Shepparton’s Jack Elliott reflects on stunning debut season for Collingwood wheelchair football team

September 30: Collingwood wins the 2023 AFL premiership, with Elliott watching on.

December 2: Elliott scoops the pool at the Collingwood wheelchair football awards night, claiming the leading goal-scorer, most improved and best-and-fairest gongs in his debut season.

The 22-year-old Shepparton native, who lives with cerebral palsy, has a love for Collingwood that’s as black and white as the stripes on its guernsey.

Now he gets to wear the crest ― and boy has he done it proud.

Elliott’s rich haul in a debut season mirrors the starts of Pies greats Nick Daicos and Nathan Buckley, both of whom he’s met, however, it’s a premiership which ranks highest on his to-do list.

“The year was great; individually, I improved a lot as we went along,” he said.

“To take out the leading goal-scorer and the best-and-fairest for the community league was probably one of the highlights.

“Individual awards are great, but we ultimately want to lift the cup at the end of the year ― hopefully we can do that next year.”

Following a sparkling home and away campaign, Collingwood progressed to the Community Wheelchair Football League qualifier against Hawthorn in mid-September.

Elliott slotted a goal in a 9.9 (63) to 4.5 (29) result over the Hawks, helping his Pies edge nearer to replicating the AFL faction’s run.

Unfortunately, the next game would be Elliott’s last.

Though he split the sticks twice in the preliminary final, Collingwood bowed out in a narrow two-goal loss to Richmond to pull the handbrake on the Pies’ drive to the holy land.

Months later, Elliott was acknowledged for his efforts with a swag of medals at the awards presentation ― though he wouldn’t be able to accept in person.

COVID-19 reared its ugly head and Collingwood’s new goal sniper found out about his collect over the phone in a cruel twist of fate.

“You wouldn’t read about it ... one of my teammates Facetimed me and we got in on it that way,” he said with a laugh.

“I was expecting the leading goal-scorer one a little bit, but the other two were much to my surprise because there are so many good efforts and good people on my team that you could really pick any one of us.

“Any time you score a goal it’s a team effort and I was just lucky enough to be on the end of some good work further up the court and lucky enough to profit from it.

“To gel as a group like we did and then put together performances to make it all the way to the prelim, the experiences we had were great.

“And for the AFL group to win a flag, we got to experience a bit of that as well.”

Elliott may have played down his involvement in Collingwood’s flag celebration.

Through his affiliation as a wheelchair player for the club, he was invited to the MCG to attend the AFL grand final, watching bleary-eyed and emotional as his beloved Pies beat Brisbane in the big dance.

“Following the club like I have since day dot, to experience that as a player and as an individual that’s actually a part of the club, it was a roller-coaster like no other,” he said.

“(It was) unbelievable. There were tears of happiness, all that sort of stuff.

“It was pretty unreal to be there and experience it and I couldn’t be more thankful for the club and what they do for us.”

That wasn’t all Elliott was thankful for.

He also joined Collingwood players post-match for the team’s grand final dinner, revelling in its accompanying antics.

“That was pretty fun to be around guys like Nick Daicos and see what they got up to on a night like that,” he said.

“It was just so special ... (seeing) Darcy Cameron up on stage giving his rendition of Horses ― it was pretty unreal.”

So, with a Daicos-esque debut campaign in the bank to go along with a trove of treasured memories, Elliott only had one response to whether or not he’d be playing next year.

“Absolutely, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”