Colliwobbles
The Colliwobbles is a term used in the Australian Football League (AFL) to describe finals losses by the Collingwood Football Club.
Most specifically, the Colliwobbles refers to the period of time between Collingwood's 1958 and 1990 premierships. During that time, Collingwood reached the Grand Final in eight seasons, and resulting in eight losses, plus one draw (which resulted in a replay, which was lost). 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 is a play on the words "Collingwood" and "collywobbles", meaning a state of intestinal disorder, usually accompanied by a rumbling stomach. The term was coined by Lou Richards.[1]
The main period of the Colliwobbles ended in the 1990 AFL Grand Final, when Collingwood defeated Essendon. Lou Richards ceremoniously announced the end of the Colliwobbles after the club's 1990 premiership, marking the occasion with the burial of a memoir of the hitherto trying times in front of a large crowd at Victoria Park. [2][3] Nevertheless, the term remains in common usage to describe any upset losses by Collingwood in finals.
Below are the results of Collingwood's Grand Final appearances during the main "Colliwobbles" period:
| Season | Premier | Runner-up | Score | Margin | Venue | Attendance |
| 1960 | Melbourne | Collingwood | 8.14 (62) – 2.2 (14) | 48 | MCG | 97,457 |
| 1964 | Melbourne | Collingwood | 8.16 (64) – 8.12 (60) | 4 | MCG | 102,469 |
| 1966 | St Kilda | Collingwood | 10.14 (74) – 10.13 (73) | 1 | MCG | 101,655 |
| 1970 | Carlton | Collingwood | 17.9 (111) – 14.17 (101) | 10 | MCG | 121,696 |
| 1977 | North Melbourne | Collingwood | 10.16 (76) – 9.22 (76) | 0 | MCG | 108,244 |
| 1977 | North Melbourne | Collingwood | 21.25 (151) – 19.10 (124) | 27 | MCG | 98,366 |
| 1979 | Carlton | Collingwood | 11.16 (82) – 11.11 (77) | 5 | MCG | 113,545 |
| 1980 | Richmond | Collingwood | 23.21 (159) – 9.24 (78) | 81 | MCG | 113,461 |
| 1981 | Carlton | Collingwood | 12.20 (92) – 10.12 (72) | 20 | MCG | 112,964 |
Trivia and statistics
- Three Grand Finals were lost by single-figure margins. This included a one-point loss in the 1966 VFL Grand Final to St Kilda, which to date remains the Saints' only premiership.
- Collingwood suffered its worst Grand Final loss in history in 1980, losing to Richmond, which, at the time, was the worst of all time.
- The highest attendance was 121,696 in the famous 1970 VFL Grand Final against Carlton. The lowest was 97,457 for the 1960 VFL Grand Final against Melbourne.
- Collingwood's highest score was 19.10 (124) in the replay of the 1977 VFL Grand Final against North Melbourne. Its lowest was 2.2 (14) against Melbourne in 1960.
- The lowest score conceded by Collingwood was 8.14 (62) in the 1960 VFL Grand Final against Melbourne. The highest score conceded was 23.21 (159) in the 1980 VFL Grand Final against Richmond.