An office chat about ‘Wharfie Time’ upset a colleague. What went wrong?

October 1, 2026 — 3:00pm

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I returned to work after the long weekend in Melbourne and the office was buzzing with chatter about the AFL Grand Final. I am not a footy fan, so usually don’t really participate in such discussions, but I had been invited to a grand final party and watched the game this year. I have to admit it was very exciting.

Unfortunately, I seem to have made a bad mistake on the Monday after. I innocently asked what “Wharfie Time” was, something I hadn’t got a grasp of on the day. A colleague replied with words along the lines of: “It was a disaster – that’s what it was”. Then another colleague who wasn’t part of the conversation, but was within earshot, became very upset. We haven’t seen them since. What did I accidentally bring about?

The person who became upset and fled the scene was unquestionably a Fremantle supporter. The Fremantle Dockers are the AFL’s second Western Australian team. They joined the league in 1995. Unlike their larger cousins, the West Coast Eagles, who joined in 1987 and had won the premiership (finished the champions of the entire competition) within six years, the Dockers have never reached that pinnacle.

Saturday’s game was their best chance to........

© Brisbane Times