New club for Narre Warren legend Michael Collins

The seven-time Magpie premiership player and eight-time best and fairest will play in the West Gippsland league in 2021.

Michael Collins playing for Narre in 2019.

Narre Warren great Michael Collins was not long out of the game he has played with such distinction or success.

The most decorated Magpie of them all declared he was retiring after the club’s 2019 grand final defeat of Berwick.

He could go out on the high of a seventh premiership in black and white colours.

But after a year away from football, and getting himself impressively fit, Collins has linked with Bunyip in the West Gippsland league.

Michael Collins leads out Narre Warren.

He’ll play alongside two of his Magpie premiership teammates, Dylan and Ryan Quirk, who also made the move to Bunyip, Dylan as assistant coach to Tim McGibney.

McGibney said the club was chuffed to land such a recognised player.

“Thrilled, absolutely thrilled,’’ he said.

“Probably the big thing for me when I took the job was wanting to surround the local Bunyip lads with players who know how to win, know what winning looks like, know what those standards look like.

“So that’s what Michael Collins is about.’’

McGibney said he read Collins’s playing CV and had to ring him to check that it was right.

“I’ve never seen a resume like his, all those achievements and accolades,’’ he said.

“You think, ‘That can’t be right’. But it’s all there. He’s done it all.’’

A bull of an onballer, Collins played in seven premierships (two as captain) at Narre Warren, collected eight best and fairests, was a regular interleague representative and an 11-time team-of-the-year selection.

He had 298 games for Narre, many of them as skipper.

“The best I played with,’’ Dylan Quirk said of Collins.

“No fuss, big-time player, big-moment player, consistent, leader, someone you love to run out with. Never heard anyone say a bad word about him. I can’t speak highly enough of him, to be honest.’’

Quirk saw a photo of Collins, 34, at Christmas, noticed he had lost weight and sounded him about joining Bunyip.

“He looked really fit again … apparently he’s lost about 12 kilos. That’s when I put the feelers out,’’ he said.
“He said to me, ‘You never say no’.’’

In the end Collins said yes to Bunyip.

Quirk quipped that his name might be mud at Narre Warren for steering Collins to another club.

The Magpies have named their best and fairest after Collins.