RIP Billy Picken and Con Britt

[Doc1763]

Played district cricket for Collingwood too

He was an opening batsman.

 

[domus]

Billy should have had a flag, was he our greatest finals player?


View attachment 1454420

Right up there. Wayne Richardson and Peter McKenna were very consistent finals performers.

 

[South of the Yarra]

A ripper man and a champion player. A legend to have a beer with. We will never forget Cotton. Rest easy good man

 

[Robroy22]

So sad to see this. Con Britt was a very clever half forward who struggled to get games there because he "was a poor man's Tuddenham"...he was tough (a complete ranga...and he saw red just like Tuddy did). Skilful, creative and courageous Britt re-invented himself as a back pocket and was going well in that position when he did his knee. Knee injuries ended players careers in those days so Con Britt never made it back. He was of that 66-70 Bob Rose coached period when we could have won multiple flags but never quite got the chocolates. Britt was a "goer" Vale Con Britt.

Billy....oh Billy...so sad.
A wonderful larrikin, a brilliant high mark and as courageous as they come he came to the Pies as a centre half forward but after missing some sitters in front of goal (Travis Cloke sitters) he was banished to the backline where his true value was realised. His battles with Mark McClure, Royce Hart and Malcolm Blight were legendary and Billy rarely lost to any of them. Finals seemed to take him to even greater heights and he was easily our best finals performer under Tommy Hafey. I think in no small measure Billy would have loved his son winning a flag with the Bulldogs...he loved finals footy.

Yeah he talked to himself, yeah he commentated his marks and rated himself pretty highly....but there will never be another William Picken. We'll miss ya Billy.

 

[whiteside35]

RIP Billy

 

[Baggers]

Billy was a bloody good player & one of the great big game players. Gave his heart & soul for the Pies.
His battles with Maclure in our games are some of my favourite childhood memories of footy.
My sympathies to both families & Pies supporters.

 

[MyManLynch]

RIP Billy & Con.
Con…was a bit young to remember.
Billy was one of my favourites, great mark, dodgy kick.
Never gave up.
Here comes Billy!
Sad day to lose 2 Collingwood players.

 

[Monocle]

Very sad news indeed.

I have to say that Billy is my favourite Magpie player ever.

Such an entertainer and a massive talent on the football field.
In many ways, he played the sort of game style, that was years ahead of the era in which he played.

There are a lot of great players that have played the game, but those that were not only great players but also stood up in the added heat of battle thats finals football are far fewer.

Big game player, Big personality, Big talent.

I was so very luck to have watched him live over the years, I feel spoilt to have seen one of the greats.

Condolences to the Magpie Army.

66 is way to young and also too close to home for me.

RIP Billy Picken

 

[greening22]

Very sad to read about the passing of Billy Picken and Con Britt.

Billy was a Collingwood champion, who was a spectacular CHB. The original high flyer who would regularly take a mark of the day contender, like we see with Howe of the present times. I remember him as a dashing defender who would create attacking drives forward with his runs through the middle of the ground.
I also remember when he left to go and play with Sydney, l was young at the time, and to me it was unbelievable that Billy Picken left Collingwood. He did return though....

Deepest condolences to the Picken and Britt families......

Well; I cannot believe it. I saw Billy Picken play his very 1st game at Victoria Park in 1974 when he played at full-foward on Geoff Southby & even in that very Ist game he took a number of outstanding & contested high marks. In fact, if one does check the statistics then you will find that he kicked something like 2.5 or 3.4 on that day. It also happened to be John Nicholl's 300th VFL game & both teams stood as an honour guard as Big Nick ran out. In addition, a very young Billy Picken played as an experimental centre half-back in John Greening's comeback game against Richmond at the MCG in 1974 & took Mark of the year while starring in that new position whule Cillingwood beat the Tigers - who were reigning premiers - by about 10 goals that day..

In relation to Con Britt, he was another member of the tragic 1970 team playing on the half-forward flank. Again, he played OK in the first half but faded like many of his team mates after half time. However Con Britt had another claim to fame in that he was the Collingwood player who jumped into Sam Newman's back whilst competing for a mark in in the First Semi-Final against Geelong in 1967 at the MCG. As a result of that collision, Newman had to come off the ground & ended up in hospital that day, culminating in him losing a kidney & being very unwell for months. Incidentally, that injury lead to Newman not playing in the 1967 Grand Final game against Richmond. Finally, if my memory is at all accurate Con Britt was changed into a back-pcket player when Neil Mann became coach in 1972 after Bob Rose's resignation at the end of the disappointing 1971 season. So, in conclusion, RIP Billy Picken & RIP Con Britt! Goodnight & good luck.

 

[davea_melb]

Vale Billy Picken, a true Magpie hero. A great mark, there'll never be another Billy

Vale Con Britt Magpie from the Bob Rose coaching era.

 

[Maggie Greg]

Well; I cannot believe it. I saw Billy Picken play his very 1st game at Victoria Park in 1974 when he played at full-foward on Geoff Southby & even in that very Ist game he took a number of outstanding & contested high marks. In fact, if one does check the statistics then you will find that he kicked something like 2.5 or 3.4 on that day. It also happened to be John Nicholl's 300th VFL game & both teams stood as an honour guard as Big Nick ran out. In addition, a very young Billy Picken played as an experimental centre half-back in John Greening's comeback game against Richmond at the MCG in 1974 & took Mark of the year while starring in that new position whule Cillingwood beat the Tigers - who were reigning premiers - by about 10 goals that day..

