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The De Koning boys first played against each other two years ago, and this was their fourth clash overall, but Sam is typically stationed in a key defensive post.
Tom, on the other hand, is spending an increasing amount of his time in the ruck these days – after bouncing between the forward line and ruck previously – in what is shaping as a breakout season.
On this night, with Rhys Stanley’s knee injury causing him to go out of Geelong’s team, Cats coach Chris Scott entrusted Sam with taking on his in-form brother for most of the night.
Scott insists it was purely coincidental that it meant going up against his sibling, revealing it was mostly about trying to ignite Sam’s best form.
Tom De Koning.Credit: Getty Images
“I’m not denying that there’s some good theatre to it,” Scott said. “A neutral observer would think that [Tom]’s better placed to win that position than the guy who hasn’t played much in the ruck.
“[But] it’s a bit of an investment in the future for us, and it’s an investment in Sam as well. We need to get him up and going and playing his best footy, and we thought that was the best thing to help with that.”
Tom, for his part, loved the chance to go head-to-head with Sam for what he guessed was about 60 ruck contests throughout the match.
“Being able to line up on my brother at the first centre bounce was pretty fun. I wasn’t expecting it, to be honest,” he said.
“He was very quiet throughout the week. I was trying to get a bit out of him, but he wouldn’t give me anything, so I had a bit of a feeling – but it was good fun, it was a good battle, and I’m just glad we were able to get on top this time.”
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Sam battled back well after Tom’s early physical dominance of him, but the emerging Carlton star took the honours, helping the Blues win the clearances (50-39) and contested possession (151-140).
Tom finished with an equal-career-high 25 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 34 hit-outs, 10 score involvements, seven clearances, six tackles and 1.1 in another mighty performance.
The final numbers were pretty good for Sam, too: 20 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 20 hit-outs, five tackles, four clearances and a goal.
The goal came via a free kick against Tom, who tried to put his brother on a poster. They assuredly kept the 15 family members in attendance, and everyone else watching, entertained throughout the night.
“I ended up giving him a goal back, and he did enjoy that,” Tom said. “He said, ‘You just tried to take mark of the year on me’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll give you that one’. It was funny, but I had to go for it.”
Carlton coach Michael Voss also saw the amusing side of the De Koning brothers’ interactions, but was most thrilled with how far Tom has come with his football.
“He’s certainly taken his game to another level. He’s taken his training to a completely different level as well,” Voss said. “It’s not complicated where he’s found himself, but he’s certainly persisted, and he’s getting some great rewards at the moment.”
Tom and Sam shook hands after the final siren, leaving their season ledger at one-all, and quickly reverted to just being surf-loving brothers from the coast.
It is there that they escape the demands and attention of a game that looks set to launch both of them to stardom.
“We spent a lot of time as kids on the surf coast and then down on the peninsula as well, where we grew up. We love surfing,” Tom said. “To be honest, me and Sam now; we don’t really talk about footy at all. It’s more about life off-field, and I love getting down to the surf coast.
“I always stay at his house, and we get in the water, and it’s just our way of kind of getting away from footy a bit. He loves getting away from it and then coming back and locking in, and so do I.”
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