1990 Premiership player and Hall of Famer Gavin Crosisca has donated his lifetime of football memorabilia to the Collingwood Museum – and some of the best items are now on public display for the first time.

In an extraordinarily generous act, Crosisca has given us a wealth of material dating back to his junior days in Queensland. Highlights include:

  • His 1990 Premiership medal;
  • The guernsey, boots and shorts he wore in the 1990 Grand Final;
  • His 1986 Under-19s Premiership medal;
  • The jumpers he wore for the Allies, Queensland and Victoria, plus several team blazers;
  • A wide variety of trophies and other souvenirs from across his career;
  • Various Club medals;
  • A wonderful collection of guernseys and photos from his days in Queensland;
  • Scrapbooks, photos and clippings from a life spent in football.

One particularly unusual item is a black-and-white cap with Gav’s nickname ‘Bagger’ on the back and the words ‘Slow the warm-up laps down you idiots’ on the front. It was given to him by teammates as a ‘dig’ over his well-known dislike of training.

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There’s also some adorable photos of him as a kid, plus certificates he received as a youngster for completing the basic skills of football, and also for competing in the Little League.

Museum curator Michael Roberts said it was a remarkable collection of items.

“The great thing is that Gav hasn’t only kept the ‘obvious’ items, such as the trophies and medals from his Collingwood days.

“He’s also kept some unique curiosities that we’ve not seen before. Plus his collection goes all the way back to when he was a kid. It’s one of the most comprehensive collections of an individual player we have ever received, and we can’t thank Gavin enough.”

Crosisca played 246 games for Collingwood across 14 seasons, becoming one of the Club’s most consistent high-level performers during a long and distinguished career. He was a key member of the Club’s famous 1990 Premiership team, and was also part of the under-19s Premiership in 1986. He finished second in the best-and-fairest once, and twice finished third. He also won a number of other awards for Best Teammate/Best Clubman, and was a highly respected teammate who gave everything for the team.

The items will be on display in the Club’s Museum for the next couple of months.