Former Collingwood great Terry Waters, who played 163 games, kicked 182 goals, 1969 All-Australian, represented Victoria 8 times and won the Copeland Trophy in 1966, shares some footy memories with www.aflpa.com.au.

“As a youngster, I was a mad keen Tiger fan however my older brother Bryan played for Hawthorn, so the family became avid Hawthorn fans. We were one of those anti Collingwood families. My mother instructed my father very sternly when I was invited down to Collingwood, “that under no circumstances was he to let me sign anything with Collingwood".

Needless to say there was a few weeks of family tension, when Dad & I arrived home black in one eye, white in the other and waving a completed form 4 - Mind you I did get a Magpie guernsey & a Collingwood Kit Bag for signing with them !!!

My favourite football memory remains leading Collingwood out onto the MCG, in front of the still standing, record crowd of 122,000, for the 1970 Grand Final. I'm sure that I don't have to tell you my blackest football memory - but if you do need a memory jogger, it did occur on the same day!

In my first game, I started in the ruck with Ray Gabelich and just having that mountain of a man as my minder, gave me, the skinny, nervous 19 year old, the courage to go for it - as he kept yelling at me to do.

I preferred ruck roving, following the play around - I was never really quick or strong enough to play a key position.

In the early days, the best full backs were Verdun Howell of St Kilda, & Tassy Johnson of Melbourne. Elsewhere, I stood unbeatable giants John Nicholls & Gary Dempsey when I rested in the back pocket.

For the best player in those days, I’d bracket Polly Farmer, Darrel Baldock and Ian Stewart with Bobby Skilton, who was probably the only perfectly balanced double sided player in our day - whenever you thought you had his good side covered, he'd simply turn out of the pack on his other side and drill it.

For my teammates, Thommo was probably the first ever 6' 7" ruck rover, Peter McKenna, who would kick a goal 99 times out of a hundred and John Greening who had the skills and poise to be one of the greatest.

Of recent players, Gary Ablett on his day could do just about anything and, I rate Nathan Buckley & Michael Voss as two of the best leaders & match turners, I've seen.

I've decided to join the AFLPA because I think they are very much on the right track in terms of what they strive for in representing, developing & guiding the current players plus their more recent innovations to assist past players, regardless of their era or age.”