Some of Geelong’s biggest names have courted controversy with their Mad Monday costumes, just days after their crushing grand final defeat to the Brisbane Lions.
Mark Blicavs, Mark O’Connor and Cillian Burke came dressed as controversial Irish rap group Kneecap, Bailey Smith shared a photo of himself flipping the bird again and Ollie Dempsey and Sam De Koning arrived in an Aston Martin and “Cotton On” gear, holding brown paper bags; a cheeky reference to the club sponsor’s AFL-approved private sponsorship of their teammate Smith.
Geelong footballers (from left) Mark O’Connor, Mark Blicavs and Cillian Burke dressed as members of Irish rap band Kneecap during their Mad Monday celebrations. Credit: K Rock Football
Smith, who apologised by text to Geelong Advertiser photographer Alison Wynd after verbally abusing her at training just weeks ago, also posted a picture with teammate Max Holmes dressed as award-winning journalist Caroline Wilson with the caption “Caro has never looked better”, but then deleted it.
Geelong are renowned for using their post-season celebrations to poke fun at contentious moments from the footy season, and the news cycle.
In June, Fremantle captain Alex Pearce was criticised by Jewish organisations for sharing a post on Instagram from the Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap, defending their pro-Palestinian stance on Gaza.
Dempsey and De Koning’s flamboyant arrival at Geelong’s Wharf Shed appeared to be a nod to Smith’s lucrative deal with Cotton On and its sponsorship of the Cats.
Geelong are being audited by the AFL this year as part of the AFL’s “annual salary cap compliance process”. Another club was also audited this season. The results of the audit have not yet been announced.
How the Cats structure their player payments has long been a topic of interest around the league and conjecture among fans. St Kilda coach Ross Lyon put the topic on the agenda at a Saints function late last year when he said he thought the Cats leveraged their relationship with Cotton On to retain and attract talent.