Simon Prestigiacomo

Simon 'Presti' Prestigiacomo (born 31 January 1978) is a retired Italian-Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.

As a tall youngster that was capable as a strong forward that could also play in the midfield, Prestigiacomo was drafted from Research Junior Football Club at pick 10 in the 1995 AFL Draft. He was given guernsey number 35, made famous by Collingwood legend Peter Daicos.

He made his debut against the West Coast Eagles in Round 11, 1996. His form was good enough for him to play the final twelve games in his debut year.

In 1997 his career was threatened to be almost over after contracting glandular fever throughout the season. He only managed six matches. He also struggled during the 1998 season with shoulder injuries, playing ten games and kicking two goals for the year. However, it was during this season when then-Collingwood assistant coach Danny Frawley would give Prestigiacomo defensive roles during Collingwood reserves games.

In 1999, Prestigiacomo made a breakthrough in his career, as his solid work in defence proved himself to be a required player. In Round 2, 2000 he played his 50th AFL game. He performed well enough to finish equal third in the 2000 best and fairest, finishing behind winner Nathan Buckley and Tarkyn Lockyer. Between seasons 1999–2002, Prestigiacomo played in 86 matches for Collingwood, missing only five.

Prestigiacomo was a key performer in the Collingwood season of 2002, when the club reached the Grand Final. He played every game except one and was very heavily relied on as a stopping defender, and less-so as a rebounding defender, and played in Collingwood's Grand Final loss against Brisbane. In 2003 he injured his knee late in the season, but returned for the final series and once again played in the Magpies' losing Grand Final team.