Power WAGs: Inside the glamorous lives of the AFL’s most influential wives and girlfriends
With successful businesses, glamorous lifestyles and a collective social following of more than 3 million, these women wield some serious influence. Here’s how the AFL’s power WAGs do it.
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With huge social media followings and glamorous lifestyles, they’re the real-life Playing For Keeps.
These wives and girlfriends of AFL players have used their profiles — made on the Brownlow red carpet — to build must-follow Instagram feeds and business interests in their own right, separate to what their husbands/boyfriends do on the footy field.
From a hugely successful athleisure line, to fashion blogs and skincare ranges, the wives and girlfriends of footy stars — aka WAGs — past and present, are known for their ambition on and off the red carpet.
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Their collective following exceeds three million on social media and these WAGs no longer have to rely on the Brownlow alone to grow their profiles. They’re doing it via endorsement deals and social media popularity.
In the lead up to next week’s Brownlow Medal count, this is the ultimate list of AFL power WAGs.
POWER WAGS SOCIAL MEDIA LADDER
A snapshot of the most-followed WAGs — past and present:
* REBECCA JUDD: 823,000
* NADIA BARTEL: 548,000
* MEGAN GALE: 428,000
* JESINTA FRANKLIN: 396,000
* JESSIE MURPHY: 255,000
* OLYMPIA VALANCE: 208,000
* EMMA HAWKINS: 103,000
* ALEX FEVOLA: 87,400
Source: Instagram
WHO’S WHO — A FORM GUIDE
REBECCA JUDD
Considered the OG of WAGs, Rebecca Judd leveraged that red Sherrin-inspired dress into a full-scale social media and branding empire.
Her endorsement deals include being the face of Chadstone Shopping Centre, designing a line for Adairs, and her own activewear brand, Jaggad, which she co-owns with her husband, Chris Judd.
She hosts a daily radio show, co-own spray tan business Spray Aus, models for British online retailer Next, and counts an ambassador role for Land Rover among her many jobs.
When she first made a splash in red at the 2004 Brownlow, Judd took most of the opportunities that were presented. “If you’d asked me 10 years ago, I probably would’ve been doing some things that maybe [I was] just doing because I felt obligated. Not anymore. I don’t have time. I’ve got four kids, I’m building houses. I have so much on,” Judd previously told News Corp Australia.
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Judd has spent years honing her image and career as one of the first AFL WAGs to turn her Brownlow profile into a fully fledged personal brand, racking up more than 823,000 Instagram followers and launching a lifestyle blog, rebeccajuddloves.com.
Though her fan base — and influence — extends well beyond AFL followers.
During her many years attending the Brownlow, Judd has become a favourite of Melbourne designer, J’Aton Couture, and is a regular fixture on best dressed lists.
NADIA BARTEL
Like Rebecca Judd, Nadia Bartel developed a dedicated following after being one of the first WAGs to turn the Brownlow into a high-fashion moment.
The mother-of-two has been praised for her poise and composure during her very messy and public split from former Cats star, Jimmy Bartel (“My single focus now is to continue to protect, care and provide for my two beautiful boys as this is a personal matter,” she said in her only public statement on the matter).
The 34-year-old has been building an empire in her own right, with the launch of e-store The Connection, and her own line, Henne, a fashion and lifestyle blog cleverly titled Chronicles of Nadia, and other businesses including Spray Aus, which she co-owns with Judd.
Winning Nadia even more praise — and 548,000 Instagram followers — is the fact that she will be back to co-host Seven’s Brownlow red carpet coverage this month, despite the headlines concerning her personal life.
“You’d get a lot of opinions, people coming up and loving you or hating you if [a game] didn’t go well. Strangers would come out on the street and abuse him. You had to get used to dealing with other people’s opinions of you,” Bartel told News Corp Australia in March.
“[But] there also wasn’t as much pressure,” she says. “Now you wear something [controversial] and you get attacked all over social media. When I went to the Brownlow, it was a bit different. You’d go, you’d have a bit of fun.
“It’s increased because there are more social media platforms, more interest, everyone is just talking about footy more. People need something to talk about.”
JESINTA FRANKLIN
Jesinta Franklin — nee Campbell — had a public profile in her own right before she became a WAG, via her marriage to Swans star Lance “Buddy” Franklin.
The former Miss Universe Australia 2010 has her own lifestyle app, and has had deals with Dior, skin brand Olay, and is a TV presenter, author (Live a Beautiful Life) and was previously an ambassador for David Jones.
