COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire says the Magpies intend to hold the AFL to account on equalisation.
 
Speaking at the club's AGM, McGuire revealed a willingness to fight the AFL every step of the way to ensure it developed equalisation strategies and policies acceptable to Collingwood.
 
"Gary Pert [Collingwood's CEO] and I have a daily fight with the AFL to stop them picking our pockets and we have to now try stopping our opponents - the people who come out and say they hate us and all the rest of it - from living off us and we have some real issues with that," McGuire said.
 
Using strong rhetoric, McGuire said that although the club was not opposed to equalisation "to a degree", it had real concerns about the management of some clubs that might receive redistributed money.
 
He said the Magpies would like stringent conditions to be imposed on the expenditure of redistributed funds.
 
"Collingwood football club members money is not going to pay the fines of cheaters from other clubs," he said.

"We don't mind equalisation to a degree because we have to play someone – although Collingwood v Collingwood would get a good crowd - but we do draw the line at recalcitrant clubs who have leaders who come in for five minutes and disappear and leave a trail of destruction for the competition to mop up."
 
In recent seasons, Essendon, Adelaide and Melbourne have received fines from the AFL after significant investigations into their conduct.
 
Collingwood had 80,000 members last season and its revenue and profit results far exceed most of the competition.
 
However, many other clubs argue that Collingwood benefits from a favourable fixture, historical high levels of support and ground rationalisation policies that help bigger drawing clubs and therefore compensation should be provided to those clubs who do not enjoy the Magpies' advantages.
 
McGuire – who was re-elected unopposed for another three years as Collingwood president on Tuesday night – travelled to the United States in July last year as part of an AFL fact-finding mission on equalisation.
 
That delegation resolved to develop ways to equalise the competition and agreed in principle that it was an important issue for the competition to address.
 
The AFL declared it needed to take a more assertive position in relation to equalisation.
 
However, progress has been slow since then with some clubs frustrated that there is still discussion about the merits for new equalisation policies.

Meanwhile, Collingwood celebrated the careers of three former stars by awarding them life membership.

Recent retiree and 2010 premiership player Ben Johnson was joined by E.W.Copeland Trophy winners Ian Graham and Trevor Steer in receiving the life memberships.

Steer played in the 1964 and 1966 Grand Finals and won the best and fairest in 1965. Graham also played in the 1964 Grand Final and won a best and fairest that year, his second season at the club.