Michael Collins (born 25 April 1939) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Collins is the son of 1926 Melbourne premiership player Jack Collins and the younger brother of former Melbourne captain Geoff Collins.
Career A defender, Collins joined Melbourne in 1961, from Heyfield in the Latrobe Valley Football League (LVFL).The Age, "Demons Get Permits For Three Top Recruits", 12 April 1961, p. 22
Mid-season, Collins suffered minor injuries when a car in which he was a passenger crashed in Bentleigh.The Age, "Demon Ruckman May Miss Rest of Year", 5 July 1961, p. 20 His teammate Len Mann broke his arm and was out for the rest of the year.
Collins didn't make his league debut until Melbourne's round 18 win over Carlton. He kept his spot in the team for the semi-final against Hawthorn, which Melbourne lost by seven points. After cramping badly, Collins had to come off in the third quarter.The Age, "Knee Injury", 11 September 1961, p. 10 He missed out on selection for the preliminary final.The Age, "Melbourne Makes Four Changes", 15 September 1961, p. 1 The following year he made only two more senior appearances, in rounds three and four.
He won the LVFL's best and fairest award in 1964, while playing for Yallourn.
References
Links Mike Collins’s playing statistics at AFL Tables Mike Collins profile at Demonwiki Mike Collins photo at Virtual Yallourn