View source for Colliwobbles

{{Short description|1958-90 Grand Finals losing streak of the Collingwood Football Club}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
In the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL), the "'''Colliwobbles'''" refers to the period between Collingwood's [[1958 VFL Grand Final|1958]] and [[1990 AFL Grand Final|1990]] premierships, where the [[Collingwood Football Club| 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 [[choke (sports)|choking]] when it is done by Collingwood.

The term was coined by [[Lou Richards]], and it is a play on the words "Collingwood" and "[[wiktionary:collywobbles|collywobbles]]" (a state of intestinal disorder, usually accompanied by a rumbling stomach). <ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.victoriapark.net.au/lou_richards_53.html |title=Lou Richards (Profile) |website=victoriapark.net.au }}</ref>

The main period of the Colliwobbles ended in the 1990 AFL Grand Final, when Collingwood defeated {{AFL Ess}} 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, Melbourne|Victoria Park]].<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.theage.com.au/sport/hunt-a-churchie-goer-at-best-20100531-wrc7.html |title=Hunt a 'Churchie' goer at best |website=theage.com.au |author=Mark Hawthorne|date=31 May 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/sport/pies-ashes-now-in-tigerland-20091215-kuhu.html |title=Pies' ashes now in Tigerland |author=Geoff McClure |website=theage.com.au }}</ref> 

After losing the 2018 grand final after leading most of the day, there was talk in the media that the Colliwobbles had returned.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/colliwobbles-return-as-eagles-claim-grand-final-for-the-ages-20180929-p506u2.html |title=Colliwobbles return as Eagles claim grand final for the ages |website=theage.com.au |author=Andrew Wu }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/collingwood/colliwobbles-rise-from-the-grave-as-magpies-finals-curse-returns/news-story/8b766172b87940e702ba0ccfe6f2f773 |title=Have the Colliwobbles risen from the grave? |website=heraldsun.com.au |author=Herald Sun}}</ref>

Despite the supposed death of the Colliwobbles, 1958 remained Collingwood's last September premiership until [[2023 AFL Grand Final|2023]]; the 1990 and [[2010 AFL Grand Final|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 ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Grand Final !! Premier !! Runner-up !! Score !! Margin !! Venue !! Attendance
|-
| [[1960 VFL Grand Final|1960]] || [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 8.14 ('''62''') – 2.2 ('''14''') || 48 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 97,457 
|-
| [[1964 VFL Grand Final|1964]] || [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 8.16 ('''64''') – 8.12 ('''60''') || 4 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 102,469 
|-
| [[1966 VFL Grand Final|1966]] || [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 10.14 ('''74''') – 10.13 ('''73''') || 1 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 101,655 
|-
| [[1970 VFL Grand Final|1970]] || [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 17.9 ('''111''') – 14.17 ('''101''') || 10 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 121,696 
|-
| rowspan=2| [[1977 VFL Grand Final|1977]] || rowspan=2| [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]] || rowspan=2| [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 9.22 ('''76''') – 10.16 ('''76''') || 0 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 108,244
|-
|| 21.25 ('''151''') – 19.10 ('''124''') || 27 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 98,366 
|-
| [[1979 VFL Grand Final|1979]] || [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 11.16 ('''82''') – 11.11 ('''77''') || 5 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 113,545 
|-
| [[1980 VFL Grand Final|1980]] || [[Richmond Football Club|Richmond]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 23.21 ('''159''') – 9.24 ('''78''') || 81 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 113,461 
|-
| [[1981 VFL Grand Final|1981]] || [[Carlton Football Club|Carlton]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 12.20 ('''92''') – 10.12 ('''72''') || 20 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 112,964 
|-
| '''[[1990 AFL Grand Final|1990]]''' || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]] || 13.11 ('''89''') – 5.11 ('''41''') || 48 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 98,944
|-
|}

== Grand Final appearances since the main "Colliwobbles" period ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Grand Final !! Premier !! Runner-up !! Score !! Margin !! Venue !! Attendance
|-
| [[2002 AFL Grand Final|2002]] || [[Brisbane Lions]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 10.15 ('''75''') – 9.12 ('''66''') || 9 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 91,817 
|-
| [[2003 AFL Grand Final|2003]] || [[Brisbane Lions]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 20.14 ('''134''') – 12.12 ('''84''') || 50 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 79,451 
|-
| rowspan=2| '''[[2010 AFL Grand Final|2010]]''' || rowspan="2" | [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || rowspan="2" | [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] || 9.14 ('''68''') – 10.8 ('''68''') || 0 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 100,016
|-
|| 16.12 ('''108''') – 7.10 ('''52''') || 56 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 93,853 
|-
| [[2011 AFL Grand Final|2011]] || [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 18.11 ('''119''') – 12.9 ('''81''') || 38 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 99,537 
|-
| [[2018 AFL Grand Final|2018]] || [[West Coast Eagles]] || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || 11.13 ('''79''') – 11.8 ('''74''') || 5 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 100,022
|-
| '''[[2023 AFL Grand Final|2023]]''' || [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] || [[Brisbane Lions]] || 12.18 ('''90''') – 13.8 ('''86''') || 4 || [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]] || 100,024
|}

==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 VFL Grand Final|1964]] to {{AFL Mel}} and a one-point loss in [[1966 VFL Grand Final|1966]] to {{AFL Stk}}, which remains the Saints' only premiership as of 2024, and a five-point loss in [[2018 AFL Grand Final|2018]] to {{AFL|WC}}.
*Collingwood suffered its worst Grand Final loss in history in [[1980 VFL Grand Final|1980]], losing to {{AFL Ric}} by 81 points, which, at the time, was also the worst in VFL history, and also lost by 50 points to Brisbane in [[2003 AFL Grand Final|2003]].
*The highest Collingwood grand final attendance was 121,696 in [[1970 VFL Grand Final|1970]] against {{AFL Car}} (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 VFL Grand Final|1977 replay]] against {{AFL NM}}. Its lowest was 2.2 (14) against {{AFL Mel}} in [[1960 VFL Grand Final|1960]].
*The lowest score conceded by Collingwood was 5.11 (41) in [[1990 AFL Grand Final|1990]] against Essendon. The highest score conceded was 23.21 (159) in [[1980 VFL Grand Final|1980]] against Richmond.
* Collingwood's [[2023 AFL Grand Final]] win was its first in September since [[1958 VFL Grand Final|1958]].

==See also==
*[[Sports-related curses]]
*[[Kennett curse]]
*[[Essendon Football Club supplements saga]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Collingwood Football Club}}

[[Category:Australian Football League]]
[[Category:Australian rules football terminology]]
[[Category:Collingwood Football Club]]
[[Category:Australian folklore]]
[[Category:Australian rules football culture]]