Craig O’Donoghue: Fremantle Dockers ruckman Sean Darcy has committed to becoming better so why the negativity?

Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy has shed a truckload of weight and is giving up his own time to fly to Qatar to improve his rehab from knee surgery. So why is there so much negativity around him? Surely it’s time for the football world to cut Darcy some slack and recognise the work he’s doing to give himself the best chance to succeed. Darcy has dropped so much weight that he is unrecognisable when watching Dockers training from a distance. He’s clearly realised that his body can no longer tolerate carrying about 115kg, given the pressure it was putting on his joints, and is committed to change. Many people will argue that Darcy is a professional athlete and he should have been playing lighter for his entire career. But Darcy has received nothing but positive affirmation that playing at a heavier weight has been a positive. During his 2016 draft year, Darcy was the most dominant tap ruckman in both Victoria’s under 18 competition and when competing at the under 18 national championships. He entered the AFL weighing 110kg after being drafted by Fremantle at pick 38. Clubs have historically ignored ruckmen in the draft because they take so long to develop. Darcy would have heard that growing up and players getting overlooked. But he not only got drafted, he played eight games in his first season and won 40 hit outs on debut.. He also received a two-year contract extension before even playing an AFL game. Later that year, Darcy won a WAFL premiership for Peel Thunder and had a ridiculous 73 hit outs for the day. He would have gone into the following pre-season absolutely certain that his size was a genuine advantage. Darcy’s knee problems began early in 2018 after a collision during a marking contest in the WAFL left him with damage to his posterior cruciate ligament. But despite missing seven weeks, he needed just two matches to earn an AFL recall and his seven matches were enough to get picked as the sole ruckman in the AFLPA’s 22 Under 22 team. Fremantle handed him another contract extension, locking him away until the end of 2022 giving him even more positive re-enforcement. Midway through 2021, Darcy’s contract got extended until 2024 and he finished the year by winning Fremantle’s best and fairest award. Then came 2022 and he added a Glendinning-Allan Medal to his resume. Darcy missed only six matches between 2020-22. He dominated the lighter Tim English in the 2022 elimination final and then his 40 hit outs against Collingwood in the losing semi final was more than Darcy Cameron and Mason Cox combined. At 24 years of age, the world was at Darcy’s feet and every indicator told him that his size gave him an edge. That was until his body started breaking more often during 2023. That didn’t deter teams from chasing Darcy’s signature though, prompting the Dockers to hand him a lucrative contract which kept him in purple until the end of 2030. That contract came with risk. Players often lose motivation when they sign a life changing deal and he big money is guaranteed. We consistently see players having amazing seasons when their contract is about to expire and they want more money. Then we regularly see that incredible form disappear once the contract is signed. Suddenly they gain weight, drop fitness and just don’t have the same work ethic or form. Darcy has been the opposite. Instead of getting fat and happy, Darcy focused on losing weight. He played slightly lighter last year, but was still heavier than most players, and got hurt again. Post-season knee surgery raised huge red flags but instead of counting his guaranteed cash while wallowing in self pity, Darcy got down to work. Teammates have marvelled at the transformation in his body and Fremantle have taken an ultra conservative approach to his rehab to give him the best chance of playing until 2030. Round one 2025 isn’t as important as a long term career. Losing weight would have to come with anxiety for Darcy. Surely he’s questioned whether he will be as effective when competing with the game’s athletic ruckmen if he’s handed back his biggest advantage. Using his body and wrestling has made him an AFL star. But he knows he needs healthy knees so instead of flying home to Victoria see his family when the players have extended time off next week, Darcy has headed to Qatar to work with world renowned experts. It takes more than 11 hours to fly to Qatar. He won’t be sitting on his bum at Langley Park drinking a beer and watching the fireworks on Australia Day. He won’t be out on the Swan River in a boat partying and enjoying the festivities. Darcy is flying across the world to make himself better and put an end to his run of injuries. We can all speculate on whether or not the Darcy/Luke Jackson ruck combination will work. We can also debate the merits of having two ruckmen on massive contracts. But one thing that’s been crystal clear all summer has been that Darcy is hell bent on doing whatever is necessary to not only get back to his best in 2025 but to have an impact across every year of his long term contract. That attitude should be admired and he deserves more credit for setting a standard for how players should behave after signing a long-term deal.