Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nDEES\u2019 \u2018TUNNEL FITS\u2019 COULD LEAD TO ENDORSEMENT OPPORTUNITIES<\/p>\n
Melbourne\u2019s move to wear stylish pre-game outfits could lead to stars earning more lucrative marketing opportunities.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understood there\u2019s been approaches from designers to Demons superstar Kysaiah Pickett about potential interest in wearing their designs, though no financial offers were made. <\/p>\n
Melbourne is the only team that\u2019s permanently ditched the traditional club polos for stylish looks before games this season.<\/p>\n
Former Demons CEO Paul Guerra, who was sacked in April, was the brain\u2019s trust behind the idea. It was inspired by the NBA players\u2019 \u2018tunnel fits\u2019 to allow players to show more personality and embrace match-day entertainment.<\/p>\n
The NBA\u2019s pre-game tunnel walks have led to multimillion-dollar marketing platforms and seen stars secure lucrative endorsement deals.<\/p>\n
For example, NBA icon LeBron James has a lifetime contract with Nike, which is estimated to be worth over $1 billion. James also has major partnerships with high-end fashion brands including Lous Vuitton.<\/p>\n
As for AFL players, the top endorsement earners like Nick Daicos and Marcus Bontempelli would make hundreds of thousands from their collection of deals.<\/p>\n
Kysaiah Pickett wearing one of his pre-game fits (Image: Melbourne’s Instagram)Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
Melbourne had to get club sponsors on board its innovative, new game-day look in one of the most obvious roadblocks, but has still incorporated commercial partners into the fashion movement on social media. <\/p>\n
Demons players also aren\u2019t allowed to wear any major competing brands to their sponsors, which include New Balance.<\/p>\n
So will rival clubs follow Melbourne\u2019s lead?<\/p>\n
Some teams say they\u2019ve discussed it, but suggested there\u2019s been mixed messaging from the AFL on whether they\u2019re allowed to and that the Dees are seen as something of a trial case.<\/p>\n
However, an AFL spokesperson contacted says the league is on board with Melbourne\u2019s concept, as it stands, and encouraged other teams to get involved.<\/p>\n
The self-professed \u201cold fashioned\u201d view from some clubs is to protect and prioritise sponsors. Even though there\u2019s also an acknowledgment that it could boost awareness of those sponsors by getting more eyeballs.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s understood Fremantle has plans to adopt what the Western Bulldogs did earlier this month and wear retro apparel in the Dockers\u2019 Round 23 game against Adelaide.<\/p>\n
AFLPA PROBE INTO TDK INJURY<\/p>\n
The AFL Players\u2019 Association has ticked off the handling of Saints star Tom De Koning returning to the field with serious internal injuries that saw him end up in hospital.<\/p>\n
The players\u2019 union sought clarity on why De Koning was allowed to return to St Kilda\u2019s loss to the Western Bulldogs on Sunday after the ruckman was assessed following a hit in the second quarter. <\/p>\n
He only briefly went back into the game, before being taken to hospital via ambulance and getting diagnosed with two fractured ribs and a punctured lung.<\/p>\n
The players\u2019 association was simply doing its usual due diligence \u2014 not conducting an official investigation \u2014 to get a better understanding of why De Koning was deemed fit to return to action.<\/p>\n
But in talks with De Koning, his management, St Kilda and the AFL, there were no concerns raised with how the matter was handled.<\/p>\n
Tom De Koning of the Saints feels at his ribs after a collision against the Dogs (Picture: Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
It\u2019s common practice for the players\u2019 union to follow up on relevant incidents \u2014 not just injuries \u2014 such as Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera\u2019s middle-finger gesture and Jy Simpkin\u2019s social media post on Paul Curtis\u2019 suspension. <\/p>\n
There was more complexity with the AFLPA and AFL probe into ex-Demon Christian Petracca\u2019s severe injuries, including a lacerated spleen, cracked ribs and a punctured lung, that he re-entered the 2024 King\u2019s Birthday game with.<\/p>\n
The Saints see De Koning\u2019s setback similar to Jack Macrae\u2019s internal injury last year that saw the midfielder miss two AFL matches with a punctured lung.<\/p>\n
Though it\u2019s the second time in as many years De Koning has suffered a collapsed lung. His 2024 home and away season with Carlton was cut short by the same injury in a game he also sustained a foot fracture.<\/p>\n
De Koning\u2019s injury was part of a horror run of setbacks for St Kilda in Sunday\u2019s loss to the Dogs including Jack Sinclair\u2019s potential season-ending calf issue and Rowan Marshall\u2019s shoulder complaint.<\/p>\n
But the club is hopeful Marshall will be available to play after its bye against Essendon in Round 17.<\/p>\n
FREO\u2019S SECRET WEAPON IN UNPRECEDENTED INJURY RUN<\/p>\n
Meet the secret weapon to the ladder-leading Dockers\u2019 unprecedented clean bill of health.<\/p>\n
The impact of Adam Beard, Fremantle\u2019s new director of performance this season, has been lauded internally amid the full-strength club\u2019s surge to flag favouritism.<\/p>\n
Justin Longmuir had his entire 44-player squad to choose from this weekend, with Sam Sturt (knee\/quad) expected to be available.<\/p>\n
Sturt was the only Docker on the club\u2019s injury list this week, but barring any setbacks, he\u2019s likely to play limited game time at reserve level.<\/p>\n
Beard was promoted to the role of Fremantle\u2019s top fitness boss last October after three seasons at the club, following Phil Merriman\u2019s move to West Coast. <\/p>\n
The Dockers also appointed Nick Lumley as their new head of strength and conditioning.<\/p>\n
Beard has bought a wealth of experience from working for major sporting teams around the world including in the MLB and NFL.<\/p>\n
Fremantle appointed Adam Beard as director of performance last October (Image: Fremantle’s club website).Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been a big focus on Fremantle players getting bigger and more powerful after a summer of personal bests in the gym.<\/p>\n
As well as the conditioning of players and their recovery, with the two West Australian teams travelling the most in 2026, and intense pre-game warm ups.<\/p>\n
The new fitness regime has been helped by Fremantle\u2019s rising core being in the prime age bracket of 22 to 25, allowing them to go to the next level of lifting and taking on more weight.<\/p>\n
The Dockers\u2019 clean injury run has been in such good health that 2025 first-round draftee Adam Sweid was sent down to Peel Thunder\u2019s reserves side last weekend among five AFL-listed players.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because Fremantle\u2019s WAFL affiliate is only allowed to field a maximum of 15 AFL-listed players.<\/p>\n
With Sturt expected to return, it means the Peel Thunder reserves are set to have six AFL-listed Dockers this weekend.<\/p>\n
Like Fremantle, Peel Thunder also sits on top of the WAFL ladder.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Melbourne\u2019s NBA-inspired inspired innovation was brought in to allow players to show more personality. But designers have wasted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":760139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-760138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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