Des Tuddenham

[LALU]

Tuddy is on Open Mike this Monday on Foxtel.

Tough man great captain!!

[sixpoints]

^
Tuddy returned to Collingwood for the 1976 season after four years as captain/coach of Essendon. He played 11 of the first 12 games in '76, but broke his arm across Mark Maclure's rock hard head in Round 12 at Vic Park. We won that game, but the injury finished Tuddy for the year. We also finished up the year in that game, losing 9 of our last 10 to collect the wooden spoon.
The next year, 1977 Tom Hafey was now coach. Tuddy played in Rounds 1 & 2, but didn't do much. Copped a leg injury and Hafey was after younger fitter players. So Round 2 1977 was it for Des Tuddenham.

The paragraphs above, I've copied in from another thread where someone asked if Tuddy actually played again for us after his stint at Essendon.
In his earlier Pies career, I was too young to remember. But like many I've seen clips from games like 64, 66, 70 Grand Finals. In his prime he looked like he was cast from granite. Quick, tough and very skilled too. A real leader. One of our greats, that's for sure.
Overall; 182 games & 251 goals for the Pies.

[rand corp]

Tuddy was as tough as they come, was and remains a Collingwood man and only left or a period when the club would not pay him decent money.

[Mugwump]

Great player, dirty bugger. Just wish he'd missed McKenna's head just before half time in 1970.

[collie dog]

I'll be watching.

[holdencaulfield]

A very memorable day for me was the Pies V Dons at Vic Park 1972. It was Des Tuddenham's first game back at Vic Park as Essendons Captain Coach. Tuddy had been a legend at Collingwood and there were some vindictive Pies fans waiting to give him a "rousing reception" along the lines of "traitor" "turncoat" and the like. The ground was absolutely packed and some fans had scaled the roof of the R T Rush stand. When our Cheer Squad unfurled our Run Through some crazy Essendon Cheer Squad member promptly ran through it. This enraged our Cheer Squad and they charged en masse at the Essendon banner and reduced it to shreds. By the time Tuddy ran out the banner had been hastily repaired but it still had about 100 holes in it. We absolutely slaughtered them from the start but then a fire started. The huge floggers that were being vigorously waved by our Cheer Squad at the Yarra Falls end suddenly and mysteriously caught fire and went up like crepe paper (which they were). Obviously a nasty Essendon fan was suspected of the foul deed and in the aftermath all floggers were subsequently banned . An absolutely memorable day as even though it was 42 years ago it is still very clear in my memory.

[Jezza]

Even though he's clearly before my time, I'll still watch this interview with great interest.

In general, Open Mike has become of the best shows on Fox Footy in recent times.

[London Dave]

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

Here's a nice little highlights package for those who never saw him play (he was before my time too). I just love watching old footage of Magpie champs!

http://youtu.be/veMsu8rN28s

[Lazza]

I received these two tributes to Des Tuddenham from a very good mate, mad Collingwood supporter and former Nick's poster "Magpie Greg". As you will see, they are superb.

Tribute to Hall of Fame Inductee Des Tuddenham
The Legend - Des Tuddenham

I am old enough to remember Des Tuddenham playing in his first year as captain in 1966 as a twenty three year old. He was definitely the best captain of the Pies I have seen.

He came down from Ballarat to play for the Pies in 1962 and ended up winning the Copeland in 1963 in only his second year as a twenty year old. If you saw his body you could work out the style of game he played. He was tough, nuggety and scared of nothing and no one.

Whether he was captain or not, he inspired the Magpies with unbelievable acts of courage and when required, acts of brutality, which were a hair's whisker either side of the line marking fair from unfair, but then again that was the era in which he played. He wasn’t a hit merchant but he would never take a short step.

His first number was No. 30 and he took over No1 in 1966.

His best game of a great year in 1966 was in the Second Semi Final against St. Kilda when he single handedly won the game for the Magpies by kicking 7 goals from the HFF. I have only recently been able to see the last quarter of that game and he scored some great goals (three in the last quarter) where he broke through tackles and packs with sheer strength to kick goals. He snagged one goal where he trapped the ball on the boundary line in the left forward pocket at the Punt Road end of the MCG, he bent down leaned on the ball, picked it up, dodged around and slotted it though from the boundary.

In the 1966 Grand Final he kicked a great torpedo from the flank on the boundary in the last quarter which nearly won the game for us.

In 1967 he played some great football again, though the poor second half of the season which saw Collingwood drop from first to fourth certainly frustrated him. He took his final frustrations for the year out on Geoff Ainsworth of Geelong in the last quarter of the First Semi Final where he copped four weeks. It was after the scores were almost level at 3/4 time but Geelong kicked 5 goals to nothing in the last quarter. Who could blame him? (Incidentally, this was Twiggy Dunne's second game. He kicked four goals in each game in successive weeks.).

