Des Fothergill

Recruited from Collingwood Technical School, Des Fothergill remains one of the most prodigious talents to ever pull on the black and white stripes. A teenage sensation who debuted at just 16, he achieved more in his first four years than most players manage in a lifetime, winning the Copeland Trophy in his debut season (1937), again in his second year (1938), and for a third time in 1940. A brilliant rover and half-forward with lethal foot skills and an innate goal sense, his pre-war dominance culminated in the 1940 season where he tied with South Melbourne’s Herbie Matthews for the Brownlow Medal. At just 20 years old, Fothergill was already established as the game's premier small man, renowned for his ability to win his own ball and finish accurately under pressure.

Fothergill’s career trajectory took a dramatic turn during the "throw-pass" era when he controversially crossed to VFA club Williamstown in 1941 without a clearance, following his former teammate Ron Todd. He was simply a class above the VFA competition, winning the Recorder Cup and VFA Medal in his solitary season by a record margin before the Second World War interrupted football across the country. After serving in the Army and suffering a significant knee injury in Darwin, he returned to Victoria Park in 1945. Despite playing on virtually one leg, he reinvented himself as a permanent forward, topping the club's goalkicking twice more before the injury forced his retirement at just 26. A member of the Collingwood Team of the Century, Fothergill is remembered as a genius whose prime was fractured by war and politics, yet whose brilliance was undeniable.