AFL Mad Monday 2023: Costumes, colour, catch-ups as teams gather to celebrate and commiserate

The Cats are the Mad Monday kings of the AFL – and they’ve delivered again. See all the pictures, plus Jack Riewoldt goes full Dimma and all the celebrations across the league.

Although the day arrived earlier than what they would have liked, the Geelong Cats have begun their iconic end of season celebrations.

Players decked in their Mad Monday best started rolling in to the Wharf Shed in Geelong as early as 10am.

Retiring champ Isaac Smith dressed as Adelaide’s Ben Keays while Tom Hawkins and Cam Guthrie went as goalposts — re-enacting last week’s goal line drama.

Billy Brownless acted as the goal umpire, asking for a score review as the ball sailed through.

Keays found the funny side of the skit, reposting the video with the laughing emoji on Instagram.

Gryan Miers arrived in a Lionel Messi jersey with Max Holmes dressed as Fox Footy’s Gerard Whateley, after a fake Tweet circulated online earlier this season.

The doctored tweet showed Whateley comparing Miers to Lionel Messi, before the SEN veteran called it out online.

Gun defender Tom Stewart was dressed as a WWE wrestler, Mitch Duncan was dressed as Cats runner Shannon Byrnes and Mark O’Connor appeared as DJ Fred Again.

Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Homer and Marge Simpson also made appearances.

Tom Hawkins, Isaac Smith and Cameron Guthrie dressed up as Ben Keays and the goal posts from the recent goal review blunder. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

They recreated the incident outside the club’s Mad Monday celebrations with the help of goal umpire Billy Brownless. Picture: Jason Edwards

As usual, the Cats arrived at the Wharf Shed in style. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

Ben Keays found the funny side of it all. Picture: Instagram

Max Holmes and Gryan Miers as Gerard Whateley and Lionel Messi from the fake tweet storm. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

Tanner Bruhn, Toby Conway and Mitch Knevitt. Picture: Jason Edwards

Patrick Dangerfield as Top Gun. Picture: Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos

Shanon Neal and Mitch Hardie took inspiration from the hit TV show Ted Lasso. Picture: Jason Edwards

Jack Bowes and Tom Atkins. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mark O’Connor and Tom Stewart. Picture: Jason Edwards

Jack goes full Dimma as Tigers send off greats

– Lauren Wood

Out of retirement? Not exactly. 

Mad Monday is a football institution – costumes, catch-ups and spinning yarns from the season that was. 

And retiring Tigers great Jack Riewoldt has drawn inspiration from his premiership mentor for one final AFL send-off. 

Jack Riewoldt dressed up in Gold Coast gear at Richmond’s Mad Monday. Picture: Instagram

Richmond players are set to farewell the season after their 13th-placed finish, and as the club continues its search for a new senior coach, it appears that Riewoldt has dressed up as triple-premiership boss Damien Hardwick.

In a snap posted to his Instagram account on Monday morning, Riewoldt is donning a Gold Coast Suns polo shirt – an apparent tribute to Hardwick who just last Monday was unveiled as the Suns’ senior coach for the next six seasons. 

Hardwick departed Punt Road in May, citing burnout, before travelling to Europe and signing with Gold Coast upon his return.