Who are the greatest Collingwood Magpies players of all time? From Gordon Coventry, Bob Rose and Peter Daicos to Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Nick Daicos, The Sporting Base ranks the top 25 Collingwood Magpies players across more than a century of black and white.
Collingwood has won 16 VFL/AFL premierships — joint-most with Carlton and Essendon — according to the club’s honour roll. The 1927-30 four-peat still stands alone, and the 2010 and 2023 flags rewrote the story for a new generation. In October 2026 the club farewelled Scott Pendlebury to Gold Coast for pick 65, Steele Sidebottom retired after 18 seasons, and Lachie Neale is set to pull on the black and white. Time to rank the greatest Collingwood Magpies players.
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How we ranked them
This list is TSB’s opinion, weighed on premierships, individual honours, longevity, peak form and impact in the black and white jumper. Games and goals are Collingwood senior VFL/AFL figures (finals included), drawn from Collingwood Forever, club announcements, AFL Tables and cross-checked Wikipedia career boxes. Collingwood games only; 2026 leavers use published end-of-season totals. The Team of the Century and Copeland Trophy history guided the shortlist, but the order is ours.
25. Darcy Moore (2015-present)
Collingwood games: 199 (67 goals)
Premierships: 2023 (captain)
Key honours: Collingwood captain 2023-; All-Australian 2020, 2023
Peter Moore’s son lifted the 2023 premiership cup as captain and already owns two All-Australian jumpers as a key defender. At 199 games to the end of 2026, premiership captaincy puts him firmly in the modern conversation.
24. Jack Regan (1930-1946)
Collingwood games: 196 (3 goals)
Premierships: 1935, 1936
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1936; Collingwood Team of the Century (full-back); CFC Hall of Fame
Named full-back in the Team of the Century, ‘Snozzle’ Regan was the era’s premier key defender across 196 games and dual premierships. Haydn Bunton and Dick Reynolds both rated him the best full-back they faced.
23. Darren Millane (1984-1991)
Collingwood games: 147 (79 goals)
Premierships: 1990
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1987; All-Australian 1990; Collingwood Team of the Century (wing); CFC Hall of Fame
‘Pants’ Millane won the 1987 Copeland Trophy, starred on a wing in the 1990 premiership and was named in the Team of the Century. His death in 1991 cut short a career already among Collingwood’s most loved.
22. Billy Picken (1974-1986)
Collingwood games: 212 (46 goals)
Premierships: None
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1978, 1983; Collingwood Team of the Century (half-back); CFC Hall of Fame
A twin Copeland winner and Team of the Century half-back, Picken was Collingwood’s defensive rock through the late 1970s and early 1980s. His 212 Magpie games (plus a Sydney stint) underline a black-and-white heart.
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21. Albert Collier (1925-1939)
Collingwood games: 205 (54 goals)
Premierships: 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 1929; Copeland Trophy 1929, 1934, 1935; Collingwood Team of the Century (centre half-back)
‘Collie’ won the 1929 Brownlow Medal and six premierships alongside brother Harry. Named at centre half-back in the Team of the Century, he was the engine of Jock McHale’s greatest sides.
20. Thorold Merrett (1950-1960)
Collingwood games: 180 (148 goals)
Premierships: 1953, 1958
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1958, 1959; Collingwood Team of the Century (wing); CFC Hall of Fame
A dual premiership wingman and dual Copeland winner, Merrett earned a Team of the Century wing across 180 games bridging the 1953 and 1958 flags.
19. Des Fothergill (1937-1947)
Collingwood games: 111 (337 goals)
Premierships: None
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 1940 (equal); Copeland Trophy 1937, 1938, 1940; club leading goalkicker 1940, 1945, 1946
Three Copelands by age 22 and a 1940 Brownlow (equal) made Fothergill a phenomenon before war service. He still kicked 337 goals in only 111 games.
18. Nick Daicos (2022-present)
Collingwood games: 118 (89 goals)
Premierships: 2023
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 2026; Copeland Trophy 2024, 2026; All-Australian 2023-2026; AFL Rising Star 2022
Peter’s son has packed a career of silverware into four seasons: a 2023 flag, Rising Star, four straight All-Australian blazers, two Copelands and the 2026 Brownlow Medal. At 118 games he is already inside any Collingwood Magpies players debate — and still rising.
