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.
Fremantle
Round 11, 2020 v Carlton. 16 seconds left, Freo up by two. The ball is cleared out of Freo's 50 and heads for the boundary line. Matthew Tabener harshly called for insufficient intent. To the Dockers fans' relief, Sam Docherty kicks it out on the full! But wait… Andrew Brayshaw's smother was clumsy and Carlton get a down-field shot at goal after the siren. To be fair, Jack Newnes delivered one of the best after-siren kicks of all time, but it still shouldn't have been.
