| 1917 WINNING THE 'WAR' AT HOME |
| 1917 Grand Final COLLINGWOOD 9.20.74 FITZROY 5.9.39 Goals: Lee 4, Curtis 3, Dobrigh 1, Hughes 1 Best Players: Wilson, Pannam, Anderson, Drummond, Saunders, Mutch At MCG Crowd: 28,385 Collingwood Team: B: J. McHale, H. Saunders, A. Mutch HB: G. Anderson, C. Brown, J. Green C: T. Drummond, P. Wilson, C. Pannam HF: L. Dobrigh, H. Curtis, C. Lee F: C. McCarthy, W "Dick" Lee, E. Lumsden FOLL.: L. Hughes, A. Reynolds, C. Laxton CAPTAIN: P. Wilson COACH: Jock McHale |
| By 1917 Australia was well and truly enmeshed in the Great War in Europe and only 6 teams took part in the VFL competition that year - two more than in 1916! Collingwood again topped the ladder winning 10, drawing 1 and losing 4 games in a shortened 15 game season. In the second semi final played in wet and sloppy conditions the Magpies thrashed South Melbourne by 10 goals and looked like cruising to the flag. But in a very tense final Fitzroy beat us with the last kick of the game - the aptly named Freake running into an open goal just before the bell rang. As minor premier the Magpies got one more crack at Fitzroy to decide the premiers and took a huge risk by playing injured full forward Dick Lee who had not played for the rest of the finals series because of a knee injury and coach Jock McHale brought himself into the side as well to add experience and strength as he had identified a weakness in the �Roys against hard and physical play. The Collingwood players had another unique piece of inspiration as they slogged it out on a wet and muddy MCG. Former player Doc Seddon, serving in the war in France, had fashioned a horseshoe out of German shells and nails from a felled German plane and sent it to his former team mates. The horseshoe was inscribed: "France to C.F.C. Good Luck from Doc, 1917" The Magpies were superior throughout the game but poor kicking allowed the �Roys a slight chance of closing the gap. Four goals to Dick Lee, on one knee, inspired the Pies to a 35 point victory and a flag they dedicated to their friends and relatives fighting in the Great War on the other side of the world - some of whom unfortunately never returned to watch the black and white again. |