Collingwood great and 1958 premiership skipper Murray Weideman has passed away
Murray Weideman was dubbed ‘The Enforcer’ and he famously sparked the ‘miracle of ‘58’. Glenn McFarlane remembers one of Collingwood’s favourite sons.
AFL News
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Collingwood is mourning the loss of one of its favourite sons, 1958 premiership skipper Murray Weideman.
The man affectionately known as ‘The Weed’ was akin to Magpie royalty as one of the most loved and admired players to have donned the black and white jumper.
He died on Wednesday, the day after his 85th birthday.
Weideman combined inspirational leadership, exceptional talent and an intimidating on-field presence (which saw him dubbed ‘The Enforcer’) into a successful playing career spanning 180 games and 262 goals from 1953-1963.
He retired prematurely at only 27 after 11 seasons, but his impact on Collingwood was almost enough to last a lifetime.
Watch every match of the 2021 AAMI Community Series LIVE on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >
Weideman played in two Collingwood premierships - the first, in 1953, as a 17-year-old in only his fifth VFL game and the second, in 1958, as the club’s acting skipper when he was one of the architects of the biggest Grand Final boilover in footy history
He won three Copeland trophies - the first at 21 - and won three club goal kicking awards as one of the best key-forwards of his era.
He was less successful in two seasons as Collingwood coach in the mid 1970s, but was the first of three generations of Weidemans to play VFL-AFL football, with his son Mark playing 28 games for the Magpies in the early 1980s and with his grandson Sam now carving out a fine career with Melbourne.
Murray Weideman famously made his teammates walk taller with the guaranteed protection throughout most of his career.
On the flip side to that, he made even the most fearless of opponents take a step backwards, cautious of his presence on the field.
Teammate Thorold Merrett said Weideman often sacrificed his own brilliance to look after his teammates, saying: “He set a personal example. He handed it out and never complained when he copped it back.”
“Taking on the role of protector dulled a lot of his own brilliant play. But he filled that role perfectly, and he was prepared to give up so much of his natural game to do it.”
One of the leading journalists of the time, The Sun’s Kevin Hogan, said of Weideman in 1958: “He’s one of Collingwood’s big guns. He’s big, strong and capable of winning a game off his own boot, or turning the trend of a game with a few towering marks and long, straight kicks. Hands out some very heavy knocks, too, and most opponents keep a very wary eye on him.”
Magpie fans adored him as their idol of the 1950s and early ‘60s; rivals fans couldn’t stand him with their ire making him all the more determined.
Some even took to writing threatening letters (at least one containing a bullet) which sometimes meant a few police escorts to games, and a brick was even thrown through a family window one night.
None of that worried ‘The Weed’.
MORE COLLINGWOOD: THE RISE AND FALL OF EDDIE
In keeping with his larger-than-life personality, he had a brief stint as a professional wrestler - while still playing for Collingwood - for a time earning him 10 times more per bout than for a footy match.
The club may not have been happy, but the fans flocked to his bouts.
He said years later: “What supporters realised was that Saturday afternoon was my day of football and I gave everything to Collingwood; Saturday night was just a bit of fun.”
Weideman grew up a Collingwood supporter and played for his local club Rivoli - sometimes against a young kid called Ron Barassi who had been born 11 days later than him.
He graduated from the Magpie under-19s to the reserves and the seniors all in the one season of 1953.
Having missed the 1953 second semi-final due to illness, he returned to the senior team for the Grand Final against Geelong and played in the Pies’ flag side at the age of 17 years and 222 days — the youngest premiership player in VFL-AFL history.
Five years later, Weideman had been elevated to the vice-captaincy and the 22-year-old was thrust into the role as captain during the finals after an injury suffered by Frank Tuck.
Up against one of the greatest sides in history, the all-conquering Melbourne, Weideman and teammate Barry ‘Hooker’ Harrison, as well as a few others, proved the catalyst for Collingwood’s most remarkable premiership success.
Weed famously said to Harrison at quarter-time of the 1958 Grand Final when the Magpies trailed by 17 points: “Let’s see who we can collect.”
They turned up the physical pressure on the Demons and the Melbourne players were so intent on retaliation that they let the game slip in muddy conditions that suited the Magpies.
Collingwood produced a win known as ‘the Miracle of ‘58’ against the odds-on favourites and it was one of the finest moments of his career.
Having won two more Copeland Trophies in 1961 and ‘62 to add to his 1957 win, Weideman shocked the footy world when he retired from the game at the end of the 1963 season due to a nagging back injury. He was only 27.
Bob Rose, who took over as Collingwood coach in 1964, always believed that the Magpies would have won the flag that season if they had been able to convince Weideman to overturn his retirement decision.
They lost to the Demons by four points.
Weideman later coached West Adelaide in the SANFL and it seemed almost a natural fit that the Magpie great would one down return home to Victoria Park as coach.
Sadly, when he did, he couldn’t replicate the success of his playing days during two seasons as coach in 1975 and ‘76.
Having made the finals in his first season, the club slumped to the bottom of the ladder for the first time in 1976, ending his official capacity at the club.
But he forever remained close to the club’s heart.
One of his proudest moments came in 2011 when he joined the other living Magpie premiership captains - alongside Lou Richards (1953), Tony Shaw (1990) and Nick Maxwell (2010) - in a special photo opportunity.
He said at the time: “It’s a great thrill. It took me back to my younger days of being a mad Collingwood supporter who lived in Fairfield and I saw Lou Richards play in the late 40’s and he was my captain in the 1953 Grand Final.
“I had only played a few games of footy then and to play in a premiership in my first year of (VFL) football was a big thrill.”
So too was watching his son Mark don the black and white, and he was just as proud in his later years seeing his grandson Sam embark on his own footy journey.
More Coverage
Originally published as Collingwood great and 1958 premiership skipper Murray Weideman has passed away
Midfielder leaving Lions’ den
Desperate for more games in the AFL, a fringe midfielder has left the Brisbane Lions to join the Melbourne Demons.
Celebrity couples dress-up theme antics land Giants in hot water
Several GWS players face the prospect of match bans with the AFL launching an investigation into allegations of player misconduct at their recent post-season gathering.