Collingwood’s premiership hangs in the balance in Mark Knight’s view

Drawing political cartoons can be a risky business these days. But the cartoons I draw that

generate the most blowback* are not political, they are cartoons on Australian rules

Football!

Supporters of football teams are some of the most volatile correspondents*, particularly if you draw something that may criticise their beloved team. One-eyed is a good description. I am more afraid of the Collingwood cheer squad than I am of Vladimir Putin* or Kim Jong-un*.

So I took my life into my own hands this week when I drew a cartoon about the Collingwood

Magpies’ teetering* 2024 campaign to defend their 2023 premiership. They had lost four out

their last five games and were about to fall out of the top eight and finals contention, which

are only a month away.

I wondered just how I could illustrate this state of play, being as sensitive as I could to the Pies and their fans. Footballers may be big, musclebound dudes, but their egos* bruise easily, especially when they are hit with criticism in a cartoon. And I wanted to avoid being chased down the street by the Collingwood cheer squad waving baseball bats.

I listened to the coach Craig McRae at a press conference after they were beaten by the lowly* but emerging Hawthorn Hawks. He said Collingwood were in danger of developing a “loser” culture, (harsh) and that they were on the edge.

Hmmm, I thought, “on the edge”?

The Essendon Bombers wanted to develop a winning culture for this season, which they called the “Essendon edge”.

However, the only edge they looked like developing was a precipice* that the club would fall

down. I decided to take that “edge” idea and use it in the Collingwood cartoon.

I pictured the team bus, painted in the team colours and sign written with their 2023 premiership defence. But like the football team itself, the team bus had failed to turn in time at a sharp turn and there it hung, halfway off the precipice, finely balanced, all the players up

the back of the bus to try and stop it going over.

It was one of those drawings that needed no words. The visual said it all. Collingwood supporters would have blood pressure issues looking at it. Other clubs’ supporters would smile at their predicament*. It was one of those cartoons that leaves viewer suspended*, no pun intended, as we wait on how the rest of the footy season plays out.

I know I will be keeping a low profile until the cartoon fades from Collingwood supporters’

recent memories.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• blowback: negative reaction to something
• volatile correspondents: people who leave angry comments or write angry letters
• Vladimir Putin: the President of Russia
• Kim Jong-un: the leader of North Korea
• teetering: on the edge of falling
• egos: a person’s sense of self-importance
• lowly: not seen as being very special
• precipice: edge of a cliff
• predicament: problem
• suspended: hanging, or waiting to see what happens

EXTRA READING
‘King of the jungle’ goes bananas
AFL star gives shoutout to teacher
Trump’s presidential prison portrait

QUICK QUIZ
1. According to Mark Knight, which type of cartoons cause the most blowback?
2. Whose egos bruise easily?
3. What did Mark Knight want to illustrate in this cartoon?
4. Who said Collingwood was “on the edge”?
5. Other than Collingwood, which other football team is referenced in the cartoon?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What happens next?
Imagine this cartoon is part of a story that is made up of three cartoons. The three cartoons tell a complete story, and Mark’s cartoon is the start of the story. Think about what the story could be and draw the next two cartoons that tell the story.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Visual Communication Design, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Being able to draw is only one of the skills needed to be a great cartoonist. Write a list of all of the other skills that you think cartoonists like Mark need to do their job.

Next to each skill, write a sentence that explains why that skill is important or helps them to do a great job.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability, Media Arts, Visual Communication Design

VCOP ACTIVITY
Describe it
Look at the cartoon and make a list of five nouns that you see. Then describe those five nouns with five adjectives.

Finally, choose your favourite bundle and put all the words together to make one descriptive sentence.