The worst day/s of your life as a footy fan?

[____]

Here's a few for me, in no particular order:
- 2005 Round 21, being beaten by Port twice in one season the year after they stopped us winning four in a row, and effectively ending our finals hopes that season.
- 2005 Round 22, officially missing out of finals after a 137 point loss and knowing it was an end of an era.
- 2009/10 off-season. Firstly announcing the club was seeking to trade Daniel Bradshaw, then the whole paddlepop logo and jumper rebrand. Felt like I lost everything I loved about the club in that off-season.

But the worst two easily are:
- 2004 Grand Final, no explanation needed.
- 2016 Round 8, we were playing our biggest rival at home on the back of them having lost a home game to last year's wooden spooners and were at a similar ladder position to us. All the talk pre-match was about how bad they were, whether Buckley should lose his job etc., us on the other hand had lost to our second biggest rival six days before (and I had travelled to Adelaide to watch us lose badly to Port and had to put up with their fans trying to spit on me, tell me I was lucky to make the game alive etc.). Anyway the scum get out of the blocks, score is 61-0 to them at one stage and they end up thrashing us easily, and I have to put up with the sights of their fans being happy and that horrible song being played after the game after witnessing all that in a one week period. Losing to your two biggest rivals in one week really did ****ing hurt.

 

[HolyWars]

I was crushed when we lost the 2001 prelim (don't think I was the only one).

Turns out that was a false dawn as well

My first thought was this too.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

The 2001 AFL Grand Final and the teasing that came days later.

 

[Scenester]

97 Prelim. Was at the game and halfway through the last quarter was discussing with my dad how we were going to get tickets for the following week.

Libbas goal gets called a point, Jarman decides to turn it on and then C Grant tries to pick ball up in goal square when he just needed to kick it off the ground.
A lot went wrong in that last quarter and it still hurts. Even after winning it last year.

Yep. For every bulldog supporter who is old enough to remember it, this is absolutely it. I was 11, and still remember it .... the Adelaide theme song still haunts me to this day, and then we got to hear it again the following year too .... And, yes. It still hurts even after last year, I 100% agree with you.

My mum (who doesn't follow football at all but always hopes that the dogs win for my sake) asked the people across the road (saints fans, who had already put up their saints paraphernalia in preparation for grand final week) the score (they were listening on the radio, and probably said 'yeah. They're going to win'), and so she went ahead and put up some bulldogs paraphernalia .... I was young and was certain that she jinxed it. A week or two later was school holidays if I recall correctly, and we had already planned a trip to South Australia for some reason, and some tour guide person asked us where we were from and said "ah, I suppose you're saints fans?" (I grew up in the south eastern suburbs) .... replying, "no, bulldogs", was even worse I think. All over South Australia, everywhere you looked, you saw Adelaide premiership paraphernalia. Worst trip ever, I can tell you!

Apparently, I was visibly and clearly depressed for months following that game, according to my parents.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Besides the litany of poor performances, lost finals, lost Grand Finals and deaths surrounding the footy club in recent years

The worst day at the footy was when Schwarz went down with his knee in mid-95 against the Swans after making a successful comeback the week before against the Pies.

 

[Great8]

Apart from our recent dramas the 99 Prelim still hurts.

 

[bigbuddyboy]

When the Socceroos were outplaying Italy and it was 10 men to 11 with only a few minutes left to go until extra time. We looked fitter, had the momentum and obviously had an extra player on the field. I was starting to dream

Then Grosso happened. Grosso fell over in the penatly box and Totti, who was largely unsighted the whole game, put the ball into the back of the net from the penalty. Subsequently Italy went on to win the world cup.

I was heartbroken.

 

[Quadzilla]

2007 GF

 

[freo1997]

2015 preliminary vs Hawthorn. Had all the momentum early then enter.....Chris maynes spray from practically the goal square and that was it. We stayed in touch during the 3rd, then sheridan slipped on a banana and that was it.

 

[pazza]

The emotions of Round 22 1997...as if we were already retiring Harvs and Chris Daniher, but, Diana dying?

 

[RatherHaveABeer]

Leaving the G as a 7 year old after the last round in 96 when the Hawks had just knocked off the Dees by 1 point. Thinking to myself that I'd never see the Melbourne Football Club play again and dealing with the moral dilemma of supporting the Melbourne Hawks.

