AFL 2021: Sydney Stack out in support of AFLW girlfriend Mikayla Morrison as she flew out for Adelaide hub
Sydney Stack is still on bail after breaking COVID quarantine laws but he was there to support AFLW girlfriend Mikayla Morrison as she flew out for the Adelaide hub.
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Sydney Stack’s AFL career may be on hold, but the troubled Richmond player was there to support his AFLW girlfriend Mikayla Morrison as she flew with her Fremantle teammates to Adelaide on Friday.
Still on bail after breaching WA’s strict COVID quarantine laws, Stack, 20, and Morrison, 18, bid their farewells in the Virgin departure terminal after coupling up in December.
Fremantle are likely to spend weeks away from home following their match against Adelaide on Sunday, meaning football hubs are another thing the couple have in common.
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RELATED: CLUBS PREPARE FOR HUBS AS AFLW SEASON HANGS IN BALANCE
Stack was infamously booted out of Richmond’s Gold Coast AFL hub mid-season after getting into a scuffle outside a Surfers Paradise kebab shop following a trip to a strip club with teammate Callum Coleman-Jones.
The trouble-prone Tiger posted a photo of Morrison outside the airport on social media, writing “I’m gonna miss you! Have fun my baby! Love you so much!”
Stack also recently paid tribute to his AFLW girlfriend, expressing his love for her and thanking her for helping him “find himself again.”
“Just a lil appreciation post for you my girl! I just wanna thank you for helping me find myself again and bringing nothing but love and happiness!,” Stack wrote.
“You truly deserve nothing but the best, you know me better then (than) I know myself and you’ve taught me things no one else has.
“Idk (I don’t know) how to put it into words with how much I love you, but you’re a blessing and I’m so lucky to have you in my life!
“My love for you is unconditional and I’m not afraid to show the world how much I appreciate and adore you my princess!”
Stack previously dated Richmond AFLW star Monique Conti.
New court twist keeps Stack in AFL limbo
– Sarah Steiger and Jon Ralph
WA-raised Richmond footballer Sydney Stack’s return to football remains unclear after a court appearance on Wednesday where his bail address was varied — but not to one in Victoria.
The 20-year-old’s manager Paul Peos was required to sign a $10,000 surety in order for the young star to have his WA bail address changed from Middle Swan to Caversham on Wednesday morning.
He will, however, still be required to report to Midland Police Station twice a week as was required under his previous bail conditions, throwing doubt over his return to training over east.
The Tigers revealed they were standing by the Indigenous talent and were determined to give him another chance to re-establish his AFL career earlier this month.
It came after they gave the player training programs to fulfil, with Stack unable to play until Round 5 as he serves the remainder of his AFL ban.
It is understood if he is able to return to Victoria after his court matter is dealt with late next month, the Tigers, the AFLPA and Mr Peos will continue to support and help him in his bid to return to the AFL.
Stack spent Christmas behind bars after allegedly breaching COVID-19 quarantine and becoming embroiled in a Northbridge brawl in December.
The young gun was released from Hakea Prison almost three weeks after his arrest on January 8, after winning his bail bid in the WA Supreme Court when it was determined it was unlikely he would receive a jail term if convicted.
At the time Justice Jenni Hill noted the trouble-prone AFL star had no prior criminal history and prior to his arrest had never been in custody.
She imposed “stringent” bail conditions, which required him to live with his aunt in Northam and report to Midland Police Station twice a week.
A $10,000 personal undertaking and a $10,000 surety, signed by his manage, was also put in place to facilitate his release.
He spent several days at the Northam address he nominated with police before allegedly moving to Belmont following a family argument.
He was handed a move-on notice by police patrolling Northbridge’s nightclub district early on December 20, after a violent punch-up.
Stack first sparked fury in September when he and fellow teammate Callum Coleman-Jones breached quarantine to party on the Gold Coast, which ended in a violent brawl outside a kebab shop.
Both players were fined $800 by police at the time, and Stack was taken into custody but no charges were laid.
The pair were then each handed a 10-month game suspension by the AFL, after which Richmond confirmed the pair would be paying the entire $75,000 fine handed to the club.
Stack and his manager refused to speak to media outside court on Wednesday morning.
He is next due in court on March 25.
Why Tigers are sticking by troubled Stack
Richmond is desperate to get Sydney Stack back into its Melbourne support structure to reignite his career.
Stack is still stranded in Western Australia awaiting a March 25 court date after a troubled summer that led him to spend Christmas in jail.
But the Tigers are standing by the young Indigenous talent and are determined to give him another chance to re-establish his AFL career.
Stack was granted bail after a Supreme Court judge said it was unlikely he would receive a jail term if convicted of breaching West Australia’s coronavirus conditions.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to comply with a direction after being found in the party district of Northbridge on December 19 instead of staying at his nominated quarantine address in Northam.
He was back in WA for the funeral of his grandfather, with Stack already battling by that stage after a year that saw him booted from Queensland and banned for 10 matches by the AFL for his first COVID breach.
He is being supported and being offered help by the Tigers, the AFLPA and his manager Paul Peos as he awaits that court date.
Stack has been given training programs by Richmond to fulfil and is now back in Northam staying with relatives.
Stack is unable to play AFL until Round 5 as he serves the remainder of his AFL ban but can play VFL football during that time.
If he was able to return to Victoria soon after that court appearance – having already served time in Hakea prison – he would still take some time to return to full fitness.
But his long-term future in the AFL and development as a person would be his first priority rather than a quick football return as a player contracted to the end of the 2021 season.
Richmond took on the sizeable challenge of turning Stack into an AFL player aware of his determination to overcome a childhood confronted by violence that saw him moved from home to home.
It is prepared to commit to him but will also need to ensure he is ready to again commit to the professionalism and fitness needed as an AFL footballer.
Richmond and those close to Stack were aware he was already struggling in the aftermath of the 2020 season as they attempted to bolster his support structures.
Now, after a fortnight in jail and the uncertainty of waiting for his court case, no one underestimates how challenging his circumstances are as he tries to fight for his career.
But all parties are banding together to ensure they give Stack the best possible chance to rebound from his latest setback.
TIGERS CLEAR BAKER OVER CAPSICUM SPRAY INCIDENT
– Jay Clark
Richmond dual premiership defender Liam Baker has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a nightclub incident late last month.
Baker, 23, was capsicum-sprayed by a female pub goer outside the Osborne Rooftop and Bar in South Yarra on January 31 about 1.30am.
The club on Monday confirmed Baker had been cleared for his involvement in the matter after talks with the backman and a review of the closed circuit television from the nightclub.
While the Tigers would not comment on the situation, the club now considered the matter finalised.
It allows the speedy backman and the Tigers to focus wholly on the Tigers’ quest for a third-straight premiership this year after clinching back-to-back flags with a win over Geelong in last year’s Grand Final.
Baker is considered one of the best young running defenders in the competition and is out of contract this year.
The former rookie pick flourished last year, averaging 15 disposals across 20 games to finish sixth in the best-and-fairest award.
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