Some players get to ease into their VFL careers by getting their debut in a relatively 'soft' game. But not Don Walsh.
The country boy from Cohuna made his debut in the cauldron of a Collingwood-Carlton game at Victoria Park midway through 1954. And not just any Magpies-Blues clash either, but one that would go down in history as one of the wildest ever between the two fierce rivals. Players from both sides were flattened, fisticuffs flew freely and spot fires broke out all over the ground.
But the game was memorable for more than just the fights, with the Pies storming home in the last few minutes to haul in a Carlton lead and win by nine points. The home crowd, as you might expect, went berserk.
It must have been a hell of a first outing for Walsh, who had been photographed for a newspaper the day before his debut looking relaxed and "whistling all day as he unloaded cigarettes in a Melbourne tobacco factory". By then he'd more than earned his crack at the big time.
PROFILE: Read the full story of Don Walsh's football career on Collingwood Forever.
Don Walsh
Games: 6
Goals: 0
Born: 26 August 1934
Recruited From: Cohuna
Debut: Round 8 1954 v Carlton at Victoria Park
Final Game: Round 13 1955 v North Melbourne at Victoria Park
Fisticuffs flow freely on debut
Some players get to ease into their VFL careers by getting their debut in a relatively 'soft' game. But not Don Walsh.
