Former North Melbourne Rising Star winner Jaidyn Stephenson has revealed losing passion for the game led to him retiring from the AFL aged just 25.
North Melbourne on Tuesday confirmed Stephenson, a former No.6 draft pick, will exit the league with a year to run on his contract.
“It became clear as this season finished that I wasn’t as passionate about football as I once was,” Stephenson said.
“I loved the friendships the game brings, but having thought things through during the post-season break, I know I’m ready to see what life’s about away from AFL footy.”
Stephenson burst onto the scene for Collingwood in 2018, booting 38 goals in his debut season to play an integral role in the Magpies’ charge to the grand final.
He became the first Collingwood player to win the Ron Evans Medal as the AFL’s Rising Star.
But things went awry in 2019 when his season was ended early by a 10-game suspension for placing bets on Collingwood games with which he was involved.
Stephenson was traded to North Melbourne at the end of the 2020 season amid Collingwood’s attempt to clear salary-cap space. He ended with 76 goals in 54 games for the Magpies.
He joined the Kangaroos on a five-year deal, but had a patchy run at his second club as North were anchored to the bottom of the ladder.
In 2021, Stephenson broke his hip after he fell off his mountain bike in his backyard, having attempted to perform a trick after drinking at home with housemates.
Jaidyn Stephenson is flourishing at Arden Street. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
He ultimately played 68 games for North, kicking 54 goals – including eight majors in 12 games this year.
“We appreciate that Jaidyn has made this decision in his best interests and that he is keen to explore other things in his life,” North football boss Todd Viney said.
Gold Coast’s requests to go prime-time are laughable: Cornes
Gold Coast is pushing for a ‘handful’ of Thursday night games, according to the Herald Sun, which they believe they deserve given improved results and game style in recent seasons.
Kane Cornes doesn’t think Gold Coast are deserving of the number of prime-time games they want in 2025.
“So Gold Coast has asked for four more big drawing games against quality opponents in the school holiday period to maximise their fixture, which also includes two games in Darwin,” Cornes said on SEN.
“But this is the bit that got me, the Suns believe they are well suited to a handful of Thursday night games, given their up-tempo style.
“In what world are Gold Coasts suited to a handful (of prime-time games)? This isn’t one, this is a handful.
“When someone says, ‘Can I have a handful?’, I think it’s five. If Gold Coast think they deserve five Thursday night games … like this is laughable, isn’t it?
Mac Andrew takes a mark. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
His co-host Sam Edmund tried to convince him that Gold Coast were on the way up and to “get ahead of the curve” believing the Suns were about to become a finals team.
“I’ll give you one Thursday night, Gold Coast, and two Saturday nights, that’s all they deserve,” Cornes refuted.
The AFL will start releasing its fixtures in late November.
Calls to raise the draft age to develop player’s skills outside football
Former Fremantle defender David Mundy is calling for the AFL Draft age to be raised as high as 21 to allow players to set themselves up outside of the game before tackling a full-time career in football.
“I am firm in the belief that the draft age should be raised to 21 through a staged process, and through multiple years,” he told 6PR in Perth.
“You have young men leaving high school at 17-18 years of age; they can go in and find a trade and do an apprenticeship over three years – or they can enter university or get TAFE degrees.
“It’ll continue their education and get work experience and almost set their life direction outside of sport while still developing and playing whatever level of football they want to play it.
“But they get three years of physical development, career development and then they enter into the AFL system.”
The AFL Draft, is the major list management tool for clubs, alongside the trade period and free agency – and after being first held in 1986, all current players have come through the draft system.
Mundy added that the AFL competition would become more of an elite-performance league and list sizes would not carry as many development players – and will see players like North Melbourne’s Jaidyn Stephenson, who is retiring at 25 years old, to easily transition into life outside football.
“He’d be much better placed to leave the game if he had something foundational in his background that he could go back to,” Mundy said.
“He’s been in the (AFL) system for seven years to get him to 25, but even if he was the most dedicated student, he would not have gotten through a uni degree.
“He wouldn’t have been able to do a trade apprenticeship due to the physical nature of it in an AFL environment.”
– with AAP