for the club between 1992 and 2000, kicking 33 goals in his role as a foil for Sav Rocca in 1998. He joined the Roos ahead of the 2010 season after spending time at the helm of the Eastern Rangers.


West Coast
Mitch Brown – The twin brother of Magpie Nathan hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck on the injury front, sitting out all bar the opening round of the season after undergoing a knee reconstruction. Brown originally debuted for the Eagles in round one, 2007.

Callum Sinclair – A man who has travelled of the game’s more interesting paths to the top. He was originally on Collingwood’s VFL list in 2010, only to miss the season with a broken foot. He later spent time at Port Melbourne before being drafted to West Coast. Now, he is on the verge of a Grand Final berth.

Sharrod Wellingham – A name known and loved by the Magpie Army for his work during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Wellingham was one of the faces of Collingwood’s 2010 premiership. Crossing to the Eagles at the end of 2012, he has recaptured his very best form this year in a new role across half back. Wellingham, along with Xavier Ellis, is one of two current Eagles with external premiership experience.