In the Australian Football League (AFL), the "Colliwobbles" refers to the period between Collingwood's 1958 and 1990 premierships, where the Magpies reached nine AFL/VFL Grand Finals for eight losses and a draw in 1977.

This era was dubbed as the Colliwobbles partly because Collingwood sometimes lost by small margins; in this way, "Colliwobbles" is a specific term for choking when it is done by Collingwood.

The term was coined by Lou Richards, and it is a play on the words "Collingwood" and "collywobbles" (a state of intestinal disorder, usually accompanied by a rumbling stomach). [1]

The main period of the Colliwobbles ended in the 1990 AFL Grand Final, when Collingwood defeated Essendon to win their first premiership since 1958. Lou Richards ceremoniously announced the end of the Colliwobbles, and the club marked the occasion with the burial of a memoir of the hitherto trying times in front of a large crowd at Victoria Park.[2][3]

After losing the 2018 grand final after leading most of the day, there was talk in the media that the Colliwobbles had returned.[4][5]

Despite the supposed death of the Colliwobbles, 1958 remained Collingwood's last September premiership until 2023; the 1990 and 2010 premierships were won in October due to drawn finals (both involving Collingwood)—which, incidentally, are no longer possible, as extra time is invoked in case of a tied game for the grand final—and Collingwood have won only three (and drawn two) of the sixteen Grand Finals they have appeared in since their 1958 premiership, while losing eight.

Grand Final appearances during the main "Colliwobbles" period

Grand FinalPremierRunner-upScoreMarginVenueAttendance
1960MelbourneCollingwood8.14 (62) – 2.2 (14)48MCG97,457
1964MelbourneCollingwood8.16 (64) – 8.12 (60)4MCG102,469
1966St KildaCollingwood10.14 (74) – 10.13 (73)1MCG101,655
1970CarltonCollingwood17.9 (111) – 14.17 (101)10MCG121,696
1977North MelbourneCollingwood9.22 (76) – 10.16 (76)0MCG108,244
21.25 (151) – 19.10 (124)27MCG98,366
1979CarltonCollingwood11.16 (82) – 11.11 (77)5MCG113,545
1980RichmondCollingwood23.21 (159) – 9.24 (78)81MCG113,461
1981CarltonCollingwood12.20 (92) – 10.12 (72)20MCG112,964
1990CollingwoodEssendon13.11 (89) – 5.11 (41)48MCG98,944

Grand Final appearances since the main "Colliwobbles" period

Grand FinalPremierRunner-upScoreMarginVenueAttendance
2002Brisbane LionsCollingwood10.15 (75) – 9.12 (66)9MCG91,817
2003Brisbane LionsCollingwood20.14 (134) – 12.12 (84)50MCG79,451
2010CollingwoodSt Kilda9.14 (68) – 10.8 (68)0MCG100,016
16.12 (108) – 7.10 (52)56MCG93,853
2011GeelongCollingwood18.11 (119) – 12.9 (81)38MCG99,537
2018West Coast EaglesCollingwood11.13 (79) – 11.8 (74)5MCG100,022
2023CollingwoodBrisbane Lions12.18 (90) – 13.8 (86)4MCG100,024

Trivia and statistics since 1958

  • Five Collingwood Grand Finals have been lost by single-figure margins, and four by less than a goal, including a four-point loss in 1964 to Melbourne and a one-point loss in 1966 to St Kilda, which remains the Saints' only premiership as of 2024, and a five-point loss in 2018 to West Coast.
  • Collingwood suffered its worst Grand Final loss in history in 1980, losing to Richmond by 81 points, which, at the time, was also the worst in VFL history, and also lost by 50 points to Brisbane in 2003.
  • The highest Collingwood grand final attendance was 121,696 in 1970 against Carlton (which also remains a league record for any VFL/AFL game). The lowest Collingwood grand final attendance since 1958 was 79,451 in 2003 against Brisbane due to renovation works at the MCG.
  • Collingwood's highest grand final score was 19.10 (124) in the 1977 replay against North Melbourne. Its lowest was 2.2 (14) against Melbourne in 1960.
  • The lowest score conceded by Collingwood was 5.11 (41) in 1990 against Essendon. The highest score conceded was 23.21 (159) in 1980 against Richmond.
  • Collingwood's 2023 AFL Grand Final win was its first in September since 1958.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lou Richards (Profile)". victoriapark.net.au.
  2. ↑ Mark Hawthorne (31 May 2010), "Hunt a 'Churchie' goer at best", theage.com.au
  3. ↑ Geoff McClure. "Pies' ashes now in Tigerland". theage.com.au.
  4. ↑ Andrew Wu. "Colliwobbles return as Eagles claim grand final for the ages". theage.com.au.
  5. ↑ Herald Sun. "Have the Colliwobbles risen from the grave?". heraldsun.com.au.
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