In Black and White

Book excerpt: To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Collingwood Football Club, this is the story of the Magpies - moment by moment, year by year. Remarkably quickly after its inception in 1892, Collingwood became the powerhouse club of the competition. Soon it was developing fierce rivalries on the field and establishing itself as the nation's leading sporting organisation off it - a position it has never relinquished. In Black & White tells the story of this fabled club, through the good years and the bad. From the Magpies' historic first match - fittingly, against Carlton - all the way through to the newly established women's team, In Black & White relives the highs and lows of footy's greatest club: the dominant 'Machine' sides of 1927-30, the devastating boardroom battles, the agonising 'Colliwobbles' era, the exhilarating 1990 flag, the revolutionary coaching succession plan, and many more. This is the story of Collingwood - the biggest, most loathed but also most loved football club in Australia.