Source :- THE AGE NEWS
When the late, great Melbourne legend Jim Stynes’ epic consecutive games played streak finally ended in 1998, his brother Brian thought to himself: “There’s no way anybody will beat it now”.
For more than a quarter of a century, he was right. Sydney champions Brett Kirk and Adam Goodes raised the bat for the double ton, and Stynes’ teammate Adem Yze made him nervous on his way to 226, but come Friday afternoon the greatest player to ever come out of Ireland will have company at the top.
When he walks onto the MCG for Collingwood’s Anzac Day clash with Essendon, Jack Crisp will draw level with Jim Stynes as the leaders on the VFL/AFL consecutive games played list.Credit: Justin McManus
This year’s Anzac Day blockbuster is Collingwood iron man Jack Crisp’s 244th straight game, equalling Stynes’ mark. Barring any mishaps, Crisp will have the record to himself the following weekend against Geelong.
Make no mistake, the Stynes family is happy for Crisp, but there is a tinge of sadness that a record synonymous with Jim is on the verge of falling. Jim, who died in 2012 after a brave fight against cancer, would have turned 59 this week.
“It’s something you’re proud of him [Crisp] doing, [it’s] a unique record, [but] a bit bittersweet that somebody’s going to break it,” Brian told this masthead. “People will say the right thing, but nobody wants their record broken.
“At least Jack Crisp is somebody we don’t dislike. Some players are more unpopular than others – he’s not one of them.”
Records are meant to be broken, they say, so it’s only fitting one that celebrates longevity has stood the test of time. Stynes’ mark has survived for 27 years. Before him, Jack Titus’ run of 202, set in 1943, stood for 55 years. Titus had broken Jock McHale’s 26-year record.
Of current players, St Kilda defender Callum Wilkie, 29, has the second-longest streak on 138, followed by Sydney’s Ollie Florent, 26, on 125. Both need to keep their run going well into 2029 just to get close to Stynes.
Crisp’s impending milestone has crept up on the Stynes family. Brian, who played two games for Melbourne in 1992, had not realised how close Crisp was until he saw the Magpie being asked about the record in an interview after Collingwood’s win over the Lions last Thursday.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s come out of nowhere’,” Brian said. “I didn’t realise somebody was getting so close to it. My son was beside me. He said ‘That’s a shame, that’s disappointing’.”
Before Crisp, no player had got closer than Demon turned Richmond coach Yze in 2007. Yze was dropped in round two that year after a slow start to the season, 18 games short.
The late Jim Stynes’ sister, Dearbhla, stands proudly with Crisp in front of her brother’s statue outside the MCG.Credit: Justin McManus
“Knowing Jimmy the way I do, I know he’d have been thinking, ‘Oh crap, someone will get the record’,” Brian said. “The record doesn’t tell you who the second person was.
“I suppose he hasn’t got there yet,” Brian quipped. “It would have been nice if he equalled it and something happened for just a week, and he can equal it but not break it. That’s the selfish side of me for my brother.”
It has been put to Crisp for him to “do a Mark Taylor” – the Australian Test captain famously declared when equal with Don Bradman’s then Australian record of 334.
Football’s romantics may like to see it happen, though it would be difficult for Collingwood to justify to members why they would be letting an important player miss a key game on the grounds of sentimentality.
When Crisp’s streak started in round 18 2014, he was playing for the Lions, Lance Franklin was in the first season of a nine-year deal at Sydney, and North Melbourne were finals-bound.
It was not until he passed 150 games in 2021 that Crisp began eyeing off the record. A three-year contract extension at the end of 2022, taking him through to 2026, made it a distinct possibility. If he keeps the run going to the end of his contract, 300 will be within reach.
“I did think about it every now and then, but I made sure I continued to prep the same, play the same way, and taking it week by week and not getting caught up by five years’ time when something might happen,” Crisp said.
That Crisp has played 11 years straight is a football miracle. Injuries remain an occupational hazard for footballers, as they were in Stynes’ days, but heightened awareness of the effects of head knocks mean he is one careless tackle away from a concussion or suspension.
As a father of three young children with his wife Mikayla, Crisp has also swerved the bugs and viruses that inevitably come home from school or childcare.
“I don’t know if it’s my immune system,” Crisp said. “Mikky seems to get sick every second week with the kids.”
Like Stynes – who overcame a six-week compound rib fracture in 1993 and played out the following year despite a medial ligament tear in his knee in round 12 – Crisp has had near misses.
He played through the 2018 finals series unaware of a stress fracture in his back. He had also carried a hip issue since the start of 2017, an injury that would require surgery. Last year, he was relegated to the sub in round three, a mechanism available only since 2021.
Crisp started his career with the Brisbane Lions. In 2023, he was part of the Magpies side that beat them in the grand final.Credit: AFL Photos
Crisp has also avoided the need to be “managed” – no mean feat at a time when sports scientists closely monitor player workloads.
Genetics and good fortune have undoubtedly played a part, which Crisp acknowledges, but he has also made his own luck. Ice baths, infrared saunas, massages, and appointments with osteopaths and physios are a part of his routine.
In the past two pre-seasons, he has done Pilates for strength instead of lifting weights. For night games, he fits in an afternoon nap. He rarely misses training and does not shy away from contests, in the belief injuries occur when you go “half-arsed”.
“If I know I’m doing the work, I’ve got all the confidence to go out and play my role to the best of my ability and knowing I’ve got all the fitness levels as well,” Crisp said.
Then there are the superstitions. The tradition of eating pasta the night before a game has continued from childhood into his 30s. Pre-game, he will have his left foot strapped first. Before each quarter, he ties his shoelaces tight. He is also specific about how he wears his socks.
“The AFL logo has to be out on both of them,” Crisp said.
As respectful as Crisp is to Stynes’ achievements, unlike Taylor he has no plans for an early declaration.
“Fingers crossed I can make it further, and it doesn’t get broken again,” Crisp said with a laugh.
“I had some people at the club say, ‘How about you do him a favour and just equal it?’ I was like, ‘Nah, nah, nah, I want to make it mine and have my name in there for something’.
“He’s [Stynes] got an amazing legacy, [and is] a big inspiration to a lot of people. It’s good to be able to have my name against his in one part of the football world.”
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