This meant that Tuddy missed the first four games of 1968. We were to have an ordinary year that year but with Tuddy's absence, combined with a slight changing of the guard, we lost our first four games. It was a shock to me as a ten year old as we had never had such a bad start, and we had never lost to Fitzroy before. We went down to the Tigers by 16 points at Victoria Park in Round 1 (where incidentally McKenna was reported and suspended for 4 weeks for punching Roger Dean in the stomach, I believe his only suspension). We then got rolled by Fitzroy at Princes Park by 29 points, then back to Victoria Park losing to St. Kilda 2 19 31 to 9 14 68. Then we lost down at Kardinia Park by 9 points.

Tuddy was due back in Round 5 v Hawthorn at Victoria Park. This coincided with John Greening's first game for the Pies. It showed what an inspiration Tuddy was because we not only defeated Hawthorn, we knocked over Essendon the next week and I remember the Sporting Globe headline from that night (as I still have it) "Pies burst Bombers bubble".

Tuddy then suffered a knee injury which held him back for the rest of the season and the Pies wandered between some good performances to some woeful ones before R20 (last round) when we annihilated South Melbourne at Victoria Park and Peter McKenna signalled what was to follow by kicking a bag of 11, his best bag since Round 1 1966 when he got 12.

In 1969, Tuddy re-injured his knee half way through the season in a practice match against Melbourne in Sydney which took place mid-season on a split round week end. It affected his running but not before he was one of our best players in the thrashing of Carlton on their own dung hill when we kicked 12 5 77 to 0 2 2 in the third quarter, surely one of Collingwood's greatest quarters in its history.

In 1970 Tuddy had his run in with T W Sherrin etc and lost the captaincy and inherited no. 8. It did not affect his ability and he along with the team had one of the best H & A seasons ever. We all know what happened in the 1970 Grand Final, but if you can, take a look at the first half and in particular our first goal which Tuddy scored from about 35 metres out after launching himself in the air to grab a loose ball, twirling around while he was doing it, getting clocked on the head and then shooting truly. Every time I see that piece of footage, I feel like putting on the boots and reporting to Mick Malthouse for duty - and I am pretty old!!!

Tuddy started the 1971 season kicking 9 goals against Footscray in the season opener at home and was in such fine form that he was picked as captain of Victoria even though he didn’t captain his team!

He left in 1972 to captain coach Essendon and lifted them into the finals then came back as captain in 1976 under Murray Weideman where he again showed he had not lost his ability winning the game against Melbourne on the QB week end by kicking the winning goal when we had come back from a couple down. He only played 12 games in 76 after Mark McClure's head got in the way of Tuddy's forearm as we dealt with the Blues at Vic Park in Round 12 that year.

He tried to continue with Tom Hafey in 1977 but could only last two games when his knees just gave out and he was forced to retire at the age of 34.

There were none tougher who combined toughness with skill than Des Tudddenham. He was a pocket Darren Millane for strength, and a pocket Daicos for his goal kicking ability at times. If he came to Collingwood now as a 20 year old, we would be half way to winning a premiership.

A salute to one of Collingwood most inspirational and true greats DES TUDDENHAM, AFL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE.

© Magpie Greg 2003 - 2008


and his report of the Coll v Ess game from 72, Tuddy’s return to Vic Park

brawl against the Bombers at Vic Park

Queens Birthday 12 June 1972

Collingwood v. Essendon

The day Des Tuddenham first returned to Victoria Park as Captain Coach of Essendon was truly one of the great Collingwood Essendon clashes.

I remember the day as a 14 year old quite vividly. It was a Public Holiday. It was a cloudless winter sky and the sun shone unhindered all day.

I put 20 Electrifying Hits on the stereo listening to Elton John singing Country Comfort and Country Radio singing Gypsy Queen as I counted down the time to 11.30 am when the family started the trek to Victoria Par from the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Des Tuddenham said the 44,000 strong gave him a warm welcome , the same as they had done for Bob Rose some weeks earlier as Tuddy trod onto the Vic Park turf for the first time as an enemy. Well, Des may think that, but all I know is I heard one of the loudest boos I have ever hear emanating from the Sherrin Stand as he led the black and red heathens onto the ground.

Essendon were the glamour team of 1972 and were in the five as they headed into this round. The Pies had struggled for consistency and were still a game and half out of the five on 22 points from 10 games. They had started to put together some semblance of teamwork in the last few weeks having thrashed Geelong and South Melbourne in consecutive weeks after Bob Rose's Footscray had gotten the points at Victoria Park some weeks earlier.

Robert Rose, Bob’s son had stood out of football for the last 4 weeks and had twice asked for a clearance to Footscray and had been twice refused.

John Greening was having his best year and was leading or near the top of all awards after his move into the centre in 1972.

