‘Aged 25 years’: Forgotten AFL star unrecognisable with new look
A forgotten AFL star has left fans shocked when he unveiled a new look in Round 1 that had many viewers doing a double take.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With Round 1 underway after Opening Round, the AFL season is officially in full swing and fans are finally getting a good look at their favourite players in action after a long pre-season.
So fans couldn’t help but notice when North Melbourne’s Jaidyn Stephenson looked noticeably different in the Kangaroos’ first hitout of the year against GWS in Sydney on Saturday.
Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Stephenson kicked two goals to go with 10 disposals and two tackles, and former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley credited him for chasing hard and putting pressure on early.
But it was his new hairdo that drew the attention of viewers. Gone were the blond locks Stephenson started his career with and in its place was a buzz cut revealing a receding hairline.
The more mature look got plenty of people talking and there was plenty of praise for how well he pulls it off.
One fan wrote on X: “I’ve never seen a man ostensibly age 25 years over an off-season like Jaidyn Stephenson. Good on him for owning it, though!”
A second viewer said: “Jaidyn stephenson’s hairline at 25yo is cruel.”
Another added: “Jaidyn Stephenson looks 48 with his haircut.”
“With his receding hairline, Jaidyn Stephenson needs to rock the Bruce Doull hairstyle at some point,” one fan joked, referencing the iconic Carlton legend.
Stephenson is looking to reinvigorate his career after being traded from Collingwood at the end of 2020 as part of a salary cap dump.
The 25-year-old was the AFL Rising Star in his first season in 2018 and played in Collingwood’s Grand Final loss to West Coast that year.
In 2019, Stephenson was suspended for the last 10 games of the home and away season after it emerged he had placed bets on Collingwood games.
As for Saturday’s game, North Melbourne were competitive but the Giants ultimately won 17.19 (121) to 13.4 (82), with GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan kicking six goals.
North Melbourne youngster Josh Goater suffered a freak injury during the Kangaroos’ encouraging display.
With no one anywhere near him, Goater pushed off towards a contest when he suddenly collapsed on the turf.
Commentators initially suspected he may have broken his leg.
“That looks bad,” Fox Footy commentator Jason Dunstall said. “Let’s hope it’s not broken but that looks really, really bad.”
“We might even take the cameras off that because that looks horrific,” fellow commentator Dwayne Russell said during images of Goater on the ground holding his leg.
“So innocuous isn’t it. He’s just pushing off and there’s no one else around,” Dunstall added.
It was later confirmed by the club Goater had ruptured his Achilles and the commentators quickly realised that was the injury after seeing replays of the incident.
Nathan Buckley quickly discussed the impact the moment could have on Goater’s teammates.
“He’s distressed and distraught,” Buckley said as Goater was helped by trainers. “What would be dawning on him is he’s got a long time out of the game, which is a shame.
Coach Alastair Clarkson expressed his disappointment for the youngster after the game.
“Josh is a young player in his third year of footy,” Clarkson said. “If that’s a ruptured Achilles I dare say his season’s done which is so sad.
“He’s going to have to rehab it well and get it better for next year.”
Originally published as ‘Aged 25 years’: Forgotten AFL star unrecognisable with new look
Why Crows wanted the kid who really wanted them
In the build up to the draft, rival clubs were split on what the Crows would do – take the homegrown talent or the powerful Victorian. But decision was about far more than that.
Tiger delight as North pays heavy price for final draft night pick
On a night where little caused a surprise, North Melbourne waited until the last moment to pull a stunner, paying a significant price and taking an even more significant risk.