AFL's High-Paid Stars Under Fire: Five Players Facing Scrutiny for Underperformance
When AFL players sign lucrative contracts, they immediately invite heightened pressure and intense scrutiny. If athletes cannot handle this heat, they should steer clear of the kitchen altogether. Currently, numerous red flags surround several high-profile players, with Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera leading the charge after inking a $2 million-a-year, two-year deal at the end of last season. However, the St Kilda superstar is not alone in his struggles. Here are the top five underperforming big guns in the AFL right now.
No. 5: Sydney's Charlie Curnow Needs a Breakout Game
After Sydney moved heaven and earth to prise the key forward out of Carlton last year, Charlie Curnow has yet to wow this season. To be frank, he was belted by Hawthorn defender Tom Barrass in his last outing. Curnow had an OK patch against his old team in the opening round but failed to boot a goal in Sydney's strong win over Brisbane. In the second half against the Hawks, he could only manage one handball as they climbed over the Swans.
Curnow signed a five-year deal with Sydney, while the club gave up its 2025 first-round pick (No. 11), its 2026 first-round pick, its 2027 first-round pick, plus Will Hayward and Ollie Florent in a separate deal. AFL expert Kane Cornes remarked after Curnow's Hawthorn game, "It's a bit early for buyer's remorse, but it's a watch."
No. 4: Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera Must Prove His Worth
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera showed improvement in his team's first win of the season on the weekend, but he still needs to do more—a lot more. While he recorded 27 touches and 694 metres gained, some efforts against the Giants were questionable. His first couple of games of the season saw him clearly struggle while dealing with close checking.
It was recently suggested that Wanganeen-Milera is on a "learning curve" as he learns to handle tags from rival players. However, as Agenda Setters host Craig Hutchison points out, "he's not on learning-curve money." It is time for Nas to remind the footy world why he is paid the big bucks.
No. 3: Jacob Hopper's Game Is Passing Him By
Jacob Hopper signed a whopping seven-year deal to join Richmond at the end of 2022, and right now, it looks like the game is close to passing him by. Cornes said on Channel 7's The Agenda Setters that Hopper had become a "roadblock" player, expressing concern for slower, handball-first midfielders who cannot find a target by foot.
"The power of the midfielder and the running capabilities, the high-speed demands on what is required to be successful in this game—if you do not have that, and if you're a ball-stopping mid, a roadblock, you're in all sorts of trouble," Cornes stated.
In Round 1, Hopper had just two clearances for the game, compared to Carlton champ Patrick Cripps' nine, Tim Taranto's seven, Tigers captain Toby Nankervis's seven, Blues star Sam Walsh's six, and George Hewett's five. He was also outshone by his exciting, younger teammates, finishing the match with just 19 touches and a middling 247 metres gained. By way of comparison, first gamer Sam Grlj also had 19 disposals but recorded 369 metres gained. Grlj's disposal efficiency was at 90 percent, compared to Hopper's 61 percent. In the loss to Gold Coast, Hopper found more ball (26 disposals) but still only managed 245 metres gained, with his disposal efficiency at 58 percent. Hopper, 29, has played 166 games after being drafted with pick No. 7 in 2015.
No. 2: Darcy Parish's Leadership Under Microscope
As an intense spotlight burns on Essendon, several older players are also in the gun. Darcy Parish is one of those, and he needs an immediate mindshift. His poor body language against Port Adelaide was quickly put under the microscope following the nightmare game, with AFL great Luke Hodge highlighting the 28-year-old.
Hodge showed vision of Parish in the third quarter during the week after Nate Caddy had kicked a goal. The vision was alarming and came immediately after Parish had spoken at half-time, saying that Essendon's leaders needed to stand up and show the way.
"This is in the first minute of that third quarter after he just spoke about the senior guys. That's Caddy kicking the goal... and you've got Darcy there, hands on his hips, back turned while others celebrate with the young gun," Hodge said on The Agenda Setters. "Look how individualised they all are... Parish said at half-time, 'we need to show the spark for the younger players...' There's no spark. There's no leadership, there's no teamwork. That's the small little things that you need to build as a side that's down the bottom to try and make players want to play with you and get a bit of excitement in their game."
Hodge said he could have shown 10 or 15 clips like that, but that one resonated because it came just after Parish had spoken. "Words are probably cheap. They need to do it with actions." Parish was an All-Australian in 2021 but looks a long way off that now.
No. 1: Fremantle's Sean Darcy Battling for His Spot
Fremantle big man Sean Darcy is again under the pump. Darcy is contracted until the end of 2030 at the Dockers in what is an extraordinarily questionable deal. His partnership with Luke Jackson has never really fired, and Darcy's ability to withstand a full AFL season without breaking down is also questionable. Now, changes to the ruck rules are not working in the 27-year-old's favour.
"Sean Darcy needs a big game... he's battling," said Cornes after Darcy's six-disposal, 11 hitout effort against Fremantle. "He's in all sorts of trouble at the moment." Cornes added that Darcy "struggles to cover the ground" and warned that this weekend might be his last crack before he gets dumped.
"They're taking on Richmond on Saturday afternoon. There is no Toby Nankervis. He's done his hammy, so Darcy has the opportunity to get himself back into some really good form." Cornes said this might be Darcy's "last chance" before big American Mason Cox, who joined Fremantle on a two-year deal during the pre-season, gets his first game as a Docker. Cox did play in a pre-season game for Fremantle and performed well, having 30 hitouts against Adelaide's Lachlan McAndrew to put Darcy on notice and make a selection statement.
