Worst Umpiring Decision in the History of Football

[Velour&Ruffles]

Inspired by the thread Ok. Have held off long enough , I have held off long enough on something else and also have to get it off my chest.

Watching the season highlights DVD, I'm now convinced that there has never, ever, in the history of our great game, been a worse umpiring decision than that in Round 4 versus the Kangaroos. Even now, I boil with rage when I see Gary Rohan - with eyes for nothing but the ball - have his leg broken by a sliding Lindsay Thomas and then, in a season when the AFL actively trumpeted that it was going to crack down on sliding because of the safety risk to players' legs, having a free kick actually paid AGAINST him! WTF? Even seeing it on mutliple replays and in slo-mo, I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through the umpire's tiny brain. Perhaps Neil Sachse should have been penalised too (apologies to those too yound to know what I am referring to here).

So congratualtions Umpire Effwitte, you have a place in football immortality. Amongst hundreds of thousands - perhaps millions - of decisions over more than a century, you have the exclusive privilege of making the most mind-bogglingly incompetent decision that has ever been made. Including the 2012 Grand Final, and God knows there were plenty of crap decisions in that.

[albrotha]

Game versus Hawthorn at SCG when ROK had what looked like being a HTB decision which was called as a free against.
Then shortly after the obvious 50m penalty that the umpire decided to not award when the ball was kicked away before the free could be taken

[Cpt. Kirk]

I reckon the worst was the one in the grand final when hodge tackled jack on the wing in the last quarter, it ended up being a ball up but it went to a slow motion of the tackle and tom harley says as it finishes "nope, no free there" and hodge is pressing his elbow into jacks face.

[Triple B]

Hard to beat the Leo Barry/Stenglein free in the 2005 QF as one of the worst ever.

A free to Solomon against Craig Bolton v Essendon MCG 2004 lives in my memory as the worst.

[aardvark]

Inspired by the thread Ok. Have held off long enough , I have held off long enough on something else and also have to get it off my chest.

Watching the season highlights DVD, I'm now convinced that there has never, ever, in the history of our great game, been a worse umpiring decision than that in Round 4 versus the Kangaroos. Even now, I boil with rage when I see Gary Rohan - with eyes for nothing but the ball - have his leg broken by a sliding Lindsay Thomas and then, in a season when the AFL actively trumpeted that it was going to crack down on sliding because of the safety risk to players' legs, having a free kick actually paid AGAINST him! WTF? Even seeing it on mutliple replays and in slo-mo, I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through the umpire's tiny brain. Perhaps Neil Sachse should have been penalised too (apologies to those too yound to know what I am referring to here).

So congratualtions Umpire Effwitte, you have a place in football immortality. Amongst hundreds of thousands - perhaps millions - of decisions over more than a century, you have the exclusive privilege of making the most mind-bogglingly incompetent decision that has ever been made. Including the 2012 Grand Final, and God knows there were plenty of crap decisions in that.

RWO rant of the year.....love it!

[Big Al]

I reckon the worst was the one in the grand final when hodge tackled jack on the wing in the last quarter, it ended up being a ball up but it went to a slow motion of the tackle and tom harley says as it finishes "nope, no free there" and hodge is pressing his elbow into jacks face.

That wasn't even the worst decision of the GF. That belongs to LRT not getting pinged for holding the ball in the 2nd qtr.

Can't go past the Leo Barry decision as the worst of all time though.

[YvonneH]

I remember a game at the SCG vs Essendon (don't remember the year) when Adam McPhee was certainly out of bounds running down the wing and was not called out. I think it was Mark McVeigh who kicked the goal and we lost by a small margin. Anyone else remember that one who could be more accurate?

[Sandridge]

Hard to beat the Leo Barry/Stenglein free in the 2005 QF as one of the worst ever.

Absolutely, positively, definitely the worst decision of all time! Cost us the game and would have cost a lesser team the Premiership!

[Sandridge]

I remember a game at the SCG vs Essendon (don't remember the year) when Adam McPhee was certainly out of bounds running down the wing and was not called out. I think it was Mark McVeigh who kicked the goal and we lost by a small margin. Anyone else remember that one who could be more accurate?

Yes, I remember it. The Essendon player who ran along the boundary line was so far out of bounds I think he kicked it from the car park! An Essendon supporter workmate of mine had the audacity to complain that the Swans supporters booed an after match presentation to the Bombers!

[Triple B]

I remember a game at the SCG vs Essendon (don't remember the year) when Adam McPhee was certainly out of bounds running down the wing and was not called out. I think it was Mark McVeigh who kicked the goal and we lost by a small margin. Anyone else remember that one who could be more accurate?

There is a certain Melb based member here who my wife and I hosted for that weekend along with his Essendon supporter/member wife.

I'm pretty sure she remembers that game. I'm sure she does because it was the last game they attended together....lol

And Yvonne, you are right on all counts, McPhee out of bounds, McVeigh goal and one point margin, they don't come much smaller.

EDIT: I knew I had this pic somewhere. By the time he kicked it with his left foot, he was close to kicking the fence.
McPhee.jpg

[goswannie14]

I reckon the worst was the one in the grand final when hodge tackled jack on the wing in the last quarter, it ended up being a ball up but it went to a slow motion of the tackle and tom harley says as it finishes "nope, no free there" and hodge is pressing his elbow into jacks face.

In fairness to Tom Harley he was actually saying there was no free there for Hawthorn which is what Hodge was appealing for.

[Industrial Fan]

A free to Solomon against Craig Bolton v Essendon MCG 2004 lives in my memory as the worst.

I concur with that one, and still refer to it frequently. What a howler.

On the other hand, I should probably move on at some point...

[Cardinal]

Are you people trying to make me angry?

I remember McPhee being in front of the Member's Stand but can't remember the year.

[Doctor J.]

There is a certain Melb based member here who my wife and I hosted for that weekend along with his Essendon supporter/member wife.

I'm pretty sure she remembers that game. I'm sure she does because it was the last game they attended together....lol

And Yvonne, you are right on all counts, McPhee out of bounds, McVeigh goal and one point margin, they don't come much smaller.

EDIT: I knew I had this pic somewhere. By the time he kicked it with his left foot, he was close to kicking the fence.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]796[/ATTACH]

Fence be buggered!!!! He stood on my toes and I was up in the Noble that night. Along with my Essendon supporting member wife. How that yellow germ in the background couldn't see that McPhee was out of bounds is one of lifes great mysteries.

Not the worst decision of all time. That honour belongs to the Leo Barry/Stenglein as noted by your good self.

[Frog]

Surely, the worst umpiring decision of all, has to be Ray Chamberlain deciding to give up a job as a Phys Ed teacher to become an AFL umpire ... How much worse could it get?