Opinion Is 2026 the worst AFL season ever

[BigVic]

Never seen such a poor AFL season like 2026. All the big 4 AFL clubs underperforming, low crowd attendance and constant changing of rules driving people off

What are other worst AFL seasons you can remember outside of 2020

 

[RandB]

If Pies could kick straight this thread doesn't happen.

 

[BigVic]

Hawthorn and Sydney in the granny would sum up the 2026 AFL Season. Would be a miss for me

When does cricket start

 

[archereleven]

To many lawyers and bean counters ****ing the game along with easily the worst officiating in world sports...

I turned the game off at HT today and North were leading. Its a disgusting product afaic

 

[Cmarsh]

Hawthorn and Sydney in the granny would sum up the 2026 AFL Season. Would be a miss for me

When does cricket start

Oh no we can't have the top sides in the GF.

 

[stallon]

Who is underperforming?

If you are talking about the VFL big 4 then id argue theyre all performing about as expected

If you mean the actual 4 biggest clubs then west coast is over performing imo, the rest about as expected

 

[BigVic]

Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond

 

[Gavin Excell]

OP has realised his team is terrible

All.was fantastic and special in 2023

 

[Gavin Excell]

Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond

All duds

 

[What else we can do]

Hawthorn and Sydney in the granny would sum up the 2026 AFL Season. Would be a miss for me

When does cricket start

Oh **** not again

 

[RonnieRaven]

Didn’t a tig supporter start a thread like this in 2024?

 

[bzparkes]

Never seen such a poor AFL season like 2026. All the big 4 AFL clubs underperforming, low crowd attendance and constant changing of rules driving people off

What are other worst AFL seasons you can remember outside of 2020

Last time I recall someone starting a thread like this it was a Richmond supporter 2 years ago when they were completely shite.

It's always a supporter of a club that's on the way down who laments the first season they look proper bad in.

 

[bzparkes]

Didn’t a tig supporter start a thread like this in 2024?

Yep.

 

[STPer18]

Opinion Thread 'Is this the worst AFL season ever?'

Jul 26, 2025

Outside of 2020, this is the worst season of AFL I have ever watched.

Teams getting smashed, Geelong having an easy draw and the gap between top 4 and bottom 4

Cannot think of a worst AFL season than this year and it will be if we see Geelong dominate with a premiership, Coleman and Brownlow in one season.

• BigVic
• Replies: 334
• Forum: AFL - The Australian Football League

• 
• 

 

[Clark G]

The season got better today. Of course, that could be due to Essendon finally having a win.

 

[MisterMarcus]

Bit early for the "My team is going poorly, so I'm going to claim the game sucks then I can pretend it's not real" threads, isn't it?

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

"All the big 4 clubs underperforming".

I'm struggling to see why that's a bad thing.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

Rubbish like gather round is turning people off

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Maybe the AFL will do another investigation into it

 

[BigVic]

Hawthorn are really going to win the flag aren't they? Might as well give it to them and let everyone play for 2nd

Gather Round has been unwatchable too

 

[joe444]

Is this the worst "is this the worst" thread since the last thread asking this question by this poster last year?

 

[Rotayjay]

Collingwood not doing so well = worst season ever

 

[T2B_]

Dunno about the season as a whole but I think many would agree the overall standard of umpiring is at an all time low. Massive howlers every game

 

[Cmarsh]

Dunno about the season as a whole but I think many would agree the overall standard of umpiring is at an all time low. Massive howlers every game

I hear that claim year after year.

 

[T2B_]

I hear that claim year after year.

If it continually gets worse, that tracks