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 | 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 | 9.22 (76) – 10.16 (76) | 0 | MCG | 108,244 |
| 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 |
| 1990 | Collingwood | Essendon | 13.11 (89) – 5.11 (41) | 48 | MCG | 98,944 |
| Grand Final | Premier | Runner-up | Score | Margin | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | 10.15 (75) – 9.12 (66) | 9 | MCG | 91,817 |
| 2003 | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | 20.14 (134) – 12.12 (84) | 50 | MCG | 79,451 |
| 2010 | Collingwood | St Kilda | 9.14 (68) – 10.8 (68) | 0 | MCG | 100,016 |
| 16.12 (108) – 7.10 (52) | 56 | MCG | 93,853 | |||
| 2011 | Geelong | Collingwood | 18.11 (119) – 12.9 (81) | 38 | MCG | 99,537 |
| 2018 | West Coast Eagles | Collingwood | 11.13 (79) – 11.8 (74) | 5 | MCG | 100,022 |
| 2023 | Collingwood | Brisbane Lions | 12.18 (90) – 13.8 (86) | 4 | MCG | 100,024 |
