Mihocek’s neck injury was ‘millimetres from disaster’

Coach cool on parade as new deal announced for Gather Round

Sam McClure

The AFL has locked away one of its biggest success stories, with the league and South Australian government agreeing to extend Gather Round through to the end of 2029, but one AFL coach is less than enthused at the prospect of a parade through Adelaide.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas announced the three-year extension in Adelaide on Thursday morning after months of negotiations over the future of the festival.

Several new initiatives will be incorporated into future Gather Rounds as part of the extension, including a parade featuring players from every club will begin from 2027.

“From packed and soldout stadiums, the footy festival, the parade at Norwood, the Barossa and everything in between, Gather Round has captured the imagination of footy fans and delivered an event like nothing else in Australian sport,” Dillon said.

Melbourne coach Steven King was conducting his weekly media conference when the extension was announced, and he didn’t appear as enthused as the AFL for coaches potentially being involved in the parade.

While the pageant is currently a player parade, the AFL told this masthead that it would work through the involvement of coaches and other stakeholders in the spectacle.

“No one’s asked me about any parade yet, so I’m not sure if the coaches’ association signed on for anything yet. I mean, I just saw the extension, which is great, but my priority is to make sure I prepare my group to play when we do Gather Round,” King said.

“I’ll make sure I am around for our main training sessions and head over there with the team, so that’s going to be interesting, how that all looks.

“I think the players have signed on. I haven’t heard anything from my end around the coaches doing anything yet, so that hasn’t come across my desk.”

There is also a preference for the reigning premiers to feature in a grand final replay at Adelaide Oval during the round.

Dates and venues for next year’s edition have not been announced yet. There was also no announcement on Thursday morning about State of Origin, with SA keen to be involved after the success of this year’s WA v Victoria revival in Perth. But that is expected soon.

“We’ve built something really special that continues to grow, year on and year on and year on,” Dillon said at the Adelaide Oval announcement.

“We’re really excited to build on this magnificent event we’ve built with the SA government. It’s everything that Adelaide and SA brings, that’s made it the perfect home for Gather Round.

“It was a bit of a no-brainer to extend it for the three years that we’ve done.”

The deal ensures South Australia retains hosting rights, with the current deal due to expire after this year, and provides certainty for what has become one of the AFL’s marquee events.

Gather Round has delivered significant economic benefits to South Australia, with the 2025 edition generating an estimated $113 million in economic impact.

The extension also gives the South Australian government time to pursue plans for a potential new venue in the McLaren Vale region, which could further expand Gather Round’s footprint beyond Adelaide, Norwood and the Barossa.

One challenge looming on the horizon is the arrival of the Tasmania Devils in 2028. With 19 teams in the competition, the AFL will need to determine how Gather Round accommodates an odd-numbered competition, with possibilities including one club playing twice or an alternative fixture arrangement.

“Gather Round has become one of the biggest and best events in the country and we are thrilled to once again partner with South Australia,” Dillon said.

“We’ve built something truly special that continues to grow each year, and it has become an unmissable few days during the footy season.”

With Danny Russell, and AAP

King reflects on ‘eerie’ Mihocek incident

Danny Russell

Steven King has described feeling guilty at having to coach out a match after watching key forward Brody Mihocek carted from the MCG with a serious neck injury that was “millimetres away from disaster”.

The Melbourne coach said it was “eerie” seeing Mihocek driven head first into the MCG turf during the second term of Melbourne’s eight-point victory over Collingwood on the King’s Birthday weekend.

Mihocek, 34, was taken to hospital during the game to have surgery on a fractured neck. He has been up and walking around.

“I’ve seen some lower-limb injuries in my time that have been pretty horrific, but that one was next level in terms of potential of serious repercussions,” King said on Thursday morning.

“It was pretty eerie and moving on with the game didn’t seem the right thing to do at the time.

“Then seeing Brody and his family down the rooms at half-time, and that was probably a reminder, and even the players running out, seeing Brody again, that you question your own mortality a bit from a footy sense, it was pretty bad.

“You’re not really thinking about the game. You go to [his wife] Polly and Brady’s dad and just make sure they’re OK, and you feel a bit guilty walking away, then trying to think about coaching the rest of the second half.”

King said it was important to remember Mihocek was the victim in the incident and people needed to understand the player did not contribute “at all”.

But the Melbourne coach was also quick to clear Collingwood defender Billy Frampton of any blame.

Frampton was hit with a three-match ban by the match review officer for his second-term tackle that led to Mihocek’s injury, but the decision was overturned by the AFL tribunal on appeal.

“I didn’t follow the actual tribunal,” King said. “To me, that was irrelevant.

“All my thoughts and prayers are with Brody and his family, but I actually felt like reaching out to Billy as well, because I feel like he was just playing the game as well. It’s just one of those terrible accidents.”

King said the Demons had not given any consideration to Mihocek’s path back to football.

“We’ll get feedback from our docs around what the next steps are, but that’s the last thing on our minds at the moment, asking him to think about when his return date is,” he said.

“It’s just, let’s just tick off the first week, and make sure everyone’s OK.

“At the moment I can’t really speak for how he’s feeling because he’s the one at home, away from his teammates in a neck brace – millimetres from disaster, or potential disaster.”

King praised Melbourne’s medical team for being “the difference between where Brody’s at now and what could have potentially happened”.

“It’s uncharted for me to sort of stand here and think it’s one of those ones where you just say it’s fortunate he’s still with us,” the Demons coach said.

King acknowledged it had been an emotional week for the Demons, following a state funeral for former coach Neale Daniher at the MCG on Wednesday.

“I haven’t been to a funeral like that before,” he said. “I mean, we’ve been to state funerals and stuff, but I felt like that was, it was a celebration, but it was really emotional as well, just to hear a bit more about the man, more as a father and grandfather and coach, and then the whole MND cause as well.”

King said it was significant the Demons were playing Daniher’s old club Essendon at the MCG on Saturday.

Melbourne will be looking to atone for the last time they met, a 45-point win to the Bombers – their sole win for the year – at Adelaide Oval during Gather Round.

Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon said the Bombers would continue to use Ben McKay forward and Zach Merrett in defence as they searched for their second win.

He also expected better ball movement to help key forward Nate Caddy who was left frustrated by a lack of opportunity in their narrow loss to Carlton.

Solomon said Saturday’s clash against the Demons was a big moment for both clubs following the midweek funeral for Daniher.

“We are really proud to call him a Bomber and we want to represent him and his family in the best way possible,” Solomon said on Thursday morning.

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