"It's grand final eve in 1935 and Tom's grandfather is taking him to Victoria park to watch footy training for the first time - a 'rite of passage' for every Collingwood supporter. ... It's the last stand for the 'The Machine' team, the famous Collingwood Football Club players who won a record four premierships in a row from 1927 to 1930. ... In the worst depression Australia had ever seen, the Great Depression of the 1920s [i.e. 1930s], Collingwood Football Club gave the hungry and unemployed pride where there was none and hope in the bleakest of times."--Back cover.
