MELBOURNE and Collingwood have met on 225 occasions.
Melbourne has won 79 games, and there have been five ties - round nine, 1909, 1928 semi-final (Collingwood won a week later, by four points), round 16, 1935, round 13, 1957 (at Victoria Park), and the most recent meeting between the two in round 12, 2010.
The record attendance for a home and away match at the MCG, which stands to this day, was set in a Melbourne-Collingwood encounter.
It was in 1958, when 99,346 saw the two sides meet on the Queen’s Birthday holiday, in round 10.
There was not a gap in the stands. It was a close, hard-fought contest between two ancient rivals. Melbourne drew away late in the game, carrying a handy 20 point lead into the final term. 'Big Bob' Johnson and Ron Barassi were outreaching all opposition.
Laurie Mithen, who hated training, but could always be relied upon to rise to the occasion, was out-marking Bill Serong in the centre.
Ian Ridley's four goals to three-quarter time put the final shine on a match memorable for the fine teamwork of the Demons.
As Barrie Bretland wrote in the Sun, it was certainly an exhibition of 'muscle-jarring tackling, scorching pace and aerial agility.'
In the end, the margin was less than two goals. Melbourne was home, by 11 points, and clear of Collingwood by eight points.
It was an invaluable break of two wins. Melbourne would again face Collingwood before the 1958 Grand Final - in the second semi-final, won by Melbourne by 45 points.
The occasion of Melbourne playing Collingwood on the Queen's Birthday holiday has seen some grand contests over the years.
As well as close results such as that seen in 1958, encounters over the past decade have seen some final scores against the tide of the season as the original 'traditional rivals' lift an extra notch for the contest.
In 1999, Melbourne defeated Collingwood - as in 1958, it was by 11 points. In a poignant note, it would be Club legend Garry Lyon's last game.
In 2000, a Nathan Buckley-less Collingwood fell to a finely honed Melbourne outfit, earning a 65 point win worthy of the Queen's Birthday occasion.
But in 2001, the tables were turned emphatically. Collingwood trounced Melbourne by 77 points, with Anthony Rocca, Leon Davis and Brodie Holland kicking goals at will, and Chris Tarrant taking one of the contenders for 'mark of the season'.
Sadly, David Schwarz's hard-earned 150th game could not be commemorated by victory, and 'The Ox' himself was forced off the ground early with a buttock injury.
Victory was Collingwood's once more in 2002 and 2003, but after this, Melbourne redeemed itself, winning by nine points in 2004, 45 points in 2005, 47 points in 2006, and 13 points in 2007, before unfortunately failing by 21 points in a hard-fought encounter as the club marked its 150th birthday in Round 11, 2008, followed by a similar result in 2009, when No. 1 draft pick Jack Watts made his senior debut in a 66-point loss to the Magpies.
However, in 2010, the rivalry between the two sides was tested to the maximum with a drawn result - Melbourne 11.10.76 to an inaccurate Collingwood’s 9.22.76.
Brad Dick was the leading goal kicker with four, while Matthew Bate and Brad Miller kicked two apiece for Melbourne.
This result followed a one point win to Collingwood in round two, putting the seal on a hard fought rivalry that looks set to continue for many seasons into the future.
