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

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I'm no 'spring chicken', I'm well into my 50's. So I've been present for;
Losing a GF after being 44 points up - 1970
Having your best player knocked out & put in a coma never really to return again-1972 John Greening
Losing a Prelim after being 45 points up - 1973
Losing an Elim by 5 points - 1975
Drawing a GF after being 28 points up in 4th Q - 1977
Losing a GF after being 5 goals up -1979. Plus Harmes was out!
Losing a GF after being 21 points up in time on of 3Q - 1981
Losing Darren Millane - 1991
Losing Qual Final in Perth by 4 points - 1994
Losing GF by 9 points - 2002when Rocca goals but not paid, Tarrant strangled but not paid, Lynch dives and gets paid
Being 24 up at 1/2 time in GF - 2010 only to draw - went home thinking we'd blown yet another one!

Good list!

For me you can add in the 1992 elimination final vs St Kilda that we lost - finished 3rd on the ladder and played a single elimination final vs the 6th team & lost. Was our last chance for glory with the remaining players from 1990.

Also the 2003 grand final, went in favourites, were utterly embarrassed.

2009 prelim vs Geelong - another huge deflating loss.
 
So many dark moments over the last 30 odd years however the worst football moment was the 2013 elimination final without a shadow of a doubt. 30 pts up at half time and then old man judd puts on a show and gets the scum over the line.

Left after gartlett kicked the sealer in the last and just abused every blues fan i could who was celebrating. Got home and sat in a dark room in the foetal position for the night. A horrible horrible day.
 
2015 v hawthorn the first time around. I went and by the end of it my Collingwood supporting boyfriend even felt for me. The worst.

And fev hitting the post, again against hawthorn.
I'll keep the Hawthorn theme rolling.
While I've been alive for 5 flags, I only have very vague memories of the ones in the 80's and in the 90's I kind of fell out of love with footy and only had a passing interest.
Interestingly, I started following again more heavily through the noughties, when we were less than fantastic. Because of this, my worst day that lingers is round 22, 2008 against Hawks. Fev fires up for an awesome 7 goals and a chance to kick 100 (and have two players kick 100 in the same game), and what do Hawthorn do? One of the most unsportsman-like acts I've seen - double and triple teaming Fev once he starts to get a sniff and even allowing Buddy to roam down back and try to stop him.
The game was already well and truly won. Buddy had sewn up the Coleman. I wasn't expecting them to just give it to him, but playing him one on one would have been fair.
 

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I'll keep the Hawthorn theme rolling.
While I've been alive for 5 flags, I only have very vague memories of the ones in the 80's and in the 90's I kind of fell out of love with footy and only had a passing interest.
Interestingly, I started following again more heavily through the noughties, when we were less than fantastic. Because of this, my worst day that lingers is round 22, 2008 against Hawks. Fev fires up for an awesome 7 goals and a chance to kick 100 (and have two players kick 100 in the same game), and what do Hawthorn do? One of the most unsportsman-like acts I've seen - double and triple teaming Fev once he starts to get a sniff and even allowing Buddy to roam down back and try to stop him.
The game was already well and truly won. Buddy had sewn up the Coleman. I wasn't expecting them to just give it to him, but playing him one on one would have been fair.

Hawthorn had finals next week Didn't need the bullshit of another stupid crowd invasion with a few minutes to go. If fev spent his career hunting like he did then he would be an out and out champion - no argument

and btw, It was then I knew the once proud and mighty Carlton was begging for scraps off the top table. Weird night - 20% of the crowd buggered off once theyd seen the Buddy ton. Real fans had been locked out
 
Hawthorn had finals next week Didn't need the bullshit of another stupid crowd invasion with a few minutes to go. If fev spent his career hunting like he did then he would be an out and out champion - no argument

and btw, It was then I knew the once proud and mighty Carlton was begging for scraps off the top table. Weird night - 20% of the crowd buggered off once theyd seen the Buddy ton. Real fans had been locked out
What a piss weak excuse. How would a ground invasion hinder their finals prep?
I would say going all out to stop him in a game that was already over was a bigger risk. Could you imagine if Buddy got injured while trying to intercept a mark in defence?
 
1997 prelim

Whole family gutted

2009 prelim, walked out of the G absolutely furious that we couldn't get the job done, plus Riewoldt getting gifted two dubious goals didn't help either

Then probably round 18 last year against St Kilda, 3 in game injuries, two being serious to Wallis (broken leg) and Redpath (ACL), felt like our season was finished and just wanted to get through the season unscathed from there. The next week against Geelong put the nail in the coffin with Libba (ankle) and Macrae (hammy) both getting injured in game.


My view on the season didn't change until the third quarter of the semi final against Hawthorn, some of the most amazing pressure footy I've ever seen us perform, I guess our squad depth and great coaching helped immensely.



I guess for the old man it'd be the 1985 prelim with Matthews getting hold of Hardie late to win them the game, 1994 Billy Brownless after the siren and obviously 1997.
 
What a piss weak excuse. How would a ground invasion hinder their finals prep?
I would say going all out to stop him in a game that was already over was a bigger risk. Could you imagine if Buddy got injured while trying to intercept a mark in defence?

Clarko saw the first one with the potential risks involved, and decided he certainly didn't want another. piss weak or otherwise

He could be right or wrong but he won the flag that year and a few more besides
 
Rougheads diagnosis last year. I pretty much gave up after that. I don't think I spent an entire day crying like that for a while. Was absolutely heartbreaking to watch Jordan Lewis on 360.

Other than that there really hasn't been much in my personal lifetime.
The worst game and it still haunts me is that dam Tom Hawkins after the siren. That hurt more than 2012 and the 2011 prelim. Pretty much that whole Kennett curse era was pretty bad.
 
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.

I was at the WCQ Australia vs Iran game which knocked us out of France 98, I have never seen the G so quiet.

I was at the 97 prelim but too young to grasp the historical significance of the loss but it still hurt. Otherwise the 09 prelim... gutted
 
I've probably said it before but 2005 was heart breaking. The whole football world relished the Swans win. I would've too, was I not an Eagles fan. The comeback and then losing the lead and the last ditch denial was just shattering. I'm fortunate that it only lasted 12 months before redemption. Other supporters are not so lucky.

2015 GF was just more of a bad day, got grumpy and then got over it. Was a GF I never expected the team to be in until they won the QF, which was an awesome enough win to savour for the year, along with the prelim. Was probably more gutted by Nic Nat's knee injury last year.
 

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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.

Yeah that covers the biggest ones out of a list of many. 2013 EF hurt the most , kids knew to leave me be after that. 2015 EF was just stunned.

Another one to add was round 1 2009. Had steamed home in the back of 2008, Richo nearly won a Brownlow, thought we were finally on the way to something . Belted by 80 odd by Carlton, back to square one and another rebuild. Felt even though it was round 1, all the negativity would go on all season, which is what happened.
 
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.

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Getting ripped apart by Essendon in 2013 was the worst. I thought that was it, the club wouldn't survive after the season concluded
 

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

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