July’s Best Footy Pics Prove This Game Is Bloody Art

Every month some clever photographer somewhere in this country reminds us why we love this game more than words ever could. July was no different, and honestly, going through this month’s crop of images gave me goosebumps like a last-quarter siren at the Holden Centre.

Because footy isn’t just stats and score reviews and blokes in suits telling us what a free kick is. It’s moments. Split-second, never-again moments. And July 2026 served up a beauty.

The photo that stopped me in my tracks

There’s one image doing the rounds from a wet Friday night that I reckon should be framed and hung in every clubrooms in the country. A packed outer, scarves up, steam coming off the crowd under the lights like something out of a war movie. You could feel the cold just looking at it.

That’s footy in July, isn’t it? Mud, mongrel and mates. No hot air balloon or fire show dressed up for a lifestyle mag is ever going to top a shot like that. Give me the outer over a balloon any day of the week.

Collingwood copped the camera’s attention too

Carn the Pies — and I’m not just saying that because I bleed black and white. There were a couple of ripper shots from our clashes this month that deserve a mention.

One image had a young Magpie supporter, cant have been more than seven or eight, absolutely losing his mind after a goal. Arms out, mouth wide open, dad next to him doing exactly the same thing. That’s the sorta stuff that should be going in the history books, not just some gallery buried on a news site.

Another had our skipper mid-air, contesting a pack marking situation that, if I’m honest, probably should of been paid our way. The umpires again finding a way to wave away the free kick that was clearly there. But that’s a story for another column — this one’s about the pictures, and gee that shot told a story on its own.

Politicians, balloons and the rest of it

Look, I get why the wider gallery this month had pollies shaking hands and hot air balloons floating over the countryside and some bloke doing a fire show. Australia’s a big country and there’s more to life than footy, allegedly.

But be honest with yourself — did any of those images make your heart race like a contested mark on the members wing? Didn’t think so.

Politicians posing for the cameras is about as exciting as watching paint dry on a Tuesday. Hot air balloons are lovely, don’t get me wrong, but they’re not going to get 90,000 people jumping out of their seat on a Saturday arvo.

Why these images matter more than people reckon

Some people will scroll past these photo galleries and reckon it’s just filler between the real news. I reckon that’s rubbish.

A great footy photo captures something the commentators can’t. The desperation in a bloke’s eyes as he throws his body at the footy. The heartbreak on a coach’s face after a one-point loss. The pure, uncut joy of a fan who’s waited their whole life for their team to finally get it right.

These aren’t just pictures. They’re history. In twenty years time, someone’s going to look back at July 2026 and that shot of the Collingwood faithful losing it in the outer is going to mean more to them than any premiership cup lift ever could, because it’s real. It’s us.

The best of the rest around the grounds

A few other shots deserve an honourable mention from around the competition this month:

• A ruckman completely airborne in a boundary throw-in, legs everywhere, looking like he’s about to take off for the moon.
• A trainer sprinting onto the ground with the physio bag, captured mid-stride with a look of pure panic on his face.
• A member of the runners squad getting absolutely tackled by a security guard trying to get him off the ground — comedy gold, that one.
• A drone shot of a packed suburban oval that reminded everyone footy isn’t just about the MCG and the big stadiums, it’s about every local ground from Frankston to Fremantle.

Every single one of those tells its own little story. That’s the beauty of footy photography — you don’t need a caption half the time. The picture does all the talking.

What it all means for the rest of the season

Look, I could go on all day about the artistic merit of a well-timed shutter click, but let’s be real — what these photos actually tell us is that footy in this country is in ripper health. Crowds are up, passion’s through the roof, and the game’s giving photographers gold week after week.

Definately worth remembering that as we roll into August and the pressure starts cranking up for finals footy. Every club’s fans will be desperate for their own moment to be the one that gets snapped and shared around the country.

For my money, I reckon Collingwood’s month gave the photographers plenty to work with, and if we keep playing finals footy like we have been, there’ll be plenty more where that came from come September.

Carn the Pies. And carn to whoever’s out there with a camera capturing this ridiculous, brilliant game of ours. Keep ’em coming.