AFL fans and commentators are paying tribute to Dermott Brereton after the Hawthorn legend revealed on Tuesday he won’t be back on Fox Footy in 2026. Brereton, who played 211 games in his AFL career in the 80s and 90s, told the Herald Sun he’s decided to leave the TV network after being offered a reduced role for next season.
It ends the 61-year-old’s 14-year association with Fox Footy. “I got to work at the cutting edge of football coverage with a great team of people and associate with some of the great callers of the game,” he said. “And I will remain great friends with them for a long, long time.
“I greatly enjoyed and truly appreciated my time at Fox Footy – more than merely a form of employment, I got to call football from almost the day I stopped playing.”
Dermott Brereton has departed Fox Footy after 14 years. Image: Getty
The five-time premiership winner said he’s looking forward to watching more footy as a fan, including watching Archer May – the son of his partner – who plays for Essendon. The 61-year-old said he hasn’t ruled out a return to TV if he “gets the bug again”.
Archer May (L) is the son of Dermott Brereton’s partner. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
AFL world pays tribute to Dermott Brereton
Fox Footy general manager Mick Neill said: “Dermott Brereton is a legend of the game and has been a star at Fox Footy for 14 years. He threw himself enthusiastically into everything asked of him at Fox Footy.
“Derm will be remembered with pride for his contribution, competitiveness and sharp analysis on Fox Footy’s live commentary and analysis shows. He was a massive name joining Fox Footy in 2012 and he remains a treasured member of the Fox Footy family.”
Dermott Brereton has stepped away after being offered a reduced role. (AAP Image/Con Chronis)
On social media, Port Adelaide 300-gamer Kane Cornes was among the many to pay tribute. “Congratulations to Derm on his brilliant career at Fox Footy,” he said. “I admired how he often came from unique and lateral angles that challenged the viewer’s when watching a game he was calling.
“He rarely got caught up in stats and trusted his eyes. Anyone who survives that long in footy media is truly in the 1%. Hope to still hear plenty of him on SEN.”
SEN colleague Tom Morris responded: “Accurate. Well done Derm! More to come on SEN please.”
As Cornes and Morris mentioned, Brereton is still employed by radio network SEN. The AFL and Hawthorn Hall of Fame member has become a popular commentator and analyst since hanging up the boots.
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Earlier this year, he opened up on some of the debilitating effects of his AFL career, revealing he struggles to walk down stairs and needs his partner to put his shoes and socks on for him. “With the pain in my spine, where they put in a cage inserted there, I can’t reach. I just can’t put on socks and shoes,” he said in June at a function at the MCG.
“Some days I have to walk down the stairs sideways because I haven’t any cartilage – bone on bone, that is – for 40 years. Some days I can’t shake hands with other men, and if they do so, I fear they’ll re-open some of the broken bones in my hands from defenders’ spoils and from when [an opponent] jumped on my hand deliberately. Some days I have to crab my way down the stairs because my often half-a-dozen times reconstructed ankle will not flex any more.”