This is a great little read of stories to come out of the Grand Final.
The journey Craig McRae has taken this club on in the two years he has coached it has been beyond his or Pies' fans wildest dreams. It has provided us some of the best games of footy we've seen in a generation, culminating in a grand final that ranks among the greatest of all time.
Darcy Moore is a remarkable human being, maybe the best the game can offer right now. Treating footballers as role models can be a risky game, but with Moore it feels right — he speaks from the heart, stands up for what he believes in and always leads with action first.
How can you not root for Bobby Hill? A young player whose career looked to have stalled at GWS, and was put swiftly in perspective by a bout of testicular cancer, now has peaked. If he ever plays a game better than his Norm Smith-winning performance in this grand final then it will be something to behold.
Stories everywhere you look. Mason Cox, the American import. Oleg Markov, the latest of late recruits. Jeremy Howe, months on from that gruesome broken arm. Brayden Maynard, the most willing of villains. Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom, ageless brilliance.
These are all premiership players now, the men who delivered Collingwood's 16th flag.
Go magpies!