Leading into AFL finals and the start of the AFLW season, we have chosen the top 50 people who will influence footy over the next decade. Here is the top 10.
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It is a remarkable fact that the two of three current players elected as the most likely to shape the future and leave the largest footprint on the game are both scions of the once belligerently old school Collingwood Football Club.
And if Darcy Moore, the Collingwood skipper versed in Indonesian language and international politics, and Nick Daicos – a pure footballer with the highest footy IQ imaginable – are being watched obsessively this September, it is their potential impact on the code over the coming years that placed these sons of guns inside our top ten influencers.
Moore provided a portent of his cultural potential in his post-Anzac Day speech, which went well beyond the narrow confines of footy, while the younger Daicos has had the most profound impact on games of any second year player since Chris Judd two decades ago, his knee a daily headline.
Moore is at his mid-career peak, and it’s only the beginning for Daicos, but the only other footballer ranked ahead of the Pies pair is a champion in his on-field twilight, who, nonetheless, will have a major bearing on the code over the next several seasons.
Patrick Dangerfield was ranked at No.2 on our list of influencers, in recognition of the Geelong superstar’s role as leader of the AFL Players Association – locked in a difficult negotiation now – and an opinion leader. It is a safe bet that the articulate Dangerfield will have a media role or that if he does not, he will hold court from a club or competition vantage.
Collingwood’s good fortune with genes is one feature of the top ten. But the most important finding of the rankings is evident in numbers three to five, each of those spots occupied by women, who, for the first time really, have a genuine seat at the table in the AFL’s new establishment.
Daisy Pearce is a pioneer AFLW player turned coach and commentator. Pearce has already extended the boundaries of what is possible for women. She’s reached beyond boundary riding and, as an assistant under Chris Scott, has opened the door for women to coach the guys.
Laura Kane (five), as the first woman appointed to run the AFL operations, is a game-changer. Kylie Rogers (four) is the executive who handles big commercial matters. Both of that pair appear set for lengthy stints at headquarters, if they choose.
Damien Hardwick (10) is the highest ranked AFL coach on the list. Having signed a mega deal with the Gold Coast, the triple premiership coach has been handed the task of making the AFL’s expensive, troubled expansion into the south-east Queensland coast successful. If he cannot make it work on the Gold Coast, who can?
At No.7 on the list, Hardwick’s former CEO Brendon Gale was ranked just ahead of Moore (nine) and AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh (eight) and just behind Nick Daicos (six). Gale has been the standout club CEO on the measure of what he inherited compared with what he will bequeath. The job of CEO of the planned Tasmanian team appears Gale’s if he wishes.
Women are rising, great players always matter and deal-makers shape outcomes, but the AFL has become a body, like the Vatican, that vests enormous power in the top cardinal. The AFL CEO has increased control over clubs and even over a supine commission in Gillon McLachlan’s time.
Incoming Andrew Dillon is a quieter presence than the more charismatic McLachlan, but he will make some tough calls. A few key priorities: building a bridge between the clubs and the AFL, navigating concussion and ensuring that the code’s expansion into AFLW and the northern markets reaps better results, plus reviving grassroots in the heartland.
In compiling the top 50, a number were overlooked who might well prove more influential than those listed.
These include player managers Robbie D’Orazio (Connors Sports) and Tom Petroro (TLA), who have the power to make and break clubs; the former, just 38, has the Daicos brothers, the King brothers, Charlie Curnow and several other top-end talents. Petroro heads TLA’s player group, easily the largest in the AFL.
Coaches Michael Voss and Simon Goodwin shape as key figures – especially if Voss can vault the Blues to the top – and, in broadcasting, Fox Sports’ executive Steve Crawley has clout. Club CEOs Steve Hocking and Simon Garlick, and players Errol Gulden and Nicola Barr (GWS), had claims, too.
On the political front, if Jacinta Allan is Victoria’s next premier, she will become a player, off the field. – Jake Niall
The criteria: The panel of 10 judges was asked to select people who influence how the AFL and AFLW are played, watched, understood, coached and commercialised. These are people who are either making a difference now, or who will change football in a meaningful way over the next decade. They could be players, coaches, administrators, commissioners, agents, club bosses, politicians, businesspeople, lawyers, or media people. (The judges were not permitted to select themselves or other journalists.)
How the judging worked: Each judge picked their own top 20, with votes apportioned in reverse order. So, No.20 was given one vote and No.19 two votes, and so on. From there, we compiled the top 50 based on total votes. We have published 10 names every day, culminating with the top 10.
