Collingwood honoured five members of the 2010 premiership side with life membership at the 2020 annual general meeting on Wednesday evening.
A man who celebrated that famous victory of a decade ago like few others, Joffa Corfe, was also acknowledged with a special services award before a crowd gathered at the Glasshouse.
BE PART OF THE MAGPIE ARMY Join or renew as a Collingwood member today
Life membership was also granted to Ian Cooper, the embodiment of an old-school Collingwood defender who spent 12 seasons at Victoria Park in the 1970s and 1980s.
Fittingly in a premiership reunion year, the focus of the life membership ceremony was upon those who helped to deliver Collingwood’s 15th flag. Darren Jolly, Sharrod Wellingham, Jarryd Blair, Dale Thomas and Tyson Goldsack were all honoured.
All premiership players receive life membership when they finish their careers. Six of the 2010 team, Scott Pendlebury, Ben Reid, Dayne Beams, Steele Sidebottom, Heath Shaw and Nathan Brown, remain active.
Collingwood president, Eddie McGuire, thanked the five not only for their service and achievements but for the joy they gave to Collingwood fans who, to that point, had not known what it was like to experience a premiership or had not enjoyed the thrill since 1990.
“You gave all of us an experience, a moment, that we will never forget. On behalf of Collingwood people everywhere, I thank you once again,” McGuire said.
“Life membership is Collingwood’s highest honour and without question you all thoroughly deserve it. You helped take us to the summit, you enriched the story of our club and you made us proud. Collingwood is still benefitting from what you built in your time and what you left behind for those who followed.”
Cooper’s honour was of a different order. Although he distinguished himself in September the teams of his time (1972-1983) were luckless. The Magpies played finals in nine of his 12 seasons but were unable to end the club’s premiership drought. In four of those years the club was runner-up.
With the likes of Stan Magro and Kevin Worthington for company in the Collingwood defence, Cooper’s uncompromising style added to the reputation of the Magpies as a hard-nosed, blue-collar outfit who could occasionally be outclassed but rarely beaten for ferocity or heart.
His 93 match career was also crafted out of great perseverance. Cooper missed the best part of five seasons due to injury and an unusual arthritic ankle condition.
“The expression ‘a hard won kick’ could have been written for Ian Cooper’s opponents,” McGuire said.
“He played some magnificent matches – he kept the great Peter Hudson goalless in 1974 and was outstanding in the 1981 preliminary final. He was a very good mark but ‘Strop’ Cooper played football the hard way. Just as Collingwood people wanted it. He gave our club tremendous service and his recognition tonight will bring a lot of joy to those who remember the 1970s and 1980s.”
Life Membership
Darren Jolly
Sharrod Wellingham
Jarryd Blair
Dale Thomas
Tyson Goldsack
Ian Cooper
