Collingwood star Jack Crisp opens up on the secrets behind his record-breaking consecutive games streak
A kid from Myrtleford with a dream of playing one AFL game will break a record many thought would never be reached on Saturday. This is Jack Crisp’s journey – in his own words.
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Jack Crisp will break Jim Stynes’ long-standing VFL-AFL consecutive games record on Saturday night when he plays his 245th game in a row.
The man who wears the famous Collingwood No.25 guernsey revealed to GLENN McFARLANE 25 reasons why he believes he is about to become footy’s most durable player.
These are not necessarily in any order, but represent Crisp’s thoughts – in his own words – of why a kid from Myrtleford with a dream of playing one AFL game will break a record many thought would never be reached.
It means a lot to him and he’s humbled to be linked to Stynes. He says he might even get the final tally of his consecutive streak tattooed on his body at some stage.
1. GOOD GENES
“I’ve often credited good genes to being a part of this. Mum (Cate) and Dad (Mathew) used to play a fair bit of sport, too. Dad still likes to waterski … he is almost 60. Mum used to play netball and basketball. I have an older sister and two younger brothers. My sister (Jordan) is back in Myrtleford, she plays netball and basketball there. My brother (Callum) is in Bendigo, teaching and playing there. My youngest brother (Ryan) has just finished up in Darwin, in the Northern Territory league, and now he is in Cairns.”
2. A BIT OF LUCK; A LOT MORE HARD WORK
“Of course, there is a bit of luck to play as many games in a row as this, but it has also required a lot of hard work as well.”
3. LOVE OF RUNNING
“I’ve always loved to run. I loved cross country through school and athletics at school, from the age of six, seven, eight and nine in Wangaratta. I made it to state (finals) a couple of times in the 800m. I got a gold medal from under-9s. I would run all the time back in Myrtleford, from the time I was really young. It has definitely helped me. The game is so fast these days. It is transitional and there are not as many rotations.”
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4. LOVE AND SUPPORT OF MIKAYLA AND THE GIRLS
“I can’t thank (wife) Mikayla and the girls (daughters Lilah, Sloane, and Murphy) enough. Your work/life balance is so critical. You see a lot of problems with players who can’t switch off. You don’t always have to think about footy and whether you are playing well or not. You can just enjoy life. Miki and the girls have been a massive part of that. I remember, especially when Lilah was a baby and I had a bad game or we lost, I was trying to be angry, but as soon as I walked out of the rooms I would see Miki and Lilah and start smiling.”
5. BEING A SPONGE WHEN DRAFTED TO BRISBANE
“It taught me a lot. When I first went to Brisbane (pick 40 in the 2011 rookie draft) I had just finished Year 12, everything was so fresh and new. You don’t know how to navigate life. You have to learn how to do washing and all that stuff. I had a host lady look after me for three months but she got a job back in Melbourne. I ended up moving in with my aunty … Julieanne Blanch, and (her husband) Peter. Peter is (now) the head physio at Melbourne, he worked for the Olympic swimming team, and then Australian cricket up in Queensland.”
6. TAKING THE LESSONS FROM HIS COACHES
“I obviously had some great junior coaches … I had my Dad at times and a few others from Myrtleford, and Darren Ogier at the Murray Bushrangers. Then I got drafted to Brisbane and I got Vossy (Michael Voss) and he was pretty cool to learn off. I got to play with Simon Black who was like a coach on the ground, and Ash McGrath. “Leppa” (Justin Leppitsch) took over for a year, then I had “Bucks” (Nathan Buckley) and “Fly” (Craig McRae). I got Leppa back (when he joined Collingwood), we joke about it now, he wasn’t giving me a game. Then, there are the many assistant coaches who have taught me a lot, like “Boydy” (Matthew Boyd) and Hayden Skipworth, even like Mark Harvey (when he was at Brisbane), who is at the Bombers now.”
