Maurie Collins

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer (1876–1943)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}} {{Infobox AFL biography | name = Maurie Collins | image = Maurie Collins.jpg | caption = Collins in 1901 | fullname = Maurice Ignatius Collins | birth_date = 21 July 1876 | birth_place = Clifton Hill, Victoria | death_date = {{death date and age|1943|11|8|1876|7|21|df=yes}} | death_place = Kew, Victoria | originalteam = Albert Park | height =  | weight =  | position = Defender | statsend = 1904 | years1 = 1897–1904 | club1 = Essendon | games_goals1 = 97/98 (7)<ref>AFL Tables, the ''Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers'' and the official league website's database state that he played a semi final against Melbourne; However, Full Points Footy, the official statistical history of the AFL books, Maplestone (1996, p. 445), and Essendon's club website say he did not</ref> | careerhighlights = *VFL premiership player: 1901 }}

'''Maurice Ignatius Collins''' (21 July 1876 – 8 November 1943)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/players/player/Maurie%2BCollins/919|title=Maurie Collins – Player Bio|publisher=Australian Football|accessdate=11 December 2014}}</ref> was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

==Family== The son of Timothy Collins (1843-1899),<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9520838 Deaths: Collins, ''The Argus'', (Saturday, 24 June 1899), p. 5.]</ref> and Catherine Collins (1846-1928), née Nunan,<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3950954 Deaths: Collins, ''The Argus'', (Saturday, 18 August 1928), p. 13.]</ref> Maurice Ignatius Collins was born at Clifton Hill, Victoria on 21 July 1876.<ref>''Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria'' Births Registration no.22987/1876.</ref>

He married Eileen Mary Marsh (1886-1968) in 1906.<ref>''Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria'' Marriages Registration no.7838/1906.</ref> 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).<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article171638151 Football: Old Xaverians' Football Club; Bright Prospects, ''The Advocate'', (Thursday, 14 April 1927), p. 23.]</ref>

==Football== ===Essendon (VFL)=== Collins played his early football with the Albert Park Football Club. He was injured during the 1897 VFL finals series but according to some sources made one appearance. Collins, a defender, was a member of Essendon's 1901 premiership team, as a back pocket. 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 (Collingwood), Peter Burns (Geelong). * Halfbacks: Pat Hickey (Fitzroy), George Davidson (South Melbourne), Alf Wood (Melbourne). * Centres: Fred Leach (Collingwood), Firth McCallum (Geelong), Harry Wright (Essendon). * Wings: Charlie Pannam (Collingwood), Eddie Drohan (Fitzroy), Herb Howson (South Melbourne). * Forwards: Bill Jackson (Essendon), Eddy James (Geelong), Charlie Colgan (South Melbourne). * Ruck: Mick Pleass (South Melbourne), Frank Hailwood (Collingwood), Joe McShane (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.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9030781 'Old Boy', "Football: A Review of the Season", (Monday, 18 September 1899), p. 6.]</ref>

==Death== He died at Kew, Victoria on 8 November 1943.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11788070 Deaths: Collins, ''The Argus'', (Tuesday, 9 November 1943), p. 2.]</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== {{Commons category}} * 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. {{ISBN|0-9591740-2-8}} * [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/23406767 Football Premiers for 1897—Essendon Football Team and Office-Bearers (photograph), ''The Weekly Times'', (Saturday, 25 September 1897), p. 12.]

==External links== *{{AFL Tables | M/Maurie_Collins }} *{{AustralianFootball | maurie+collins/919 }} {{1901 Essendon premiership players}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Maurie}} Category:1876 births Category:1943 deaths Category:People from Clifton Hill, Victoria Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Category:Essendon Football Club players Category:Essendon Football Club premiership players Category:VFL/AFL premiership players Category:19th-century Australian sportsmen