Andrew Collins (footballer, born 1965)

For the Andrew Collins who played for Carlton and Richmond, see Andrew Collins (footballer born 1988).

Andrew Collins
Personal information
Date of birth	(1965-04-25) 25 April 1965
Original team(s)	Doncaster Heights
Height	174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1987–1996	Hawthorn	212 (37)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
	Victoria
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1996.
Career highlights
3× VFL/AFL premiership player: 1988, 1989, 1991 Peter Crimmins Memorial Trophy: 1990 VFL Premiership Coach: 2015
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Andrew Collins (born 25 April 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian and Australian Football Leagues.

Collins was a rugged back pocket defender. He began his senior career in the Victorian Football Association with the Sandringham Football Club, where he was a member of the club's 1985 premiership team. He was signed by VFL/AFL club Hawthorn, and played 212 games over ten years with the club, winning three premierships. His durability allowed him to play a club record 189 games in succession. He finished equal fifth in the 1990 Brownlow Medal, the same year he was awarded the Peter Crimmins Medal as Hawthorn's best and fairest player. His last game was the "Merger game" between Hawthorn and Melbourne in 1996 in which he got reported and ultimately suspended thus ending his consecutive run of games.

When Collins retired from league football at the end of 1996, he turned to coaching. He returned to his old club Sandringham in the VFL, and coached there for two years, leading the club to the premiership in 1997. He served as an assistant coach at AFL club St Kilda from 2000–2003, then as an assistant coach at Hawthorn in 2004 and 2005. While at Hawthorn, he also coached its VFL-affiliate Box Hill. In 2006 and 2007 he coached VFL club Coburg, taking the team to a losing Grand Final in 2007.

In 2008, Collins moved to South Australia and coached South Australian National Football League club West Adelaide for six years from 2008 to 2013. He led the club to the 2012 SANFL Grand Final where they were defeated by Norwood, and he coached the Bloods to win the 2013 Foxtel Cup over Western Australian Football League (WAFL) side East Fremantle.

In 2014, Collins returned to Victoria and signed to coach VFL club Williamstown in its first season as a stand-alone club not affiliated with an AFL club. He led the club to a premiership in 2015.

External links

• Andrew Collins's playing statistics from AFL Tables