 

[sportsmaniac89]

2015 PF - Corrupt umpiring and diabolical commentary
The whole Damian Drum era
Round 7, 2008 vs Melbourne - Blew a 51 point lead to lose by a goal. I switched seats for that fateful 4th quarter and was seated near the Melbourne Cheersquad. Their joy was unbridled while I was just in despair.

 

[Fat Nyfe]

2015 prelim loss

 

[Darksidepoints]

How many seasons am I allowed to list?

 

[stabler]

Lol at people who's worst days involve losing a premiership after winning one the year prior.

Being a Melbourne supporter from 2007 to 2013 was like that scene from Casino Royale where Bond is forced to sit on the bottomless chair and have his balls whipped.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Haven't had too many over the years, but the 1987 GF was a bad one. Not just the game, the whole weekend. Flights were stuffed up, hotel booking stuff up, and if you recall, it was a very hot day, and the air conditioning in the hotel wasn't working. Weekend from hell .... fortunately many pleasant memories since then

 

[maxmustard]

186. There's been a lot of pure filth but that was the worst of it.

 

[HTT]

Shit there's a few of those
Firstly some honourable mentions

2014 Elimination Final
We'd just pulled off one of the greatest things our club has ever done, went into it with a head full of steam, I genuinely felt we had the form to go all the way. Then we kicked against the wind. First half hurt, but by the end I was ok. We were probably cooked from beating 3 contenders in 4 weeks anyway.

2013 Elimination Final
Made the finals for the first time in forever. Played against 9th. Up by 6 goals at half time. I remember thinking 'shit, this finals stuff is actually pretty easy'. Worst second half of footy ever

2007 25 Goal loss v Geelong
Went there with Geelong supporters. Not a great night.

2007 Dreamtime game, richogate
We were winless, but had a sniff in this one. Watch the following. Worst umpiring decision ever.


But undoubtedly the worst day of my football life is

2015 Elimination Final
Started the season like shit. Finished it 13-3, and had beaten Sydney and Freo on the road, plus hawthorn fresh off some 10 goal wins over other contenders. We had the third best defence in the league, and finished within a Bachar Houli kick out of a top 4 spot. We were up at half time. Not by much, and we weren't playing well, but that made me sort of confident, because 6 goal leads and Richmond don't go well together. Then we just couldn't get the job done. Got robbed of a 12-point free kick and some momentum in the last quarter, massive sliding doors moment, but the damage may have already been done. That affected me for weeks. I had legitimate break downs over it. Waste of a season.

 

[Toump Ass]

Picking Toumpas over Wines was bad, trading him to Port for a packet of Doritos was worse.

I watched the Melbourne v GCS game last year: that was ****ed.

Leaving my sunnies behind at the MCG. I'd travelled the world with them

Other than that, I really don't give a shit.

 

[nobbyiscool]

On field, it was clearly the 2015 GF. It was the first GF I'd been to, I'd paid what was, by my standards, an outrageous amount to be there, and I genuinely thought we'd win. Until about 20 minutes into the game

Off field - it's not so much a day, it was really the whole 12 months that followed the 2006 win. Some people in this thread talk about disappointing losses being a turning point, but in the case of the Eagles it was a great win that was the turning point. Chad Fletcher, Ben Cousins, Daniel Kerr and Chris Mainwairing (et al), then Judd leaving... it got to the point where, even as an Eagles fan on the east coast of Australia, you felt like every week you were going to wake up to another shitty piece of news that would make you question your fandom. I reckon, in recent history at least, Essendon fans are about the only supporter group that can appreciate that feeling, and it's why I had a lot more sympathy for Bombers fans than most (though not for the players.)

 

[raskolnikov]

1999 prelim final
Still haven't got over it.

 

[Sweetback]

2013 GF, obviously. Mainly because it was the only realistic shot Pav had at a medal, and I think we could have won it if we weren't so nervy early. If Fyfe had have kicked those two goals in the first quarter to steady us, I think that would have made all the difference.

Then I think how much luck goes into winning a GF, other than having the list on the day and the coaches. If we had have selected Lachie Neale, if Adam McPhee had have gone around one more year. A few what-ifs that make you wonder why the stars didn't align and if they ever will.

 

[blueiris]

Worst day in Football for me was July 4th 1996 when the AFL decided to kill off my club

 

[Dekker]

2005 GF loss. Was living in Sydney and working for a Swans major sponsor so had it rammed down my throat for what seemed an eternity. Must admit revenge was sweet the following year!

 

[stabler]

Worst day in Football for me was July 4th 1996 when the AFL decided to kill off my club

That will take some beating.