Answer Man

with COL HUTCHINSON

I don’t follow Collingwood, but I was wondering which club has had the most consecutive wins by 12 points or fewer. CLIVE WRIGHT, VIA EMAIL

CH: Between rounds 10 and 21 this season, the Magpies won 11 matches in a row. Just two of them were by more than 12 points. Fourteen players participated in all of those games. Before the finals, just five of Collingwood’s 16 victories were by more than that margin. The Magpies’ seven consecutive thrilling wins from round 15 was a League record. In contrast, Collingwood managed just one narrow victory in 2021 and two the year before. Previously, there had been just four cases of a club winning five consecutive games by fewer than 13 points, with the most recent instance being South Melbourne in the final home and away rounds of 1936. Four years earlier in 1932, the Swans had won four consecutive thrillers mid-season. Remarkably, Jack Bisset, Brighton Diggins and Len Thomas played in all nine of those Swans nail-biters. In a notable sequence of narrow victories, South won each of its last three games of 1918 by nine points, including the Grand Final. Ninety-eight years later in 2016, Hawthorn produced the only other example of a club winning three games in a row within a season by the same margin. In rounds three, four and five, the Hawks had three-point wins over the Bulldogs, Saints and Crows respectively.

SEQUENCES OF NARROW WINS

CLUB SEAS RDS MARGINS

Collingwood 2022 15-21 11, 5, 7, 5, 4, 6, 7

Melbourne 1901 10-14 10, 1, 9, 6, 6

Carlton 1912 14-18 5, 3, 9, 6, 5

South Melb 1914 2-6 11, 8, draw, 11, 2

MIRACLE RUNS: The Magpies set a record for close finishes this season; (below) the Hawks won three consecutive games by three points in 2016.

CAN YOU ASSIST?

u The AFL would like to know whether the following former Footscray players, all born before 1929, are still alive. The Dogs recruited Bob Templeton from Williamstown Methodists and Tom Miller from Bentleigh in 1947. They were joined by Bernie Laffey in 1949 after he transferred from West Footscray. A year later, another West Footscray player, Norm Edwards, began a three-season stint with the club. If you can assist, contact Col Hutchinson at col.hutchinson@afl.com.au.

FINALS W2, 2021

u The highlight of semi-final weekend was an absorbing contest between the Western Bulldogs and the Brisbane Lions which saw the Dogs claim a one-point win. After livewire Brisbane forward

Charlie Cameron

gave the home side a flying start with three first-quarter goals, the Bulldogs clawed their way back via star midfielders Jack Macrae (39 disposals), Marcus Bontempelli (29), Bailey Smith (27 and three goals) and Tom Liberatore (21). The loss condemned the Lions to a 1-5 finals record in Chris Fagan’s time as coach, with four of those defeats at the Gabba. In the other semi-final, Geelong bounced back from its opening-week defeat to down GWS by 35 points at Optus Stadium. The Giants suffered a pre-game setback when key forward Jesse Hogan was ruled out with a calf injury, joining the suspended Toby Greene on the sidelines. The Cats were in control throughout, with star forward Tom Hawkins leading the way with five goals, including three in the final term. Geelong advanced to its seventh preliminary final in 11 years under Chris Scott.

ROLE MODEL:

Former Cats premiership player James Podsiadly was one of the creators of the Coles Healthy Kicks program.

ACTIVE, HEALTHY LIVING

The Coles Healthy Kicks program is a fun and entertaining health and fitness program designed specifically to encourage Australian children aged six to 12 to embrace healthy eating, mindfulness and exercise.

Starting in 2020, Coles Healthy Kicks is in its third year engaging with kids through fun fitness, healthy food education and engaging games and is delivered during the school holidays at vacation care centres and schools nationwide.

Coles and the AFL have partnered with several superstar AFL and AFLW Ambassadors to bring the Coles Healthy Kicks program to life, including Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield, GWS’s Stephen Coniglio, Carlton’s Patrick Cripps, Melbourne’s Daisy Pearce, the Brisbane Lions’ Ruby Svarc and Collingwood’s Sabrina Frederick and Steph Chiocci.

Developed by AFL MAX cofounder and former premiership player James Podsiadly, the program works on a four-quarter model including healthy body, healthy mind, healthy food and healthy team.

Podsiadly was one of the AFL’s fairytale stories when he made his AFL debut as a 28-year-old for Geelong in 2010. He played in a premiership in just his second season with the Cats before joining Adelaide in the 2013 trade period and was a valuable contributor in his two seasons for the Crows.

A natural leader, mentor and role model to many during his playing and coaching career, Podsiadly now enjoys developing health and wellbeing programs for schools and community groups, which makes him the perfect Ambassador for Coles Healthy Kicks.

The great friendships you made

JAMES PODSIADLY’S FAVOURITE MEMORY OF PLAYING SPORT AS A KID What did you do as a kid to stay active?

u I played every sport you can think of just because I wanted to try them all. Tennis, footy, soccer, lacrosse, netball, basketball … just to name a few! I also loved riding my bike around.

What healthy foods did you love as a kid?

u I loved and still love fruit. My favourite being watermelon and plums, but I’ll eat most fruits if they are in front of me.

What is your favourite healthy food now?

u It would definitely have to still be fruit, but I also love making a bowl of porridge in the mornings.

Why is it important for kids to be part of a team?

u It’s a great environment for kids to build lasting relationships and trust with others. Being a part of a team forces you to think about others, rather than yourself, and how you can help them which is a great lifestyle to lead forever.

What’s your favourite memory of being part of a team as a kid?

u When I think back it was the many bus trips or car trips that you would do with your teammates and some of the laughs you would always have during them. Not one on-field memory sticks out, but for me it was always the great friendships you made from it which are still going to this day.

Do you do any mindfulness or breathing activities?

u Yes, I love getting away and going for a peaceful walk in the bush to practise some mindfulness activities.

How do they help?

u I think going for a long walk in a park or a national park and noticing the various elements helps you stay connected to the present rather than focusing on anything else. I find this works well for me when I get stressed or when I’m busy with work.

Why do you think the Coles Healthy Kicks program is so important for kids?

u I’m a little bit biased because I was part of the team that created the program, but I believe there has never been a more important time for kids to be active and learn about being healthy. The program is designed to be fun while still teaching kids the importance of healthy living and leading a healthy lifestyle.