He made his debut with Fitzroy in 1922 and the following season was the club's best and fairest. His brothers, Harry and Norm both played for Fitzroy.
Clashes with the law
Vexatious litigant
On 27 March 1953, on the basis of his having "instituted 40 litigations in the last five years", Collins was declared a vexatious litigant.[2][3]
Contempt of court
Later that year, was jailed for four months, by the Supreme Court, for contempt of court, when he assaulted a detective who was attempting "to take him into custody to serve a term of one month imposed for an earlier contempt in writing insulting letters to judges of the court".[4]
Violent behaviour
In April 1954, already in Pentridge Gaol, serving the earlier sentence, and, once again, charged with contempt of court, he put on such an extraordinary display (shouting insults at the judge, etc.) that the judge collapsed. Once the judge had recovered enough to be removed from the court, the Chief Justice, Sir Edmund Herring, was called to the court. Herring adjourned the hearing indefinitely and ordered that Collins be returned to Pentridge. Collins, then, "fought violently with two warders and a court policeman and was hand cuffed by Detective-Sergeant W. W. Mooney, who had joined in to help them".[5][6]
Victoria 13.16 (94) defeated Tasmania 7.13 (55), at North Hobart Oval, 7 August 1924, crowd: 8,000
Victoria 15.13 (103) defeated Western Australia 14.11 (95), at North Hobart Oval, 9 August 1924, crowd: 15,687 Victoria 14.26 (110) defeated New South Wales 4.6 (30), at North Hobart Oval, 12 August 1924, crowd: 350
Victoria 17.16 (118) defeated South Australia 9.11 (65), at North Hobart Oval, 15 August 1924, crowd: 12,876