7. THE DECISION TO LEAVE BRISBANE
“I kind of wanted a fresh start (at the end of 2014) as it felt like I wasn’t getting the senior opportunities at Brisbane. To play those last six (consecutive) games (in 2014, which started the streak), it definitely helped me to get the job done. I played some good footy in those last six games, which is just as well, otherwise I don’t know where I could have ended up or what could have happened.”
8. FINDING OUT HE WAS HEADED TO COLLINGWOOD AT HIS 21ST BIRTHDAY PARTY
“I thought I was going to Essendon for a bit, but that kind of fell through. I found out (it was Collingwood) at my 21st birthday (party). I was a few beers deep at the time. My mate came up to me with this article and it said I was the “missing piece in the puzzle” (to move Dayne Beams to the Brisbane Lions). I didn’t really like (being called) “steak knives” at first, but it is OK these days as it is 10 years on. I got the call on Sunday (from Collingwood) and was down here for a medical on the Monday. I’ve learnt so much (about football and life at Collingwood).”
9. TRAIN LIKE YOU PLAY; PLAY LIKE YOU TRAIN
“I am a big advocate in that you play the way you train, so that means you have to prepare well to play well. I love training hard, always have. I reckon I have missed only about 10 training sessions since I’ve been here at Collingwood. Sometimes you have to deload. But I would much rather be out there.”
10. LEARNING ABOUT HIS BODY
“I wouldn’t be here now without the people who have looked after my body. They have been awesome. Obviously, I am a runner, so I’ve needed plenty of help over the years. Wadey (Collingwood head of high performance Jarrod Wade) has been great for me. I work closely with Simon Anning, our head physio, and Lachie Fooks when he was (at Collingwood), Nick Brasher my osteo here and all the masseuse people we have. I also see some people outside the club as well. I love that relaxation time on the treatment table. When you are sore, you need to get the spots worked on. I can’t thank them enough.”
11. TIPS FROM HIS MANY TEAMMATES INCLUDING THE MAN WHO MIGHT TAKE ANOTHER GAMES RECORD NEXT SEASON
“When I first came to Collingwood, Trav Varcoe came at the same time and he is still one of my good mates. I used to love the way he played football, just his relentless pressure. He always gave 110 per cent effort. I learnt a lot from him. You pick up little things here and there along the way from different players. Obviously Scott Pendlebury’s professionalism is unmatched. He just does all the little things really well. He has six years on me, so we will see how we go (playing as long as he has).”
12. AVOIDING CERTAIN TEAMMATES ON THE TRAINING TRACK
“At the moment, it’s probably Ned Long because he hurt Jordy (De Goey’s) leg earlier in the year. Ned is so strong and trains so hard. I’ve had to bubble wrap myself around him.”
13. DOING THE SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE CARRYING A WATER BOTTLE EVERYWHERE
“You get a lot thrown at you during your teenage years and one of the things I always liked to do was carry a water bottle around with me. I used to see kids doing it when I was young, and when you get drafted into an AFL environment, you notice that most are doing it, too. Being in an AFL system teaches you good habits. I take a water bottle with me everywhere I go now – even in the car. Sometimes I mix it up with sparkling water as well.”
14. AFTERNOON KIPS BEFORE NIGHT GAMES
“Sleep is a lot harder these days with three kids. But the night before the game, I will start in bed with Miki but as soon as one kid comes in, I’m out of there. The kids have got their own beds which are pretty comfy in our new place. So I will go and jump into one of their beds. I always try to sleep in the afternoon when we are playing night games. I have been doing that for a few years now. Otherwise you are sitting around and if the game is at 7.30pm, you are tired and exhausted and it feels like bedtime before you get to the ground. I like to have a lay down and a sleep whether it is before lunch or after lunch, depending on how I go the night before.”