In relation to Con Britt, he was another member of the tragic 1970 team playing on the half-forward flank. Again, he played OK in the first half but faded like many of his team mates after half time. However Con Britt had another claim to fame in that he was the Collingwood player who jumped into Sam Newman's back whilst competing for a mark in in the First Semi-Final against Geelong in 1967 at the MCG. As a result of that collision, Newman had to come off the ground & ended up in hospital that day, culminating in him losing a kidney & being very unwell for months. Incidentally, that injury lead to Newman not playing in the 1967 Grand Final game against Richmond. Finally, if my memory is at all accurate Con Britt was changed into a back-pcket player when Neil Mann became coach in 1972 after Bob Rose's resignation at the end of the disappointing 1971 season. So, in conclusion, RIP Billy Picken & RIP Con Britt! Goodnight & good luck.

Billy played CHF in the 74 Greening game. Didn’t play CHB until second half of 75.

 

[Pie eyed]

Vale Billy, one of my childhood favorites.
He took screamers in the wet back in the day when grounds were quagmires.
Bloody Hell.
66 is too young.

Sad sad day.

Vale Con Brit.
Vaguely remember him playing, but some of his career before our family owned a TV.
Youtubes suggest he was a very good player in sides which featured Greening and MacKenna.

 

[HeathySure]

I am pretty sad at this news. In my top 5 all time players and i have been wearing his avatar for a few months now .

RIP Billy and Con, sad sad day for the club

 

[Piestid]

I’m writing this in a state of shock. What a sad, sad day for Collingwood and the Picken and Britt families.

Even more than McKenna and Daicos, Billy was my hero. He always played his absolute heart out, never gave up and was fearless, inspirational, brilliant and just a joy to watch. Whenever I played footy I’d always try to grab the 25 jumper. I felt that having that number on my back made me walk tall and fly high. I would always try my guts out to honour that number 25. Didn’t get the premiership he deserved but will always be an absolute legend. RIP.

 

[BigVic]

RIP to two legends. A sad day for the club

 

[ipswichpies]

Con Britt was before my time as a Pies fan But I I remember Billy Picken magnificent in the air such a spring week in week out superb I remember the charging runs like yesterday, Condolences to both families.

 

[VL3OJ]

RIP Billy (and Con) and apologies for the intrusion.
In my youth, the most exciting player to watch in the VFL was Billy. An absolute genius but with a weird strange bent and the closest explanation of Billy was that he was a certified Wizard who wouldn't be out of place at Hogwartz. He looked liked he loved every moment and was always thinking about the next 1%, a modern day player back then.

My thoughts go out to his family, friends and the Magpie community. Vale Billy

 

[greening22]

Billy played CHF in the 74 Greening game. Didn’t play CHB until second half of 75.

OK. Point taken. I will go back & research that aspect later. Bye.

 

[KillerMagpies]

I loved Billy.
Great player.
…. I hated Sydney and that Glass-Eyed Quack for poaching him.
(I’m too young to remember Britt… but, that’s equally sad).
Vale.

 

[Maggie Greg]

OK. Point taken. I will go back & research that aspect later. Bye.

No worries. As I said above, Billy played as a forward and was struggling in the first part of 1975 and was dropped to the Reserves. Reserves coach Ron Richards tried him at CHB and Billy clicked playing 4 games in the seconds and then came back into the team against Richmond at the MCG in the latter part of 1975. We lost but he played on Royce Hart and towelled him up. He never looked back.

 

[PIEWITHSAUCE]

Sad news I regret to say that I know little of Con Britt but Billy was in that first group of players that have real memories for me - he debuted the year I was born and moved to Sydney when I turned 9. I haven't caught up with any news re the cause of his passing but it's certainly way too soon. R.I.P Billy.....

 

[jonbe54]

RIP Billy a true magpie champion

 

[jmac70]

RIP Con and Billy.

As a kid, Billy was one of my favourites. “Here comes Billy Picken!”

 

[Gone Critical]

Billy was such a lovable star. Took the game on, high marks, finals meant he went better. Deserved multiple flags and if few had come with him he would have. Ronnie Wearmouth did.

Con Britt. Solid contributor, strong. In the late 60s early 70s the names Con Britt, Rickey Watt , Mickey Bone amd for me especially Colin Tully had a rythmn to them that just evoked Collingwood

RIP Great Men

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Vale Wilbur.

‘Here comes Billy’ he used to scream as he sailed over packs.

His battles with Maclure were legendary, kept Collingwood in games when others went to water.

Actually went to my old school, Monivae & pretty sure he was Clerk of Course at Hamilton Race Club.

Universally loved, even by us Carlton people.

Ed: still remember the game at Princes Park where he took a mark/milked a free up the scoreboard end.

So Billy waltzes up to the umpire, hands waving everywhere, tells him Maclure has crept up on the mark, umpire tells Billy to go back 5 metres, so Billy unleashes a 15 metre mongrel, that hit Sellers square on the chest, who then goaled!!