Surprise twist after AFL No. 1 pick exposes himself on debut
There has been a surprising development after AFL No. 1 pick Sam Lalor suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction on debut.
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Crisis has been averted for No. 1 AFL pick Sam Lalor after he landed a deal that should save him from any further wardrobe mishaps following an unfortunate incident in his first game.
Lalor made his debut in Richmond’s upset Round 1 win over Carlton at the MCG last week, showing why the Tigers took him with the first pick in the AFL Draft.
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The teenager finished with 18 disposals and two goals, and drew comparisons to Richmond champion Dustin Martin with his clean hands around the ball and strength in the contest.
But eagled eyed fans couldn’t help but notice Lalor suffered a below the belt wardrobe malfunction while celebrating one of his goals.
Lalor acknowledged the mishap, posting on Instagram: “What a night. Thanks @richmond_fc for the opportunity, keen for many more to come”, along with an eggplant emoji.
It didn’t take long for Lalor’s teammates to get in on the joke.
Gun midfielder Tim Taranto tagged @bondaus in the comments, while Jacob Bauer commented: “Was impressive, good game too x.”
One fan added: “What a guy. Knows the joke but isn’t taking it personally and joking around with it.”
And it seems the mishap has landed Lalor a sponsorship with Aussie underwear brand Bonds, who come to the party to give him “some extra support”.
“You probably heard about Sammy's great Round 1 debut last Thursday and the not so great situation where his boys were not secure during his goal celebration,” Bonds said in an Instagram reel.
“His teammate Tim has been kind enough to give us a shout out, so we thought why not reach out to Sammy and make sure he’s secure for the next time he hits the field and give him some Bonds trunks.”
Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin commented a clapping emoji in support of Bonds’ offer to Lalor.
Lalor is following in Martin’s footsteps in more ways than one, with the Richmond champion fronting a Bonds ad campaign during his career.
Lalor impressed on debut and was named the AFL’s Rising Star nominee for the round for his efforts in Richmond’s shock upset win.
He has brushed off any pressure that comes from being compared to Martin, who retired at the end of last season.
“I have heard that in the last couple of days in some interviews, but I don’t buy into it too much,” Lalor told SEN on Wednesday.
“I just play to have fun and do my best. No one at the club has made any comparisons like that.”
Tigers coach Adam Yze is confident the conversation will soon shift from who Lalor is like to who he is.
“I don’t want to put that pressure on him but he has similar traits, he will be the best version of Sam Lalor,” Yze said.
“In 10 years’ time we will be talking about Sam Lalor for who he is, not who he played like.
“His impact in the front end, air and ground, and then when he goes inside he knows what he’s doing and he’s a big boy.
“We’ve just got to temper that and make sure we’re not throwing him to the wolves early and manage him through the year.”
Richmond take on Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon in Round 2.
— With NewsWire
Originally published as Surprise twist after AFL No. 1 pick exposes himself on debut
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