15. PASTA THE NIGHT BEFORE GAMES
“I eat pasta the night before every game. I’ve been doing that since I was a kid. Mum would make pasta and I used to have leftover pasta for breakfast when I was a teenager. I kind of stopped doing that because it wasn’t good having garlic breath in the morning. Diet is important. I eat well when I need to. I feel like you don’t have to stress about what you eat, because that can put you in a bad head space. I know how to look after my body and feed it properly, then I can reward myself with a few snacks.”
16. SUPERSTITIONS
“I like to get my feet taped by the same person every week and I go to see the osteo as soon as I am there (at the games). I’ve got a little thing with my socks, too. I always have to have the AFL logos facing the outside. It’s something I have always gone with.”
17. INFRARED SAUNAS AND CRYOTHERAPY
“I’m always looking at ways to get the best out of my body. I used to do cryotherapy (a medical treatment using extremely cold temperatures) for a number of years but I have kind of moved away from that now to the infrared saunas and ice baths. It is about mentally trying to stay switched on. The infrared stuff is great. I sit there for about 45 minutes to an hour at about 65 or 75 degrees. I do it once or twice a week.”
18. SETTING UP HOME WITH FOOTY PERFORMANCE IN MIND
“I’ve got all the bells and whistles at home now. I have got massage guns, recovery boots, we’ve got a spa, a pool and a basketball court, too. I will be getting a sauna at some stage. I might start charging people (his teammates) for membership for their own recoveries.”
19. DODGING COVID AND BUGS
“I did have Covid (back in 2022), but I had it during our bye round. I ended up losing my sense of taste and smell. But thankfully we had the week off. I was fine all the way through 2020 and 2021. Miki has had it (Covid) once, but I didn’t get it from her. Poor Miki cops the brunt of the colds and sickness with the kids … I’ve been very lucky with that.”
20. THE DECISION NOT TO SCAN HIS BACK IN 2018 SAVED HIM
“I hurt it in the first final against West Coast. I was just running along and it just happened. I was pretty sore for the rest of the finals. We didn’t scan it at the time. We didn’t do it until the end of the season (after Collingwood’s heartbreaking grand final loss). There was a crack through it. It was like a cricket injury. If I had had the scans (at the time), it might have been a worry. I know the club was a bit cautious after that because Jamie Elliott had just missed a whole year with a back. I was lucky with the timing as it was the end of the season.”
21. PILATES AND MOVEMENT SPECIALISTS
“A power of work goes into the body at the footy club behind the scenes … a lot of individualised programming to specifically work on different muscle groups and to make sure my body is ready to go each week. I think it was probably through 2018 where I started working pretty closely (with the movement specialists). The main foundational work I like to do is around my calves and my feet and hips and back.”
22. RECOGNISING JIMMY’S RECORD WAS IN SIGHT
“I was always proud of what I was able to do (in playing every week). But it got to the point where some names started coming on the (record) list, and then there was a lot of noise around the football club, and in the media, about it. So I probably put that little target quietly in my head. But then in the last couple of years it became a real goal.”
23. DEALING WITH THE SUB KICK IN THE BACKSIDE
“I had a couple of injuries that (put the streak at risk), but I kind of always thought I would be OK. Then you have some form issues, which are concerning. Last year when “Fly” told me (in one game) I was going to be the sub, I was like, ‘Oh ….’ I was a bit rattled. I made sure my mindset didn’t change. I knew I had to go there and play my role for the team and to do it to the best of my ability. I had to do everything possible to make sure he wasn’t going to make me the sub again. I haven’t been since, which is all good.”
24. NO CONCUSSIONS AND STEERING CLEAR OF THE MRO
“I don’t think I have ever had a concussion … not that I can remember, which has helped.”
25. DESIRE TO PLAY ON FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN
“I love football, I will play for as long as I can. I will probably have to get a tap on the shoulder. I’ve got one more year (on a contract) but as long as the club keeps giving me a contract, I’ll keep playing.”
Originally published as Collingwood star Jack Crisp opens up on the secrets behind his record-breaking consecutive games streak
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