Sam De Koning ‘channels LeBron James’ with NBA-style face mask in AFL first
Youngster Sam De Koning turned heads with an unusual look in Geelong’s clash against GWS, sporting an accessory in an AFL first.
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Geelong youngster Sam De Koning returned from injury sporting an unusual protective face mask in his side’s 81 (12.9) to 74 (10.14) loss to GWS on Saturday night.
De Koning had missed three matches after suffering a nasal and maxillary bone break in Round 7 last month.
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He underwent surgery to repair the facial injuries and took to the field at GMHBA Stadium wearing a black NBA-style face mask.
Protective face masks been commonplace in the NBA for decades — worn in the late 1980s by Detroit Pistons big man Bill Laimbeer, and more recently by the likes of Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
SEN footy reporter Sam Edmund said De Koning’s mask had been approved by the AFL and Geelong’s medical staff.
“It’s a big mask that will cover the majority of his face. I don’t think we’ve ever seen it before in the AFL,” Edmund told SEN.
“Great to see Sam De Koning back for the Cats,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said on Fox Footy.
“Back from facial injuries, missed a couple of weeks. And channelling a little bit of LeBron James with the protective face guard. That is an absolute beauty isn’t it.
“But better to be safe than sorry. You don’t want to muck around with facial injuries.
“Great to see him back into the line-up. That’s going to be really exciting for the Cats. They’re starting to get their key players back.”
The Cats could fall from the top eight by the end of the weekend after GWS extended its remarkable GMHBA Stadium streak with a famous seven-point win.
The Giants had led by as many as 24 points with almost 10 minutes gone in the final term until Ollie Henry and Tyson Stengle threatened to orchestrate a miracle.
They twice brought the Cats within a kick, but unlikely forward heroes Jake Riccardi and Brent Daniels each booted their third goals of a pulsating match to seal victory.
Youngsters Lachie Ash and Tom Green were superb in the middle, as were Jack Buckley and local product Connor Idun in defence.
The league’s youngest team, driven to celebrate the 200-game milestone of their captain and spiritual leader Toby Greene, played as well as any time since their last finals appearance in 2021.
Greene, Lachie Whitfield, Callum Ward and Stephen Coniglio – were inspirational in the second term, setting up victory with that same combination of grit and flare that took them to the brink of premiership glory several times from 2016-2019.
Remarkably, at the fortress Geelong has defended superbly for two generations, the Giants now have a three-game winning streak at GMHBA Stadium, the first club to achieve that feat since a rampant Sydney in 2018.
Cats fans gave Greene an earful early in the second term after what they thought was a dubious free-kick near the fence 50m from goal.
But like the showman he is, Greene simply fuelled himself with the din, played on to the right and slammed it through from 50m into the breeze.
By the time he’d booted his third for the term and fourth for the half after the siren for the long break, those same fans were absolutely silent.
With acting captain Tom Stewart getting on top across halfback, Henry booted two critical late goals as the Cats roared back.
But the absence of so many critical players, most notably skipper Patrick Dangerfield, Geelong’s record has slumped to 5-6.
— With NCA Newswire
Originally published as Sam De Koning ‘channels LeBron James’ with NBA-style face mask in AFL first
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