DAYNE Beams will be hoping lightning strikes twice.

Beams, who was granted his wish for a trade back to Collingwood after four years with Brisbane, would create history if he won a second premiership with the Magpies.

The gun midfielder is the 85th player to return to a club after playing with a rival team. In the previous 84 cases, only five won flags in their second stints with a club.

That’s a silverware strike rate of just six per cent. But at least it's been done before.

No one has achieved what Beams will attempt to do.

A homecoming triumph at Collingwood would make Beams the first player to win flags in both his first and second stints at a club.

It seems a lifetime ago now that Beams was a 20-year-old half-forward when he figured in the Pies' 2010 premiership under Mick Malthouse, and he appears well placed for another tilt under Nathan Buckley, who this season led the Pies to within a kick of glory.

There are some fascinating stories among the second-stint stars.

The most recent player to win a premiership after returning to a club is Trent Croad, who started with Hawthorn and was controversially traded to Fremantle at 21, along with fellow tall Luke McPharlin, in exchange for draft picks that Hawthorn used on future club legends Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell.

Croad would later return to help that pair win their first flag in 2008, although he suffered a career-ending foot injury early in the Grand Final against Geelong.

Trent Croad makes his way to the bench late in the 2008 Grand Final. Picture: AFL Photos

Footy larrikin John Barnes achieved the same feat with Essendon in 2000.

After just 12 AFL games in four seasons with the Bombers from 1987-90, Barnes was traded to Geelong (for rover Sean Denham) and thrived as a ruckman, playing in three losing Grand Final sides before being delisted in 1999.

Barnes then renewed acquaintances with Dons coach Kevin Sheedy and played in two Grand Finals in as many years, finally becoming a premiership player.

Phil 'Snake' Baker's return to North Melbourne was also an overnight success.

In mid-1975 the high-marking key forward was reluctantly traded to Geelong, where he played nine games before sitting out the 1976 season.

Baker was welcomed back to Arden Street in 1977 and in that year’s finals series he became one of the game’s most watchable players, with coach Ron Barassi’s directive to send "long bombs to Snake" resulting in some superb high marking.

A few years earlier, Richmond midfielder and defender Wayne Walsh had enjoyed a liberal dose of second-stint success.

After making just six appearances for reigning premier Richmond in 1968, Walsh joined South Melbourne and became a Victorian representative but quit the Swans after a personality clash with coach Norm Smith.

In mid-1972 Walsh accepted an offer from the Tigers and in his first two-and-a-half years back at Punt Road he played in three Grand Finals for two premierships (1973-74).

The first player to win a second-time-lucky flag was Ernie 'Snowy' Lumsden – the great-grandfather of former Collingwood and Carlton big man Chris Bryan.

A cousin of Magpies legend Dick Lee, Lumsden started with Collingwood and had a stint with Essendon before making his way back to the Pies in 1917, playing in Grand Finals in each of his next four seasons and winning two of them.

A further four men came close to joining this group but played in grand final losses instead in their second stretches at clubs – Chris Tarrant (Coll-Frem-Coll) in 2011, Jayson Daniels (StK-Syd-StK) in 1997, Reg Ryan (NM-Coll-NM) in 1950 and Harvey Kelly (SM-StK-SM) in 1914.

Other notable double-duty players include Gary Ablett junior (Geel-GC-Geel), new Fremantle football manager Peter Bell (Frem-NM-Frem), Josh Carr (PA-Frem-PA), Corey McKernan (NM-Carl-NM), Chris Heffernan (Ess-Melb-Ess), Paul Salmon (Ess-Haw-Ess), Warwick Capper (Syd-Bris-Syd), David Cloke (Rich-Coll-Rich), Billy Picken (Coll-Syd-Coll), Peter ‘Crackers’ Keenan (Melb-NM-Ess-Melb), John Rantall (SM-NM-SM) and Des Tuddenham (Coll-Ess-Coll).

Two players returned to two clubs – Carl Ditterich (StK-Melb-StK-Melb) and Pat Leahy (Geel-SM-Geel-SM).

There was also the case of the exceptionally nomadic Vic Nankervis, who played for four clubs – Geelong (twice), Footscray, St Kilda and South Melbourne – in just six seasons from 1941-46.

PREMIERSHIPS IN SECOND STINT AT A CLUB

Premiership(s) Player Club 1 Club 2 2008 Trent Croad Haw 1998-2001, 2004-08 Frem 2002-03 2000 John Barnes Ess 1987-90, 2000-01 Geel 1991-99 1977 Phil Baker NM 1971-75, 1977-79 Geel 1975 1973-74 Wayne Walsh Rich 1968, 1972-78 SM 1969-71 1917, 1919 Ernie Lumsden Coll 1910-12, 1917-20 Ess 1913-15