Tom De Koning opens up on trade angst and Carlton’s premiership push
It wasn’t long ago Tom De Koning was one of the hottest out-of-contract players on the market. He opens up to GLENN MCFARLANE on the mental toll and becoming a key part of Carlton’s push for a breakthrough premiership.
AFL
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Tom De Koning is refreshed, recharged and ready to rip into the second half of Carlton’s AFL season after a short bye break to Ocean Shores, just outside of Byron Bay.
He rode some waves in the surf, enjoyed a few days of warmer weather with teammate Brodie Kemp and caught up with brother Zac – one of his nine siblings – who lives in one of the most idyllic spots.
“It was so good to get up there – we got some good waves, some good surf and some good weather,” De Koning said.
“It was just a good chance to reset and prepare for the second half of the season.”
As De Koning prepares to take on Geelong, and younger brother Sam, in Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Geelong, the 24-year-old ruckman feels as if his footy – and his life – is in a good place right now.
He’s coming off arguably a career-best game against Essendon on King’s Birthday Eve — polling a perfect 10 coaches votes — and he is almost the perfect prototype of the athletic, follow-up modern ruckman, not to mention the fact that his team is sitting in second spot.
While he says he and the Blues are far from a finished product, he is enjoying his football as much as ever.
“I think the best part was being able to go into the (bye) break with a good win (over Essendon) with some reasonable form,” De Koning told the Herald Sun ahead of the Carlton Respects game.
“To be able to finish that game off strongly, with a good fourth quarter just gives us a lot of confidence that we can get on top of teams late.
“This year we’ve had plenty of challenges and that gives us confidence that we can match it with the top sides. But we’re far from the finished product, and I know that I am far from the finished product too.”
We hear today is an important day to acknowledge the King. So that's exactly what we'll do.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) June 10, 2024
With 20 seconds to go in the third term and the Bombers surging, Tom De Koning knew he had to go. So he did.
Plays didn't get much bigger than this on Sunday night 👑#StrongerTogetherpic.twitter.com/9LGAznJxsd
It’s a far cry from the sort of pressure De Koning felt in the first half of last season when he was the subject of external debate about whether he would take up the overtures of at least four AFL clubs eager to secure his services.
Back then, Sydney coveted him as a future ruck hope, Geelong was keen to reunite the two AFL De Koning brothers, while St Kilda and Essendon were also in the market to secure the athletically gifted big man.
Three-round #SuperCoach averages:
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) June 9, 2024
Tom De Koning 139
Toby Nankervis 129.3
Max Gawn 128
Brodie Grundy 118.6
Darcy Cameron 114.3
Tim English 106.3
Rowan Marshall 91.6
Carlton, too, was struggling mid-season last year, having lost six of their previous seven games with pressure on the coach and the players, including De Koning, who had battled some form issues which briefly saw him dropped back to the VFL before missing two games with concussion, and two later with a knee issue.
Twelve months on, De Koning concedes that the speculation last year – even if none of it was of his own making – probably played on his mind at times in the first half of what turned out to be a rollicking 2023 year.
“Reflecting back on 12 months, I think the club is in a different position (now) and myself personally, just having that little bit of weight off my shoulder in terms of the contract, has helped me in terms of the confidence I have in my own footy and the consistency I’ve been able to find since last year,” De Koning said.
“Last year, I probably wasn’t in a good place (at times).”
Trust and loyalty are two characteristics De Koning admires, and he felt awkward that rival clubs were making their intentions known to his management group, even if the player himself stopped short of ever holding a discussion with anyone but Carlton.
His preferred option was always to stay.
There was constant talk externally about his contract as well as where his best role was within the Carlton team, given Marc Pittonet was pushing for the ruck slot and the forward line included Coleman Medallists Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
There was even a much-talked about dinner at the Torquay Hotel) most of his extended family live on the Bellarine Peninsula — that had footy trade conspiracy theorists salivating, given there were some Geelong players in attendance.
