I copped a spray over this AFL invention. Thank goodness it’s gone

March 19, 2026 — 11:30am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

I knew the players hated the sub’s vest. But it wasn’t until a Thursday morning in a busy Gold Coast cafe that I realised the problem was even more significant than I thought.

My breakfast companions were Jed Walter and Tom Berry, two Suns players at different junctures in their football journeys. The conversation must have come to a lull, as the topic turned to the sub.

“You know at three-quarter-time, we don’t even listen to what ‘Dimma’ [Damien Hardwick] is saying. We just watch where Darcie is and which player she is moving towards,” Tom said.

Darcie is the team manager and the holder of the sub T-shirt. Tom won’t mind me saying that he is the type of player prone to being subbed. He played 43 games across seven seasons, kicked six goals and laid heaps of tackles. His teammates loved playing with him.

I asked Jed if he felt the same way, expecting a different answer, given he was picked at No.3 in the draft and the coaches loved him like a son.

“A hundred per cent,” he said. “I look at the team on the board, and I look for Darcie. Until I know who is subbed........

© The Age