Jesinta and Buddy tied the knot in the Blue Mountains in 2016 and are now expecting their first child (the baby’s due date has not been revealed publicly).
With an Instagram following of more than 396,000, Jesinta, 28, is often seen at media events though she is increasingly using her platform to speak out about issues like body image and mental health.
“I just try to live my life the best that I can and if that inspires someone then that’s good, but I certainly don’t set out to be a role model,” Jesinta previously told Nine.
JESSIE MURPHY
She’s known for her glossy blonde locks, beaming smile and huge social media fan base.
With 255,000 followers on Instagram, Jessie Murphy — the glamorous wife of Carlton midfielder Marc Murphy, runs her own blog C’est Vogue (cestvogue.com.au), which is described as a source for “fashion, practice or style”.
Jessie studied Public Relations before moving into influencer mode, with a social media following grown from her standout looks at the Brownlow over the years.
Her ambassador roles include Biostime, a line of products for paediatric nutrition, cosmetic dental brand Smile Solutions, and charity The MAD Foundation, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children and young people.
Jessie and former Blues captain Marc, who married in December 2016, welcomed their first child, a boy named Max, in January last year.
OLYMPIA VALANCE
She’s a household name thanks to her role on WAG drama, Playing For Keeps. And it was a case of life imitating art for Olympia Valance, when she went public with her relationship with Essendon ruckman Thomas Bellchambers in July.
“Who would have thought?” Valance told Confidential at the time.
“It’s funny because I don’t know, it can’t really help (for my role) but a lot of things we did in the show last season are quite factual.”
Valance, of course, is primarily known for her own acting career, which included a long-running stint on Neighbours and as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars and an ambassador role with Multiculturalism Victoria.
“I’ve been going to a lot of football games and I guess it’s not nearly as dramatic as we made out in the show,” Valance said, of watching Bellchambers on the field with the Bombers this season.
“But there are definitely parallels.”
All eyes will be on Crown next week to see if Bellchambers and Valance strut the Brownlow red carpet.
MEGAN GALE
She’s a model and TV presenter in her own right, who had a public profile well before she started dating now-retired Tiger-turned-Survivor star, Shaun Hampson.
But Megan Gale seems to have relished her role as a WAG since the pair became involved in 2011 — not that she likes the term “WAG”. During a speech at Crown in June, Gale said: “This term WAG gets bandied about so frivolously,’’ Gale, 44, said.
“But it can’t be underestimated the amount of support that partners give.”
“Sometimes you’re the nurse, you’re a therapist. There’s all these other levels you commit to when you’re the partner of an athlete. Richmond were very inclusive and some (clubs) don’t include the partners enough.
“I have seen and heard where the partners are pushed off to the side and it’s just the boys. It happens too much. That’s an area I’d love to see more support of in this industry.”
“I’ve always been a fan of the AFL but seeing it as a fan and then being the partner of a player are two very different things,” she added. “It does irritate me when I hear supporters going on about, ‘oh AFL players they’ve got it good and they just get wrapped in cotton wool, they get paid well to do a job’.
“They have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. For everyone who works in the industry, it’s a very high pressure industry. More support from a psychological perspective for players I think they’re working on and I’m so thrilled to hear it because it needs to be there for men and women in the sport now.”
Gale’s career includes a stint as the face of David Jones, a former host of Project Runway Australia and recently, her own skincare and lifestyle rand, Mindful Life. She also co-owns trendy Ascot Vale eatery, Ascot Food Store, with Hampson, and an ambassador with luxury car brand, Lexus.
NOTABLE MENTIONS
Alex Fevola and Emma Hawkins have been Brownlow standouts over the years, and turned their popularity on the Crown red carpet into fully-fledged businesses.
With more than 87,000 followers on Instagram, Fevola — the long-term partner of former Blues full-forward Brendan Fevola — has her own makeup brand, Runway Room, described as salon-standard products that “provides professional standard makeup to the everyday beauty lover” (Jodi Gordon is the face).
Fevola’s line features more than 120 products, including the Runway Room Glow Palette and Power Lash Mascara.
“I set out wanting to develop a range of premium, professional cosmetics without the high-end price tag,” the mother-of-four said in a statement.
“I’m so proud to have created a range of products that are ageless and suit both my skin, and mydaughter’s.”
With a string of endorsement deals under her belt, mother-of-two Emma Hawkins — the wife of Geelong’s Tom Hawkins — recently launched a children’s clothing line, dubbed Homegrown.
The mother-of-two also has ambassador deals with Nature One Dairy, Charles Rose Jewellers and Yellowglen.
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