Worst umpiring decision?

[one-eyed]

The worst umpiring decision against your AFL club this century

We’re sure there’s one controversial call that immediately comes to mind…

Danny McGinlay
Zero Hanger
February 5, 2026

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.

Richmond

Nobody does Hulk rage like Richmond fans, and before 2017, it was great fun watching it. However most of the time it was self-imposed and not an umpire's fault, but not in the 2007 Dreamtime match, when Matthew Richardson got pinged for that baffling hands in the back rule, which was popular for a while. But on review, clearly Richo's hands weren't on his defender's back. Richo immediately spun around and kicked the winner, but because the whistle had been blown, he gets a 50m penalty against him. Bombers go on to win by two points and Tigers fans have a decade more of pain ahead of them.


https://youtu.be/VYJesrhfG_w?t=563

https://www.zerohanger.com/the-worst-umpiring-decision-against-your-afl-club-this-century-172679/14/