Career
A highly skillful and strongly built wingman, Darren Millane was one of Collingwood"s greatest football players before a fatal car accident ended his career in 1991 at the age of 26. He found his place on the wing and was a football player known for his toughness and attitude towards the game. He was most likely the recipient on the end of the kick-outs because of his strength.
Although his skills were occasionally poor, at his best he found and used the football well, and became a favourite to fans at Victoria Park.
In 1990, the premiership drought breaking year for the Magpies, Millane was at his peak. He broke his thumb just before the series, but continued to play with pain-killers during the campaign.
In the Grand Final, against Essendon, he had 24 touches, and ended up throwing the ball up in the air as the siren went at 5:11 pm to end Collingwood"s thirty-two year drought on 6 October. Career highlights Collingwood best and fairest 1987 Collingwood 2nd best and fairest 1990 American Federation of Labor-Congress Team of the Year 1990 1990 Collingwood premiership side 1990 Collingwood Team of the Century member On 7 October 1991, Millane was killed in a car crash while intoxicated.
On the early morning of the day, he was driving on Queens Road, near Albert Park Lake, before he clipped a semi-trailer and rolled his car, being killed instantly.
The autopsy revealed his blood alcohol content was 0.322 — almost six-and-a-half times the legal driving limit of 0.05. The reunion did not go ahead as players, officials and supporters went instead to mourn Milliane"s death at Victoria Park. Millane"s funeral was held at the Dandenong Town Hall, where more than 5000 people attended, while the large crowd outside heard the service on a loud-speaker.
Millane"s guernsey with Number.
42 on it was laid on the coffin, while the 1990 flag hung in the background at half-mast. The Number. 42 guernsey has since been retired from the club
In 2011 there were discussions to bring it back to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Millane"s death.
