In celebration of Retro Round, Collingwood is throwing it back to some of the lesser-known moments in Collingwood’s 133-year history.

This is not about the big moments you all know and love – these are the things the history books glanced over.

From dressing rooms dust ups to the time the Club song very nearly had some lyrics changed, here are five retro moments that you barely knew about.

1. Cult figure Ron Wearmouth ends up in the wrong rooms

When the Pies travelled down the highway to take on Geelong at Kardinia Park in 1976, cult figure Ronnie Wearmouth found himself in a spot of hot water.

Wearmouth – the long-haired, hard-nosed rover who had earned himself a bit of a reputation for loving a scuffle – lived up to his reputation on this day, but may have bit off more than he could chew.

Just as the half-time siren was sounding, Ron decided to give Geelong’s Mick Turner a clip over the ear, in retribution for an earlier altercation. He then immediately set sail for the sanctuary of the dressing rooms. 

Unfortunately for Ron, the races to the respective change rooms were right next to each other and in his haste to get off, he chose the wrong option - soon finding himself in the Geelong dressing room with a host of angry Cats closing in.

A scuffle involving players and officials from both clubs took place, before a quick-witted official defused the situation by throwing Ronnie out the back door of Geelong's rooms and into Collingwood's, much to Ron’s relief.

2. When the Club song almost lost some lyrics

An oft-forgotten part of Collingwood’s history is its short-lived attempt to change the words of 'Good Old Collingwood Forever' in the 1980s.

It came during the ‘Colliwobbles’ era, when a Premiership drought extending more than 25 years made the administration of the time a little uncomfortable with the line 'Oh the Premiership's a cakewalk' in the song.

They commissioned footballing minstrel Mike Brady to record a new version, with the line 'There is just one team we favour' replacing the cakewalk reference that had been so famous for the Club’s century in the league.

Suffice to say, this didn’t sit well with the Magpie Army and common sense soon prevailed when the fans made their unhappiness known, and the 'new' version was consigned to the dustbin of history.

3. Ian McMullin’s unusual claim to fame

Many diehard Pies fans will remember Ian McMullin – not only for his on-field talents that yielded 25 games in the black and white – but his loyalty and service as a board member too.

But the forward who enjoyed two stints with the Pies, holds an unusual claim to fame, largely because his second was so brief and wrapped up in irony.

He first donned the black and white in the 1984 – kicking five goals in just his second game in that year’s Elimination Final against Fitzroy – and stayed with the Pies until 1987.

But as injuries mounted, he took a year off before being picked up by Essendon in 1990. He retired from the Bombers in 1992 after a training accident damaged his vocal chords, but the Magpies used the midseason draft to give him another chance. And that's where his slice of history came into play.

His last game for Essendon came against Collingwood in Round 4 of 1992. His first game back for Collingwood came in Round 19 that same year - and it was against Essendon! So, McMullin’s 45^th career game was for Essendon against Collingwood, and the next game of his senior career, his 46th, was for Collingwood against Essendon. Not many can say that.

Unfortunately, that proved to be his last game at the top level – but as alluded to, he remained a strong contributor to the black and white, serving as a board member for much of the early 2000s.

 4. The Pies’ President pulls on the boots

As far as history suggests, there's only one example of a sitting club President playing for their Club. And it happened with Collingwood back in 1917.

The man in question, Jim Sharp, had been a fine player with both Fitzroy and the Pies until a broken leg forced his retirement in the infamous year of disasters, 1912. Just the next year, he began his stint as Club President.

Fast forward to 1917 and the Pies were one man short in a match at Geelong after 'Lofty' Hughes missed the train, and Sharp agreed to fill in. At age 35, and not having played for five years, there were understandable concerns about his ability to last the game. Those concerns were unfortunately validated when Sharp injured the cartilage in his knee in the first few minutes and had to be carried off.

While it was a selfless act, Jim’s return to the playing field was damningly short and Sharp.

5. The 12-hour GM

Ron Joseph was one of the most feared and famous football administrators in the game as the man who oversaw North Melbourne's resurgence in the 1970s and later served the game with the Swans and further stints at North as well.

But often forgotten – perhaps unsurprisingly – was his brief stint as Collingwood's General Manager in 1975, given it lasted all of 12 hours.

The Magpies trumpeted his appointment in April of '75 to take over from Peter Lucas, and his signing was considered a real coup. He presided over his first committee meeting on a Tuesday night, just hours after being announced.

But the very next morning he announced that he had changed his mind. The Magpies were furious, the Kangaroos delighted, and nobody knew quite what to make of it all.

Things were quickly forgotten, but it goes to show how things don’t always go to plan.

The 2025 Retro Guernsey is available now at the Club Shop in-store and online - Members receive 10% off. Retro Guernseys will also be available to purchase at the Club Shop and MCG on game day. Shop now.