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Collingwood\u2019s long-term former president Eddie McGuire said he felt just as invested and emotional watching his beloved Magpies win a flag this year as he had been when the club won a premiership in 2010 during his reign.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always say, right from when I was a little boy when I was barracking over the fence that I was invested in the club and if it rained when I was there with my beanie on and it was running down my neck I felt even more invested,\u201d McGuire told this masthead.<\/p>\n
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Eddie McGuire enjoyed the Pies\u2019 premiership in 2010.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Paul Rovere<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just been wonderful. I said when I was president in 2010 that it was as much about Syd Coventry and WE Beasley and everybody else [as the current generation] and this feels the same.<\/p>\n \u201c[In] the team there are players who didn\u2019t get a kick, players who played brilliantly and they all played a role. I think the joy that Craig McRae has brought to the club is wonderful.<\/p>\n \u201cMy old mate Jeff Browne and I were together when I took over the place [as president in 1999], it\u2019s just a wonderful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n McGuire and Mark Korda, the two most recent past presidents, were both at the club\u2019s celebration at Centrepiece function centre on Saturday night along with former coach and champion player Nathan Buckley and ex-players Anthony Rocca, Luke Ball and Sharrod Wellingham.<\/p>\n Browne told the function the club wanted to recognise that the success was built on the efforts of those who went before them and not a product of two good seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are one big club. We are Collingwood … this club has got a rich history, and days like this celebrate that history and salute the people that have gone before. We should never forget that,\u201d Browne said.<\/p>\n Collingwood had played in finals in all but one of the last six years, including four preliminary finals, a semi-final and two grand finals. That period had included three different presidents, two football managers, two list managers and two coaches. All of the changes, other than the public board election, had been free of rancour. But even the changes of president now left no animosity with Korda or McGuire.<\/p>\n McGuire joked the that the grand final itself was \u201cnever in doubt\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI said to myself, \u2018we are due to win a close one\u2019. We have won for two years the close ones \u2013 we got knocked off in the finals last year in a couple of close ones, but we have won the close ones and I just thought in the last quarter, \u2018we are sure to win a close one,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me to have been there the night that [recruiting manager] Derek Hine came to me and said \u2018we are going to have a bit of a risk\u2019. I said \u2018what\u2019s that?\u2019 He said \u2018there\u2019s a kid called Pendlebury and we are going to get him at five.\u2019 I said what\u2019s the risk? He said \u2018he\u2019s a basketball player but the guy is unbelievable, he could play 300 games\u2019. Well, hopefully he plays 400.<\/p>\n \u201cTo see what he did in the last quarter and \u2018Sidey\u2019 [Steele Sidebottom] and Mason Cox. Coxy\u2019s the biggest elf in the world, he comes around and has Christmas dinner with us and he was out the door a couple of times [at the club] and Jordy [de Goey], you know there\u2019s a couple of blokes we had to fight for and gee they delivered, so for me personally this win means everything.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like the boy in 1977 again except this time we won.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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