But what was misconstrued by onlookers as a potential trade meeting was actually a birthday dinner for his sister-in-law that his whole family attended.
“We (Carlton) were struggling a bit at the time, so there was more of a story out of it than there should have been,” he said.
“The thing is that through Sam, I am friends with a lot of Geelong players as well. It was strange. I am not blaming anyone for it, it’s just what happens.”
He insisted Carlton was understanding and patient about everything, including his delay in signing a contract that was in front of him for some time, as he wrestled over what was best for his footy and his life.
It is understood that the Blues were concerned when he hadn’t agreed to a new deal late last season.
But in the end, the answer was simple for De Koning.
His close connection to the playing group — and the club — was always going to win out, even if it surprised some people around him.
His decision to sign in late July last year neatly coincided with the Blues resurrecting their season, and with his own breakout form late last season, which has seen him mature into one of the AFL’s best ruckmen in 2024.
“The club was so good, I’m just happy with the way it all worked out,” he said. “I am still close to my family, and Carlton has always understood that. They give me the time to go down there (to the Bellarine Peninsula) and relax when I can.”
De Koning, who lives with teammate Matt Cottrell, still gets back to see his family at least once a week and he has no shortage of places to stay down the beach.
“I try to get down the coast once a week, it’s a nice and easy drive and just getting down there gives you the chance to unwind and reset before heading back to the footy,” he said.
“I’ve got plenty of places to stay. Both of my parents have moved to Jan Juc and I’ve got six siblings living down there, and we also have a permanent caravan on the Torquay Foreshore.”
But he looks on Carlton as his second family, and says the bond the group has formed through some adversity in recent years will stand them in good stead deep into the future.
That’s a good sign about his future, given he again comes out of contract at the end of 2025 where he could be one of the game’s most sought-after free agents.
“This is my seventh year here now,” he said of his love of the Blues.
“We are definitely a very tight group. It just feels like family. We have come through this patch together now and we are slowly getting to the other side of it and getting some wins.
“We’re doing it as a group, trusting the system, trusting the coaches and trusting each other.”
De Koning said former Blues big man and now ruck coach Matthew Kreuzer deserved credit for his own strong form this season.
“He (Kreuzer) has been huge for me,” he said. “He’s probably been the No. 1 thing that has changed my ability to play out four quarters and to bring out my ability as well.”
“We are able to train through certain (scenarios) and we go through the vision every week. I have got so much clarity about the role I play now.
“I feel like I have grown in this area. If I am playing that ruck role, I like to spend the first part of the game trying to figure out the other ruck(man) and then through the game I feel like in the second half I can start to play with more freedom.
“I think when I am playing at my best I am bringing my energy. That’s when I have my best impact on a game.
“My whole plan is based around how I can bring energy to the contest and help out the mids, and help us get the ball moving forward.”
De Koning has carried the ruck mantle for most of this season with Pittonet spending some time on the sidelines due to injury, but he thinks the tandem act can still work for the Blues.
“It can definitely work as we are different as players,” he said. “He (Pittonet) is all about strength and power and his ruck craft is really good. I feel like I am able to bring my athleticism and follow up and we can try and hit the other rucks at different angles.”
His work with the midfield core including Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh and co in the past few months has been one of the key reasons behind the Blues’ resurgence.
“They are amazing,” he said of the midfielders. “We are so lucky with the group we have got – Crippa, Walshy, Cez (Adam Cerra), we have got different players coming through like Elijah (Hollands) and Alex Cincotta, who has been playing footy.”
“The thing that makes me the happiest is just being in a position where I can trust my teammates and hopefully they can trust me too.”
He can’t wait to take on the Cats – and brother Sam again – on Friday night, saying it was an honour to play in the Carlton Respects game.
