Footyinfo
Footyinfo
Footyinfo
Home
Theme
--:--
PAD
PAD
COL
COL
Alberton Oval
--:--
STK
STK
BRL
BRL
RSEA Park
--:--
GEE
GEE
FRE
FRE
GMHBA Stadium
--:--
GCS
GCS
RCH
RCH
People First Stadium
--:--
WBD
WBD
MEL
MEL
Mission Whitten Oval
--:--
SYD
SYD
WCE
WCE
Henson Park
--:--
NTH
NTH
ADE
ADE
North Hobart Oval
--:--
HAW
HAW
ESS
ESS
Kennedy Community Centre
--:--
CAR
CAR
GWS
GWS
Ikon Park

Des Tuddenham

Collingwood and Essendon

AFL career

251 games317 goals

Debut
R5 1962 v GEE19 May 1962
Most recent
R2 1977 v NTH9 Apr 1977

Coaching career

112 games56 wins56 losses0 draws

First
R1 1972 v FSC3 Apr 1972
Most recent
R22 1978 v NTH2 Sept 1978

Stats

1977
COL
2
6.0
1.5
7.5
0.5
2.0
3.5
2.0
0.5
1976
COL
11
9.3
3.2
12.5
2.5
2.6
2.1
1.2
0.8
1975
ESS
9
13.7
6.3
20.0
3.4
2.7
2.6
1.2
0.7
1974
ESS
21
13.7
4.4
18.1
3.9
2.6
2.8
0.9
0.7
1973
ESS
18
12.1
4.6
16.7
2.4
2.6
2.8
0.8
0.4
1972
ESS
21
13.6
3.2
16.8
2.3
2.6
2.4
1.0
0.9
1971
COL
22
19.7
6.0
25.6
6.0
3.0
2.0
2.2
1.3
1970
COL
24
16.5
4.3
20.8
3.0
2.6
2.6
1.4
1.8
1969
COL
15
15.7
2.4
18.1
2.8
3.6
1.9
1.7
1.7
1968
COL
8
20.8
3.1
23.9
4.0
2.1
3.5
1.1
1.5
1967
COL
19
14.7
2.4
17.1
3.0
3.1
2.1
1.2
1.9
1966
COL
20
16.6
2.6
19.2
3.2
2.3
2.7
1.5
1.3
1965
COL
19
16.7
3.6
20.3
3.9
1.9
2.0
1.4
2.1
1964
COL
17
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.2
-
1963
COL
13
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.6
-
1962
COL
12
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.8
-
League
Season
NTH
AS
R2
4
2
6
0
2
5
0
2.0
FSC
VP
R1
8
1
9
1
2
2
0
2.1

Profile

Born
29 Jan 1943 (age 83y 265d)
Birthplace
Ross Creek, VIC
Height
180 cm
Weight
84 kg

Teams

Coaching

  • Essendon (Senior Coach)
    1972–1975
    90 games (W47 L43 D0), 52.2%
  • South Melbourne (Senior Coach)
    1978
    22 games (W9 L13 D0), 40.9%

Honours

  • Hall of Fame2008
  • Collingwood B&F1963
    2nd
    1965, 1966, 1971
  • Collingwood captain(5×) 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1976
  • Essendon captain(4×) 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
  • Brownlow Medal
    Top 10
    1971

Bio

1 revision

Recruited from the Ballarat region, Des Tuddenham established himself as one of the most uncompromising and inspirational figures in Collingwood history. Playing primarily as a half-forward flanker who could rotate through the midfield, he was renowned for his fearlessness, physical aggression, and ability to lift his side through sheer determination. His leadership qualities saw him appointed captain of the Magpies, where he won a Copeland Trophy and became the spiritual leader of the club during a highly competitive era.

Tuddenham's career trajectory took a dramatic turn in 1972 when a high-profile pay dispute with the Collingwood committee resulted in a controversial transfer to arch-rivals Essendon. He served as captain-coach of the Bombers for four seasons, maintaining his individual brilliance even as he navigated the challenges of coaching. In a rare twist, he reconciled with the Magpies administration to return to Victoria Park for a two-year swansong in 1976, finishing his VFL career where it began. He is immortalised in the Collingwood Team of the Century, remembered as a fierce competitor who never took a backward step.

Edit