The greatest Collingwood captain - Des Tuddenham

[Colin G Wood]

MG,

While I am not sure whether I'd rate Tuddy ahead of Bucks (or even Tony Shaw for that matter), I agree whole-heartedly with you that Tuddy was a fantastic Captain - and also a great Collingwood Man, despite the fact that he left in '72 for Essendon.

The claim that he in some way cost us the flag in 1970 is preposterous!! His fantatical attack on the ball was the very thing that opposition sides feared. If we need to blame something for 1970, we should look at the gods - they didn't smile on us that day. Between Tuddy and McKenna they would have probably kicked around 200 goals for the season that year, and neither can remember much about the second half of the GF. We were cursed!!

To further list Tuddy's credentials, you really have to add the Essendon years to the record. They were crap back then - and in particular bloody soft. Tuddy took them back into the finals as a Captain-Coach leading from the front. It was his blood 'n guts style which lifted Essendon out the lower depths of the ladder. Remember the number of times Tuddy came off the ground all bloodied? If they'd had a blood rule back then, Des would never have had any game time. I recall one day he broke his leg and walked off (and I don't think I am getting confused with Francis Bourke who did the same thing).

As for the comment...

"As for Tuddy, he held the club to ransom about pay. Tried to play a power duel with a hugely underrated figure and argubly a member of Collingwood's second greatest family in Tom Sherrin."

I believe Sherrin's administration was really responsible for us not winning flags in the '60's and 70's. They saw fit to overpay an average player from WA - Peter Eakins - then deny true Collingwood champions like Tuddy and Thommo the reasonable pay that they were entitled to. Tuddy was disgracefully stripped of the captaincy - which essentially ended his time at Vic. Park (until he later returned under Murray Weideman in '76). Yet in 1971 they State selectors appointed him Captain of the Big V against South Aust. It was the first time in history that a non-Captain was afforded the honour of leading the Big V - that showed what a poor decision Sherrin had made.

Yeah Sherrin gave a lot to the club, but some administrator's own egos detract from their decision-making - look at the enemy for a recent example!!!

Tuddy - you were a Magpie Great!!

In fact MG - the more I remember Des Tuddenham - the more I am coming around to your conclusion about him being the best captain in our time (to put this in context - I am 47).


PS MG - This is the sort of politics that does belong up here. By the way I appreciate your gesture mate. Also - another great post!!!!

[Colin G Wood]

Yeah MG - I also forgot to add that Tuddy is a top bloke, as well as a top Magpie. I met him once at a Montmorency FC night.

On Peter McKenna - My younger brother and I followed him in to the rooms every game, as did several hundred other kids. And he never went in until he gave every last kid an autograph.

I never met him personally myself, but knew a family who knew his family well, and he always put himself out to oblige kids, charities and junior clubs. I remember him turning up to a pie night over in Williamstown (a South Melbourne recruiting area) without any charge. All the kids were wrapped.

Top bloke and best kick for goal you could ever see. Also a good finals / big occasion player. Kicked over 30 goals in 4 games against Carlton in 1970.

That's it for now - I'm off to see us kick some Crow arse!!!



homselfsigned every last kids autogr

[MarkT]

MG, Tuddy was a legend on the field but a dh off it. He was an inspiring captain for sure.

Williams was a gun in his prime but was axed by LM because he was a sook - still is. His best was behind him by then as shown by his non existent form thereafter. Williams was a good enough captain but no better than Buckley is now, although a hell of a lot better than Bucklay was for his first few years. One reason Collingwood did not win a flag in the early/mid 70's to mid/late 80's is that we had adequate but not great leadership.

Any suggestion that Williams was better than Daicos because he beat him to the centre position in his first year is rubbish I'm affraid Rohan. Williams was older and had a stronger body at that stage. In game one Daicos kicked 6 and repeated that the next week. That is why Daicos stayed up forward. Later Daicos replaced Williams in the middle and won the Copeland after Mathews told him that footy had passed him by due to his injuries, even latter Daicos almost kick the ton as a forward pocket, while Williams was at best a solid forward.

I would take Tuddy ahead of Williams any day. Not sure about Tuddy v Daicos though. Had Daicos not had a knee injury and stress fractures he could easily have won another couple of Copelands and a brownlow. Tuddy's toughness would be fantastic to add to our list right now.

If we could add Tuddy, Daicos and Len Thompson to the current list I'd sell my house and put it all on the Pies for the flag. Then I just sit back and smile for the next 6 months.