“It’s a game I always look forward to playing,” he said. “It’s the fourth proper game I’ve played against Sam – he has (beaten) me twice and I’ve got him once, so this is a chance to try and even up the ledger.”
“This is the ninth year we have been running Carlton Respects. It is a very important issue. We are looking to raise $200,000 this year in support of our Carlton Respects program. Hopefully we can get a lot of people to the game.”
BLUES KEEN TO SECURE DE KONING’S LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
Carlton is keen to lock in one of the game’s most exciting players Tom De Koning on a lucrative long-term deal and take him off the free agency table by round 1 next season.
The Herald Sun understands the Blues are planning to follow a similar, successful pathway for the 24-year-old ruckman as they have with other pre-agents Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, who signed long-term contracts before they hit their free agency seasons.
The athletic ruckman would be one of the most sought-after free agents if his contract remained unsigned deep into next season off the back of his outstanding form in 2024.
It comes as De Koning told the Herald Sun this week that Carlton feels like home to him after seven seasons.
He turned his back on advances from rival clubs including Sydney, Geelong and St Kilda late last year by signing a two-year deal, which runs out at the end of 2025.
There will be more suitors and greater financial incentives next year, but the Blues are confident his close connection to the group, as well as his desire to achieve success with the club that drafted him, will play a role in his plans.
“I think ever since Vossy (coach Michael Voss) has come in, no one has left,” De Koning told the Herald Sun before the Carlton Respects game on Friday night.
“It (the retention of players) says a lot about the trust the players have in the group, in the coaches, in the game plan and the way we go about it all.
“Carlton is the team that drafted me, and that’s a big thing. They backed me from the start and put a lot of time into developing me.
“I have so much trust in my teammates … I feel like we have been a young group coming through at the same time and we’re getting there now.”
No discussions on a potential new De Koning deal have started, but this could gain some traction at the back end of this year.
The Blues list management team has managed to retain its best players on long-term deals – including Curnow (end of 2029), McKay (2030), Patrick Cripps (2027) and Walsh (2026) – as well as bringing in a range of bargain-priced role players.
Carlton will have to negotiate deals with at least five key players heading into 2025, including vice-captain Jacob Weitering, De Koning, Adam Cerra, Blake Acres and Adam Saad.
Weitering told the Herald Sun recently that the Blues’ top-end talent had made a pact to stick together in the pursuit of a premiership.
Weitering told Footy Classified on Wednesday: “Money is a big part of what we do, but I guess for us as a club and as a playing group, we have somewhat built the culture we have now and the behaviours and values we live by.”
“Hopefully we can all stick around and clearly the ultimate goal is to win premierships.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Tom De Koning opens up on trade angst and Carlton’s premiership push
Shock scenario in Bailey Smith stalemate
Bailey Smith’s Western Bulldogs exit has set up a potentially rare scenario that could deliver a shock result as Geelong’s offer hits a stalemate.
The late draft pick that could deliver Stringer to Giants
Essendon is open to trading inconsistent star Jake Stringer to GWS as the 30-year-old considers a beefed-up offer from the Giants.
Festival of Lies: Clubs ‘treating public for fools’ in trade spotlight
It’s the time of year for list managers and recruiters to shine, but the trade period has become a festival of lies. SCOTT GULLAN writes, the days of getting away with such gibberish are gone.
Revealed: Staggering asking price leaves Blue out in cold
The huge price Carlton forward Matt Owies has put on his head can be revealed as rival clubs baulk at his contract demands. Recap all the action from day 2 of the trade period here.
Rioli at centre of historic Tigers draft haul as rivals plot future raid
Rivals are planning to test the resolve of more Richmond stars in trade talks after this year’s Punt Road exodus. Plus, how many draft picks will the Tigers end up with?
Max’s Metrics: Numbers behind stars Saint’s staggering contract
Max King has signed an eye-boggling new contract after the Saints lined his numbers up against past greats. They liked what they saw and here is how the spearhead compares to 12 others.