17. Gavin Brown (1987-2000)
Collingwood games: 254 (195 goals)
Premierships: 1990
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1989, 1994, 1997; All-Australian 1989, 1991, 1994; captain 1994-1998; Team of the Century (interchange, added 2002)
‘Browny’ won three Copelands, captained the club and was added to the Team of the Century when the bench expanded. A 1990 premiership player, he personified Collingwood grit.
16. Murray Weideman (1953-1963)
Collingwood games: 180 (261 goals)
Premierships: 1953, 1958
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1957, 1961, 1962; club leading goalkicker 1959, 1960, 1962; captain 1960-1963; Team of the Century (centre half-forward)
‘The Weed’ was a dual premiership forward, triple Copeland winner and Team of the Century centre half-forward who captained Collingwood in the early 1960s.
Read more: Greatest AFL Grand Finals of all time
15. Peter McKenna (1965-1975)
Collingwood games: 180 (838 goals)
Premierships: None
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1970; Coleman Medal 1972, 1973; club leading goalkicker 1967-1974; CFC Hall of Fame
McKenna’s 838 Collingwood goals sit second only to Gordon Coventry. Twin Coleman Medals and eight straight club leading-goalkicker awards made ‘The Kiwi’ the face of Magpie football without a flag.
14. Lou Richards (1941-1955)
Collingwood games: 250 (423 goals)
Premierships: 1953 (captain)
Key honours: Premiership captain 1953; club leading goalkicker 1944, 1948, 1950; captain 1952-1955; Australian Football Hall of Fame
‘Lou’ captained Collingwood to the 1953 premiership, kicked 423 goals in 250 games and later became Australian sport’s most recognisable media voice — a Magpie immortal on and off the field.
13. Dick Lee (1906-1922)
Collingwood games: 230 (707 goals)
Premierships: 1910, 1917, 1919
Key honours: Club leading goalkicker 11 times; Collingwood Team of the Century (half-forward); CFC Hall of Fame
Before Coventry, Lee was Collingwood’s first great full-forward — 707 goals, three premierships and 11 club leading-goalkicker awards, named at half-forward in the Team of the Century.
12. Steele Sidebottom (2009-2026)
Collingwood games: 375 (213 goals)
Premierships: 2010, 2023
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 2017, 2018; All-Australian 2018; Anzac Day Medal 2016, 2025; co-vice-captain 2015-2022
Second only to Pendlebury on Collingwood’s games list, Sidebottom linked the 2010 and 2023 flags across 18 seasons. Twin Copelands, an All-Australian blazer and a 2026 farewell close the career covered in our retirement story and Wikipedia’s end-of-2026 totals.
11. Phonse Kyne (1934-1950)
Collingwood games: 245 (237 goals)
Premierships: 1935, 1936 (player); 1953, 1958 (coach)
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1946, 1947, 1948; Team of the Century (half-forward); premiership coach 1953, 1958
Few Magpies match Kyne’s dual legacy: 1930s premierships as a player, three straight Copelands after the war, then dual flags as coach in 1953 and 1958. Team of the Century royalty in two roles.
10. Syd Coventry (1922-1934)
Collingwood games: 227 (62 goals)
Premierships: 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 (captain)
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 1927; Copeland Trophy 1927, 1932; Team of the Century (captain); CFC Hall of Fame
Captain of the four-peat and named skipper of the Team of the Century, Syd Coventry won the 1927 Brownlow Medal and led Collingwood’s most dominant stretch. Brother Gordon kicked the goals; Syd ran the ship.
9. Tony Shaw (1978-1994)
Collingwood games: 313 (157 goals)
Premierships: 1990 (captain)
Key honours: Norm Smith Medal 1990; Copeland Trophy 1984, 1990; All-Australian 1990; captain 1987-1993; Team of the Century
Shaw’s Norm Smith Medal in the 1990 grand final ended a 32-year drought. Two Copelands, seven years as captain and 313 games earned Team of the Century and Hall of Fame honours.
8. Harry Collier (1926-1940)
Collingwood games: 253 (299 goals)
Premierships: 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935, 1936
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 1930 (retrospective joint); Copeland Trophy 1928, 1930; captain 1935-1939; Team of the Century (rover)
Six premierships, a retrospective joint 1930 Brownlow Medal, twin Copelands and five years as captain put Harry Collier among the most decorated Magpies. Named Team of the Century rover, he was McHale’s fierce small man.
