Maurice Ignatius Collins (21 July 1876 – 8 November 1943) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for Essendon in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL).

Family

The son of Timothy Collins (1843-1899), and Catherine Collins (1846-1928), née Nunan, Maurice Ignatius Collins was born at Clifton Hill, Victoria on 21 July 1876. He married Eileen Mary Marsh (1886-1968) in 1906. They had four children; one of whom, Alan Collins (1914-1914) died in his infancy. In 1927, another of their three sons, Maurice Xavier Collins (1907-1955), was captain of the Old Xaverians Football Club in the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA).

Football

Essendon (VFL)

Collins played his early football with the Albert Park Football Club. He was injured during the

1897 VFL finals series The Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League's 1897 VFL finals series, finals series determined the top four final positions of the 1897 VFL season. It began on the weekend of 21 August and ended on the weekend of 3 Sep ...

but according to some sources made one appearance. Collins, a defender, was a member of Essendon's 1901 premiership team, as a

back pocket Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul music, soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2011. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss, and bassist Joe Dart, the band has released four extended plays, six studio a ...

. A VFL representative, he was the vice captain of Essendon for his final season.

1899 team of "champions"

At the end of the 1899 season, in the process of naming his own "champion player", the football correspondent for ''The Argus'', Reginald Wilmot ("Old Boy"), selected a team of the best players of the 1899 VFL competition: * Backs: Maurie Collins (Essendon),

Bill Proudfoot William Henry Proudfoot (11 June 1868 – 11 January 1931) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The so ...

(Collingwood), Peter Burns (Geelong). * Halfbacks: Pat Hickey (Fitzroy), George Davidson (South Melbourne), Alf Wood (Melbourne). * Centres: Fred Leach (Collingwood),

Firth McCallum Firth William McCallum (27 December 1872 – 11 July 1910) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, loc ...

(Geelong),

Harry Wright William Henry "Harry" Wright (January 10, 1835 – October 3, 1895) was an American professional baseball player, manager (baseball), manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played Center fielder, center field for baseball's first fu ...

(Essendon). * Wings: Charlie Pannam (Collingwood),

Eddie Drohan Edward Patrick Drohan (17 July 1876 – 28 July 1938) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club and Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) before becoming an umpire and a coach. Footbal ...

(Fitzroy),

Herb Howson Herbert Howson (11 August 1872 – 8 May 1948) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in both the Victorian Football Association (VFA) and the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Harry Josiah Howso ...

(South Melbourne). * Forwards: Bill Jackson (Essendon),

Eddy James Edwin Ernest James (14 February 1874 – 16 September 1937) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the years before and following the formation of the VFL. Football James started his career as a backman, playing a game ...

(Geelong),

Charlie Colgan Charles Edward Colgan (9 February 1878 – 25 July 1935) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The youngest of the seven children of the tailor Patrick Colgan (1833� ...

(South Melbourne). * Ruck:

Mick Pleass George Victor "Mick" Pleass (12 November 1874 – 27 August 1925) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and Essendon in the VFA and Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Pleass was a follower and played his e ...

(South Melbourne),

Frank Hailwood Frank Hailwood (3 April 1873 – 21 May 1944) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family One of the eight children of Joseph Hailwood (1834–1912), and Ellen ...

(Collingwood),

Joe McShane Joseph Francis McShane (29 November 1868 – 26 July 1950) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and the Carlton Football Club between 1887 and 1904. Family The son of Philip McShane (1835-1908), and Mar ...

(Geelong). * Rovers: Dick Condon (Collingwood), Bill McSpeerin (Fitzroy), Teddy Rankin (Geelong). From those he considered to be the three best players — that is, Condon, Hickey, and Pleass — Wilmot selected Pat Hickey as his "champion player" of the season.

Death

He died at

Kew, Victoria Kew () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, found 5 km east from Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District. Kew is located within the City of Boroondara Local government areas of ...

on 8 November 1943.Deaths: Collins, ''The Argus'', (Tuesday, 9 November 1943), p. 2.
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Notes

References

* Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing. * Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.
Football Premiers for 1897—Essendon Football Team and Office-Bearers (photograph), ''The Weekly Times'', (Saturday, 25 September 1897), p. 12.

External links

* * 1876 births 1943 deaths People from Clifton Hill, Victoria Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players 19th-century Australian sportsmen {{AFL-bio-1870s-stub