John Dellamarta

Recruited from Trinity Grammar, John Dellamarta had a strong family connection to Collingwood—his father and uncle were former reserves players—but he had to serve a dedicated apprenticeship of over 70 reserves games before breaking into the senior side. Standing 185cm with a distinctive mop of blond hair, he was a versatile utility who settled primarily as a half-back flanker capable of unleashing a prodigious long kick. However, his momentum was constantly stalled by injuries, most notably knee and leg issues that kept him on the fringe of the senior 22. At the end of 1978, Dellamarta was part of a major trade deal that sent him, Phil Carman, and Wayne Gordon to Melbourne in exchange for Ross Brewer, whom Dellamarta had ironically been suspended for striking a year earlier. His fortune did not improve at the Demons, where a preseason shoulder dislocation restricted him to just two appearances, eventually leading him to finish his career with Prahran in the VFA.