The Ashes have been reclaimed, the tennis is all over, and now we officially begin footy pre-season. It's a magical time of year where every footy fan dares to dream. Miracles happen! Your team that missed finals last year may burst out and go all the way! (Yes, even you North!)
Humans have evolved to forget many traumas of childbirth and the relentlessness of raising a baby. Which is a cunning trick by nature to trick us into having multiple children. It's the same with footy, during the barmy nights of February when we read of our heroes training the house down with their elite muscular pre-season bodies, we forget that for the majority of footy fans 2026 will end in frustration.
A large portion of that frustration will be directed at the men and women in flouro. So just to remind you that footy fandom is a cruel existence, I've researched the worst umpiring decision against each club for the 21st century:
*The point of this article isn't to name and shame umpires who've made errors. We all know it's a hard job and we're all human. Don't get personal, just yell into the abyss like a well-adjusted grown up.
Brisbane
In the dying stages of the 2023 Grand Final, Dayne Zorko tackles Jack Crisp, who drops the ball, in the space of less than two seconds. Lachie Neale gathers and handpasses to Zac Bailey, who hurries a kick over his head to a pack. This was called advantage when none of the Lions had heard the original whistle. Collingwood regain possession and win the flag by four points.
Historians all agree that it was the last time the AFL ever allowed anything bad to happen to Brisbane.