Arguably one of the greatest modern-day coaches, the newly appointed Gold Coast mentor will be hoping he can bring the same success he did at his former club. The experienced Hardwick brings a ruthless but kind-hearted nature – his premiership Tigers championed vulnerability as part of their make-up. These are the qualities that make players want to play for him, and it’s this attitude that will get the Suns their first finals appearance. A high-profile figure like Hardwick will provide Gold Coast with much-needed list stability as the lure for players to go home will decrease. Will Hardwick be able to influence Dustin Martin to join him up north? – Emma Kearney
New Suns coach Damien Hardwick.Credit: Getty Images
The Collingwood skipper’s erudite speech on Anzac Day underscored his wide interests, unusual confidence and willingness to venture into cultural matters beyond footy’s confines. Moore is intelligent, well-read and yet reared in the game’s traditions via his illustrious dual Brownlow medallist dad Peter. Moore, a leader within the AFLPA, is going to make his presence felt over the coming years. He had a huge hand in Collingwood’s response to the Do Better report and is a seminal figure in that club’s attempts to shed the baggage of old school attitudes. And he’s a hell of a player. – Jake Niall
Darcy Moore memorably addressed the crowd on Anzac Day.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images
As the head of the AFL Players’ Association, Marsh already has significant sway in the league and will continue to be a powerful figure. The AFL and the AFLPA have been locked in negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement for a year now, and Marsh recently revealed the two sides were a long way apart. Marsh’s tenure at the cricket players’ union coincided with the professionalisation of the women’s game and the next CBA will have a major impact on the AFLW and the growth of the women’s competition over the next decade. – Chris De Silva
AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh.Credit: Jason South
Gale’s first job when appointed CEO of Richmond at the end of 2009 was to ratify the untried Damien Hardwick as senior coach. The second was to unveil an ambitious and widely mocked long-term plan that involved winning a premiership, eradicating the club’s $4 million dollar debt and achieving 75,000 members. Revered for transforming the Tigers from basket case to powerhouse by his staff; peers in clubland remain mystified as to why the AFL Commission snubbed him in his bid to replace Gillon McLachlan. Should he choose to take it, the 244-game former player and AFLPA boss will assume the helm of Tasmania as soon as he is ready to leave Richmond. – Caroline Wilson
Richmond CEO Brendon Gale.Credit: Getty Images
Whether or not Nick Daicos wins the Brownlow in his second year – he was favourite before he got injured a few weeks out from finals – he’s going to have a huge impact on the footy landscape. He has speed, game awareness, elite skills, footy pedigree and serious cachet among young fans, and he plays for the biggest club in the country. As the son of the mercurial Peter Daicos and younger brother of teammate Josh, there is plenty of romance about his rise, and with the Magpies likely to be challenging for flags, he will be a superstar of his generation. – Marnie Vinall
Pies young gun Nick Daicos.Credit: Getty Images
In essence, Kylie brings in the money for the AFL via corporate sponsorships, ticketing, fans and advertising. In recent months, Rogers and her team have created a new marketing strategy to engage more consumers of AFLW, in an attempt to increase viewership of the game. The women’s game is the largest growth area of the sport, with new participants increasing year-on-year, but it’s the work of Rogers that will continue the development of the AFLW competition by growing the audience and providing greater revenue for the AFL. – Emma Kearney
Kylie Rogers.Credit: Arsineh Houspian
Laura Kane acted in the role for several months before her appointment to become the league’s footy chief and lieutenant to Andrew Dillon. Kane spent five years at North Melbourne leading her team to build North’s first AFLW side and by the time she left the club, was heading up the operations and strategy team across the entire football club. It was no surprise that ex-North Melbourne coach Brad Scott, then executive football manager of the AFL, wanted to recruit her. The lawyer turned football administrator has impressed executives since joining the AFL in late 2021, where her major role was managing state leagues and the AFL as they navigated COVID-19 protocols. Laura Kane could be on her way to becoming the AFL’s first woman CEO. – Emma Kearney
Laura Kane is the AFL’s new executive general manager of football.Credit: AFL Photos
Pearce has been one of if not the most influential female figures in the game over the last 10 years. She put women’s football on the map as a player and has shown no signs of slowing down in retirement. Her impressive foray into the commentary box has already started to redefine the role women can play on AFL broadcasts. The next step for Pearce, who has a sharp footy brain, has been a move into coaching with Geelong’s AFL side. Such is the respect Pearce has in the industry, a successful move into coaching will open the door for more women to follow. – Nat Yoannidis
Premiership player, coach and broadcaster Daisy Pearce.Credit: Getty Images
The Geelong captain added a premiership medallion in 2022, completing his spectacular trophy cabinet that also includes eight All-Australian blazers. Dangerfield wears multiple hats, notably the president of the AFL Players Association, and he will be crucial in finalising the new collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and the players. Upon retirement, Dangerfield will be heavily courted by media outlets and the AFL and continue to shape the game in those roles. – Kane Cornes
Patrick Dangerfield.Credit: AFL Photos
The incoming AFL boss will navigate the AFL through major challenges: head injuries, AFLW, expansion teams’ support, grassroots footy, race/gender and whatever crises appear next. An understated lawyer with vast experience in the AFL politburo, he will bring a more studied and less swashbuckling style than Gillon McLachlan. But his influence on the code can be profound. – Jake Niall
AFL CEO-elect Andrew Dillon.Credit: AFL Photos
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