How Brownlow win will make Daicos richer; Dockers star slams flight price gouging; AFL green-lights rookie rule change

Daicos cashes in on medal win

Zoey Duchene, Hannah Kennelly and Jake Niall

Nick Daicos will receive a financial windfall worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from his Brownlow win, including a bonus that was written into his Collingwood playing contract and proceeds from a marketing campaign that kicked off before the medal was even around his neck.

A box of Nike T-shirts commemorating Daicos’ triumph arrived at Crown Palladium while the count was still in progress, while towering billboards went up around Melbourne.

Nike, a Collingwood partner with whom the 23-year-old also has an independent deal, launched the campaign branded “inevitable” on the morning of the Brownlow count.

Daicos is one of the small handful of AFL players who command such independent deals, earning more than $500,000 a year from commercial partnerships alongside his Magpies contract, which this masthead reported was worth $1.2-1.3 million last season and runs to 2029.

That earning power will only increase with his Brownlow win, which came from a record number of votes (47).

Nike, which lost French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe to rival shoe manufacturer On this week, leant into Daicos’ $1.01 favouritism before the Brownlow Medal count.

Nick Atkinson, the senior marketing director at Nike Pacific, said Daicos was “an athlete at the top of his game,” and was bound to be awarded the medal at some stage.

“We wanted a piece that felt authentic to Nick and mirrored the confidence at the heart of the idea, showing him in a moment of success,” Atkinson said.

This masthead reported in 2023 that a Brownlow would trigger a $100,000 bonus in Daicos’ contract, before his contract was extended.

He can also receive proceeds from any signed Brownlow memorabilia, which he spruiked on his Instagram story on Monday.

The morning after celebrating with his family – including parents Peter and Colleen – friends, and teammates, Daicos said he was determined not to become consumed by his growing profile and platform.

“I’m trying to stay as present as I can, and I know that there’s still many holes in my game. I need to keep improving,” said Daicos, who is desperate to win a second premiership and is already a four-time All-Australian. “From an on-field point of view, that’s what I’m focusing on now.”

“I probably become a little bit numb to [the fame and commercial opportunities]. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, but I just find to try and focus on my daily processes and what works for me.”

He did appreciate the special delivery of “inevitable” Daicos T-shirts, though.

“It [such bold marketing] happens a bit clearly overseas, and not much in Australia I don’t think, but hopefully I think we’re starting to see a shift in that,” Daicos said.

“It was a really nice initiative from Nike, and really nice to include my family,” Daicos said.

“I’ll definitely keep those shirts for the rest of my life.”

Dockers star Young damns flight price gouging

Marc McGowan

Fremantle match-winner Hayden Young has called out airlines’ price gouging in AFL grand final week as many Dockers fans pay thousands of dollars for a return flight to potentially witness their team make history.

Young inspired Fremantle’s dramatic preliminary final comeback victory over Sydney from 28 points down with a best-on-ground performance that included a brilliant goal from the boundary after the three-quarter-time siren.

The Dockers will contest the second grand final in their 32-year history at the MCG on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions, who are chasing a flag three-peat and league immortality.

Fremantle lost the 2013 decider by 15 points to Hawthorn, so Young and co. could be part of the club’s maiden AFL premiership, which is why he is so disappointed that exorbitant flights from Perth to Melbourne might mean the average fan cannot afford to be there.

The cheapest tickets on Qantas travelling on Thursday – the day before the grand final parade – and returning this weekend are north of $2000, not to mention the costs of a grand final ticket and accommodation.

“I find it ridiculous. It’s frustrating, and it annoys me,” Young told this masthead.

“Even for us as players, we’re having to fork out a fair bit of money to get our families over as well, and obviously the fans have to do that, too, so we’re all in the same boat. I don’t get why they do that, but it’s above my pay grade.

“Hopefully, we can win and bring the cup back to our fans in Perth and Freo, and we can share it with them.”

Young grew up in Victoria and played for Somerville and the Dandenong Stingrays, so his family won’t have to absorb the soaring flight costs this time around.

His younger brother, Josh, lives in Perth and plays for South Fremantle, but managed to get to Melbourne before the price hike. Josh was in Sydney to watch the Dockers’ preliminary final victory, along with another sibling – ex-AFL player Lachie – and other relatives.

Young said he would relish the opportunity to realise his childhood dream and play in an AFL grand final in front of family and friends. However, he is not wearing the weight of expectation of tortured Dockers supporters desperate for their first flag.

“I think maybe if you grew up in Fremantle and barracked for them your whole life, maybe you would understand that [feeling],” Young said.

“But I’ve been here for seven years. I can appreciate the passion of our fans, but I’ll probably never understand what it’s been like to be in their shoes.

“So, in a way, I don’t carry that pressure with me of the fans, but I certainly acknowledge the privilege that I have to represent them and what it could mean and the influence that we have. Since I’ve been here, our fans have been incredible, and it would be pretty special to do it for them.”

List spots added to foster Indigenous talent

Jake Niall

The AFL will allow clubs an extra list spot for First Nations players – including senior players who have been delisted – as part of the league’s push to arrest the decline of its Indigenous playing ranks.

The AFL Commission has agreed to the change, which gives clubs the option – it is entirely voluntary – of adding an additional category B rookie spot for the AFL and a rookie list spot for AFLW if the player is designated as First Nations. The list spot is available for the 2027 season.

The extra spot for First Nations players will allow clubs to draft players who have been delisted, such as Carlton’s Zac Williams, who can act as mentors to younger Indigenous players on the list and bolster depth.

Clubs have been informed of the rule change, which is a response to the critical decline of First Nations players over the past five years, as numbers have dwindled from the high-water mark of more than 11 per cent of the AFL in the early 2010s.

Critics of the rule within the game have argued that bolstering numbers through the extra list spot does not necessarily prolong careers or create more sustainable pathways for First Nations players.

The AFL had identified that First Nations players’ careers were, on average, one year shorter than non-Indigenous players in both the men’s and women’s competitions.

But the AFL, with the backing of the AFL Players’ Association, has pushed on with what is the most radical step yet to arrest the decline, which has coincided with cuts to football department budgets post-COVID and a reluctance of clubs to take risks with limited list spots.

Richmond and West Coast were among the clubs that warned during the COVID-19 period that the cuts to football budgets would impact adversely on First Nations players’ participation.

One caveat to the rule is that clubs cannot delist a First Nations player and then immediately re-draft them as a rookie, or what clubs call “re-rookie” the player.

Indigenous representation dropped to a 20-year low this season. There are 66 First Nations players on AFL club lists – about 8 per cent of the total playing group – and 22 First Nations players across the AFLW.

As reported by this masthead in March, the AFL set a target to reach 81 Indigenous players in the AFL and 29 in the AFLW (representing just under 10 per cent of the competitions) by 2030.

“First Nations representation across the game is a key focus area for the AFL, and the introduction of this mechanism will go a significant way to providing opportunity for more First Nations players to play at the highest level,” said AFL executive general manager football performance Greg Swann.

“Our game as we know it has been shaped by First Nations players, and we want to ensure we continue to provide the best opportunity for First Nations players of the future to thrive.”

General manager of First Nations engagement and inclusion, Taryn Lee, said increasing the number of First Nations players in the game was one of three priorities for the AFL.

“Our approach has been collaborative, we have listened to our First Nations players whose experiences have provided invaluable insight and an opportunity to ensure we set up our clubs and players for success,” she said.

“We know there is significant room for improvement and we see the additional First Nations list spots as a fantastic step forward.”

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