This was a game that had everything. Gates were torn open, fences broken, spectators risked their lives and fires were lit in an amazing series of events. Health official closed the gates at 1 pm but this didn’t stop spectators breaking into the ground and getting free admission.

Peter Lucas Collingwood General Manager said it was the worst case of crowd behaviour he could ever remember. In particular he said he was disgusted with the behaviour of the cheer squad. and with the incident in the second quarter when the Essendon cheer squad floggers and streamers were set alight. The game had to be stopped for 10 minutes and the crowd swarmed onto the ground to get away from the fire which had spread 80 metres along the fence. It was revenge for an incident before the game when an Essendon supporter charged through the Collingwood run through. He was chased by angry Collingwood supporters who then ran to the Essendon run-through and tore it apart.

But bigger than all this was the football itself.

The game was greatly anticipated and it did not let the fans down. After the third quarter of the Carlton game at Princes Park in 1969, this game produced one of the most electrifying quarters of football I have ever had the privilege of witnessing.

In the dressing rooms before the game Neil Mann refused to mention Des Tuddenham’s name.. He said he wanted the Magpies to play Essendon, not Tuddenham.- and play Essendon they did.

The Magpies started slowly and held a small lead going in to quarter time. The second quarter was much the same until the streamers caught fire. After that incident the Dons scored a couple of goals as they went to a 15 point lead and everyone was thinking the Bombers may run away with the game in the second half.

But the third quarter commenced with the Pies kicking to the Yarra Falls end. At the conclusion of the quarter the Magpies had kicked 10-3-63 to 1 -3 9 and had sprinted to a 38 point lead with scintillating team work as they produce d a classic run on football to completely demoralise Essendon.

Len Thompson dominated the ruck in a best on ground display, Max and Wayne Richardson and Barry Price took it away and delivered it to the forwards. And Peter McKenna dominated kicking 7 goals for the quarter in a game where he ended up with 13 goals.

Even Ian McOrist was a good player as his opponent Barry Davis complained “this guy just keeps running all over the ground, he never keeps still”! Maybe McOrist was playing 21st century football!

I have vivid memories of Ronnie Wearmouth and John Greening streaming down the outer wing and either chipping to or handballing over to Peter McKenna as we decimated Essendon.

Doug Gott was playing as a great foil at centre half forward chipping in for three goals, and Con Britt and Jeff Clifton and Daryl Salmon were impassable in defence setting up many forward thrusts in the third quarter.

The amazing run of goals in the third quarter left even the match committee aghast such was the surgical precision and excitement of the standard of play.

The Collingwood machine ground the Bomber into the ground with another great quarter in the last to run out 55 point winners.

Tommy Sherrin said after the game “it was the finest game I have ever seen Collingwood play” in an emotional speech to several hundred supporters in the dressing room. Thompson’s stats were 19 kicks, 11 marks two handpasses and 37 ruck tap outs out of a game total for both sides of 42. Thompson was forced to ruck unchanged all day due to Graeme Jenkin getting injured early in the game and Bob Heard missing with injury.

It was like a revivalist meeting in the dressing rooms afterwards, with fans throwing in $400 for the players and loudly cheering each word uttered by any Collingwood official and the trophy winners that day, Thompson, McKenna and Classy wingman Alan Atkinson.

After the game Tuddy said the Magpies are always hard to beat out here! His return had been a nightmare. He said the roar of the crowd was intimidating in the third quarter. It was one of the loudest roars I have heard which was equalled again the day Starcevich kicked 2 goals in 2 minutes in the last quarter against Carlton at the MCG in 1988, when Rupert Betheras scored a goal in Q3 v Brisbane at the Doe in 2002and later that year when Rocca scored in the PF agasint Adelaide in the Q3.

Thankfully the one quarter they showed that night on the football replay on Channels 7 and 9 was the third quarter.

Oh, and after watching this game form the stands Robert Rose decided to play out the season with the Magpies.

The Pies went on to play well with occasional lapses for the rest of the season but suffered the blows of losing John Greening only three weeks later to Jim O’Dea’s cowardice and losing Peter McKenna for the finals which thwarted their finals campaign where they went out in straight sets.


The scores


Collingwood v Essendon
3 4 22 2 2 14
5 5 35 7 9 51
15 8 98 8 12 60
23 10 148 13 15 93


Goalkickers
McKenna 13, Gott 3, Wearmouth 2, M. Richardson 2, W. Richardson, Greening McOrist

Best Thompson, McKenna, Britt Atkinson Price Oborne Salmon Wayne Richardson, Greening, McOrist.

[Dave The Man]

[Lazza]

[HAL]

When was this exactly?

[King Monkey]

Great read(s)!!
Paints a fantastic picture of the day and the era.

[Dave The Man]