7. Len Thompson (1965-1978)
Collingwood games: 268 (217 goals)
Premierships: None
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 1972; Copeland Trophy 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1977; All-Australian 1972; Team of the Century (ruck)
Five Copeland Trophies and the 1972 Brownlow Medal make ‘Big Len’ the standard-bearer for individual brilliance without a Magpie flag. Team of the Century ruckman across 268 games.
6. Dane Swan (2003-2016)
Collingwood games: 258 (211 goals)
Premierships: 2010
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 2011; Copeland Trophy 2008, 2009, 2010; All-Australian 2009-2013; Leigh Matthews Trophy 2010; CFC Hall of Fame 2025
Swan’s 2011 Brownlow Medal capped a five-year All-Australian streak and three straight Copelands through the 2010 flag. Inducted into the CFC Hall of Fame in 2025, he remains the midfield face of the modern Magpies.
5. Peter Daicos (1979-1993)
Collingwood games: 250 (549 goals)
Premierships: 1990
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1982, 1988; All-Australian 1982, 1988, 1990; club leading goalkicker five times; Team of the Century (forward pocket)
‘The Magpie God’ kicked 549 goals with impossible snaps and starred in the 1990 drought-breaker. Twin Copelands, three All-Australian selections and a Team of the Century pocket seal the legend.
4. Bob Rose (1946-1955)
Collingwood games: 152 (214 goals)
Premierships: 1953
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953; All-Australian 1953; Team of the Century (centre); Australian Football Hall of Fame
Four Copeland Trophies in five seasons and the Team of the Century centre jumper define Rose’s peak. A 1953 premiership player who later coached the club, he remains Collingwood’s ‘Mr Magpie’.
3. Nathan Buckley (1994-2007)
Collingwood games: 260 (263 goals)
Premierships: None (as a Magpie player)
Key honours: Brownlow Medal 2003; Norm Smith Medal 2002; Copeland Trophy ×6 (club record); All-Australian ×7; Team of the Century (half-back); Australian Football Hall of Fame
Six Copeland Trophies remain a Collingwood record. Buckley’s 2003 Brownlow Medal, 2002 Norm Smith Medal and seven All-Australian blazers came without a Magpie premiership as a player — yet the Team of the Century named him at half-back in his fourth season. He later coached the 2010 flag; see also Brisbane’s interest in him as coach.
2. Gordon Coventry (1920-1937)
Collingwood games: 306 (1299 goals)
Premierships: 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1935
Key honours: Copeland Trophy 1933; 16× club leading goalkicker; 6× VFL leading goalkicker; Team of the Century (full-forward); Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend
‘Nuts’ Coventry’s 1299 goals remain the club record and long stood as the VFL/AFL mark. Five flags and 306 games earn the Team of the Century full-forward jumper — TSB’s No.2 Magpie.
1. Scott Pendlebury (2006-2026)
Collingwood games: 442 (209 goals)
Premierships: 2010, 2023
Key honours: Norm Smith Medal 2010 (GF replay); Copeland Trophy ×5; All-Australian ×6; Anzac Day Medal ×4; VFL/AFL games record; captain 2014-2022
The VFL/AFL games record holder left Collingwood with 442 matches, dual premierships 13 years apart, a Norm Smith Medal, five Copelands and six All-Australian selections, as Collingwood confirmed and AFL.com.au reported on the Gold Coast trade for pick 65. No Magpie has matched that blend of longevity and September success — TSB’s No.1 Collingwood player.
Honourable mentions
Honourable mentions: Travis Cloke (2010 flag, 441 goals), Bobby Hill (2023 Norm Smith Medal), Saverio Rocca (514 goals), Peter Moore (1979 Brownlow), Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey.
Sixteen flags, the 1927-30 four-peat and a huge membership base explain Collingwood’s place in AFL history. The 2010 and 2023 flags bookend a modern era now changing: Pendlebury at the Suns, Sidebottom retired, Neale arriving. For more club lists, see our biggest trades in AFL history ranking and the TSB AFL hub. Get Magpies news via the iPhone app or Android app.
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