Footy world in uproar over details in AFL All-Australian photo
It was one of the AFL’s night of nights, but photos from the All-Australian squad announcement are being eviscerated online.
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The AFL had one of its night of nights this week when it handed out the coveted blazers to this year’s All-Australian squad.
The ceremony is designed to reward the best players over the course of the home and away season in their respective positions, with a squad of 18 “starters” plus four bench players making up the team.
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It’s usually an affair with a touch of glamour to it, but a wide section of footy fans have unloaded over some details spotted in the official team photos of the 2024 All Australian squad produced on the night.
All players are decked out in their sharp blazers, complete with gold trim and the Australian coat of arms over the breast pocket.
But that is where the consistency ends.
Of the 22 players, seven of them are not wearing ties, including all four Sydney Swans selected this year, Errol Gulden, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey and Chad Warner.
Some eagle-eyed footy fans also noted some other issues in this real-life game of Spot the Difference.
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has been clipped by many for wearing white socks to go with his brown boots, the only player in the front row not wearing black shoes.
Marcus Bontempelli, who was given the honour of being named captain in this year’s squad, has also been singled out for his choice of footwear — namely socks emblazoned with the Guinness beer logo.
Gulden also found a few critics for supposedly failing to iron his shirt.
Curiously, if you compare the image to the 2023 squad, every player from last year’s squad is wearing a tie.
Yes, even Gulden in his first appearance last year wore a perfectly tied black bow tie, with just a hint of white socks from Port Adelaide’s Connor Rozee the only possible blemish (see below).
The AFL’s official X account posted a photo of this year’s squad along with the caption: “The 2024 AFL All-Australian team looking very sharp in the blazers.”
That opened the proverbial flood gates, drawing hundreds of comments on the state of the squad, the vast majority of them critical.
“Can we please get the guys to wear a tie and preferably a black tie?” wrote X account Raye Charles, the first comment on the photo.
“They don’t all look sharp, some of them look like complete slobs,” an account called Kristin suggested.
“Why aren’t they all in ties. Slobs,” added Byron, continuing the “slob” theme.
“Nothing sharp about it. It’s just sloppy,” wrote Kerrie Firth. “Is it really that hard to make black pants and shoes mandatory? AFL should also hand out official AA ties pre-photo.”
News.com.au has contacted the AFL for comment on any directive over the uniforms and accessories players are expected to wear.
Some feel the league should be firm and direct on the issue.
An account called Beceldora wrote: “They should all be forced to wear ties and all the same colour. This is such an unprofessional, messy photo and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Jayden O’Halloran agreed, writing: “The blazer would look fine without a tie but they should either all wear a tie or not wear a tie. Looks unprofessional.”
Another account added: “I’ve seen school class photos tidier than this.”
X account Joseph was pretty upset about it all, stating: “Seriously what a pathetic photo. Where are the standards … piss poor from a lot of these ‘professionals’.”
Some footy fans on Reddit attempted to bust out their photoshop skills and add ties to some of the players, with mixed results.
Another X account, Stacey 1987, then set off a fresh storm when she reposted the AFL tweet with the caption: “Wear a f**king tie.”
That comment set off another 200-plus replies
Wayne Reardon was imploring the AFL to take action, writing: “AFL please take note of the comments in this post. It’s not a good look.”
And the socks also didn’t avoid a couple of swipes.
“White socks for Zorko????? What the hell️, I get these guys play footy. I get it. But it’s not hard to cover off on a tie and appropriate socks,” was one comment.
“Bont repping the @GuinnessIreland socks!!” added another.
“Haha was the first thing I noticed,” came a reply to Bontempelli’s choice.
It might all sound a little like a storm in a tuxedo, but we’ll be curious to see how the 2025 squad appears next year.
Originally published as Footy world in uproar over details in AFL All-Australian photo
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