‘Unicorn, alien': Sam Darcy blows AFL away in Bulldogs' demolition win
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Victor Wembanyama is the NBA's alien, and Sam Darcy might just be the AFL's unicorn.
The Western Bulldogs forward continued his breakout season with five goals in his side's 79-point demolition of Richmond on Sunday afternoon.
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The Dogs won 21.9 (135) to 8.8 (56), getting a healthy percentage boost to leapfrog the Gold Coast Suns, who fell out of the top eight for the first time this season after losing a seven-point thriller to GWS.
Darcy is only scratching the surface of his talent but the 21-year-old looks close to unstoppable in a marking contest when he is in full flight.
His reach, athleticism, and ability to kick on both sides of his body has the 208cm forward posed to tear the competition apart.
Sam Darcy is about to take the AFL by storm. Photos: Getty.
The Herald Sun's Jay Clark said Darcy had been described as a 'cheat code' by his teammates, and the AFL's best players are already in awe of Darcy and his star potential.
'He is an absolute unicorn, an alien of a player,' reigning Coleman Medal winner Jesse Hogan said of Darcy earlier this week.
'The way he moves and how good his hands are, I don't think there's a player you can compare him to at the moment.
'His ceiling is higher than any player in the competition.
'He's going to be a nightmare for key backs over the next 10-15 years.
'I don't know how you stop him. No player has ever had what he's had, so it's a pretty scary proposition.'
'What I think is underrated with him is how aggressive he is,' Carlton captain Patrick Cripps said on AFL 360.
'Sometimes you can get these tall guys that have all the attributes but what's underrated is the aggression.
'He's got some serious craft, as you get older you love seeing these guys come in. He'll change the game and he's going to be special.'
Darcy kicked five goals against Richmond, with defender Noah Balta giving him too much room to roam and mark unopposed inside forward 50.
'I'm always looking at areas to improve,' Darcy told Fox Footy post-game.
'AFL is such a demanding game — four-quarter running power, trying to build that fitness base, work on kicking and the marking craft.'
Four-time premiership Jordan Lewis told news.com.au Darcy could become so dominant that rival teams will need to recruit lanky, athletic defenders who can challenge Darcy.
'I love a kid that comes in and really uses his assets as a strength, and that's clearly his height,' Lewis said.
'So I think the one thing that probably gets underplayed in what has been a relatively short career is he seems like he's got good football IQ.
Sam Darcy is one of the tallest players in the AFL, and has athleticism to burn. (Photo by)
'He knows what positions to get into, he's got great dexterity on both sides of his body. He's only going to get better once he matures into his body.
'I think he's asking questions not only of the opposition but certainly how the opposition plan their list build in the future and do they recruit someone that they think is specifically suited to play on Sam Darcy.
'Typically it's been a defender that probably hasn't been tall. We've seen a few sort of around the sort of 198cm, but is there is there someone out there that's a little bit taller that can go with Sam Darcy?
'If it's not now, it certainly will in the not too distant future, force teams to think, 'have we got a specific player on our list that can play on Sam Darcy?'
Matthew Kennedy, Tim English, Sam Darcy and Adam Treloar of the Bulldogs sing the team song. (Photo by)
'Gee he's exciting,' Fox Footy commentator Matt Hill said after Darcy's performance against Richmond.
'Even a neutral supporter would come through the turnstile to watch him play.'
The Bulldogs were dominant across the ground as Marcus Bontempelli played arguably his best game of the season, finishing with three goals and 36 disposals.
Bontempelli was singing Darcy's praises, telling Fox Footy post-game: 'Lucky to play with him and lucky to have someone so big and dominant up the ground.
'He's still a young man but he's impressing us every single week.'
'They've just been ruthless,' Nathan Buckley said on Fox Footy after the Bulldogs' big win.
Sam Darcy could take the AFL by storm. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Brisbane's Logan Morris is kicking bags of goals for fun. (Photo by James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
'Special': Lions youngster's 28-year AFL first
Darcy isn't the only young key forward threatening to take the AFL by storm.
Brisbane Lions youngster Logan Morris starred in a big win over Geelong, becoming the youngest player to kick five goals or more in consecutive games since Essendon great Matthew Lloyd in 1997.
The No. 31 draft pick has emerged as a gun forward and Brisbane's longterm replacement for Joe Daniher. Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt said Morris' marking ability was 'extremely special overhead'.
'I haven't seen many kids come in and play the way he does and the way he catches the ball. The way he reads the flight is second to none in the AFL,' Riewoldt said.
'He's about to really announce himself in the AFL. He's going to be a superstar.'
Originally published as 'Unicorn, alien': Sam Darcy blows AFL away in Bulldogs' demolition win
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News.com.au
3 hours ago
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‘Outrageous': State of Origin move sparks furore as Ashley Klein set to be named for series decider
Ashley Klein is set to be handed the officiating reins for the State of Origin decider despite his controversial performance in Perth which left New South Wales fans and players outraged. The Blues were on the wrong end of an 8-0 first half penalty count in Game 2, which turned into 9-0 after 45 minutes. By that stage, Queensland were up 26-6. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. In the end, Queensland won 26-24, but the NSW camp felt they were officiated out of the game and scheduled a meeting with NRL management to seek an explanation for several of Klein's controversial calls. The Blues' main gripe was why Klein chose to ignore numerous clear indiscretions by Maroons players while penalising the Blues for similar offences. However, despite the Blues' protests, Code Sports reports Klein will again be in charge of the series decider. That is because the NRL referees are rated under a KPI system by the league and by the numbers Klein is at the top of the list. Categories measured include play-the-ball speed, decision-making, communication, game understanding, accuracy, communication with other officials, consistency, identifying infringements, positioning, game management, ruck communication, positioning, fitness and endurance. His appointment in Sydney will be under heavy scrutiny and will undoubtedly be met with fierce backlash. Speaking about his Game 2 performance earlier this week Buzz Rothfield tore into the veteran ref, saying his calls cost the Blues the game and series win in Perth. 'I think NSW were ill-disciplined and I don't have too many problems with the nine penalties they conceded. The problem I do have is that anyone can look at a replay of that first half and find 4-5 areas of the game where Queensland could quite easily have been penalised as well,' Rothfield said. 'In my eyes, he was refereeing one side for the majority of the first half. 'I know we were ill-disciplined and I'm not blaming it for the loss … but Gordie you cannot be perfect in Origin for 45 minutes. Impossible.' 'It's outrageous that Queensland can play 45 minutes in State of Origin and that intensity, mistakes are made, high speed, high intensity and not one penalty. That cannot happen.' He also went on to say NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley – who refused to answer any question on the officiating after the Game 2 defeat – was privately furious at Klein. 'Laurie will look at the video and find out what he wants to talk to the NRL about and then take it to adjudication,' Rothfield continued. 'He was furious after the game. Privately furious, but he knows he can't come out and say anything. Not just for the fine, but because it'll look like poor sportsmanship.' And as news of Klein's Game 3 appointment spread NSW fans were unsurprisingly annoyed. 'You've got to be kidding,' one fan wrote. 'What an absolute joke!' another added. While a third commented: 'Surely he's not the best ref we have.' NSW will have a home-ground advantage for the series decider, which will take place at Sydney's Accor Stadium on Wednesday, July 9.
