- Dale Thomas could have been foundation GWS Giants captain
- Was offered a whopping $6million deal across six seasons
- Stayed loyal to Collingwood, was then moved onto Carlton
AFL legend Dale Thomas has revealed why he rejected a head-turning contract from the GWS Giants which would have made him the wealthiest footy star in Australia at the time.
Two years later, ahead of the 2014 season, the Collingwood great signed for arch-rivals Carlton – on significantly less money – and was brutally labelled a ‘sell-out dog’ in some quarters.
Thomas – who has since transitioned into the media – stunned his co-hosts on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters with revelations about his $6million deal across six seasons.
‘I met with the GWS Giants when they were coming into the competition (in 2012),’ Thomas said.
‘I thought about (taking the deal). Obviously you sit there and weigh up everything — it’s a lot of money.
‘But also at that point in my career, all I had known was winning (at Collingwood, including a premiership in 2010).
AFL legend Dale Thomas has revealed why he turned down a monster contract from the GWS Giants that would have made him the wealthiest footy star in Australia at the time
Two years later, the Collingwood great signed for arch-rivals Carlton – on significantly less money – and was brutally labelled a ‘sell-out dog’ in some quarters (pictured, in 2019)
Thomas has since transitioned into the media, where he is a regular on Channel 7 (pictured) and Triple M radio
‘So the thought of going to a club and having the responsibility to take them from nothing to where they needed to go, I was not sure how that would sit.’
Asked if he now regrets his decision, Thomas conceded ‘you can’t pay your bills with good faith.’
Co-hosts Caroline Wilson and Kane Cornes were visibly shocked Thomas chose to stay with the Magpies – he then joined the Blues in 2014 where some felt he had sold his soul.
But ‘Daisy’ clarified the situation.
‘I was off Bucks (coach Nathan Buckley) because I had been loyal….I knocked back massive cash to stay a one-club player,’ he said on Triple M.
‘Then I got rissoled (moved on) due to my ankle injury.
‘If I was going for the cash, I would have gone somewhere else….but I just had to cop it, all the bullets in the back.
‘I wore the fact I was a (supposed) sell-out dog going for the cash.’
Thomas retired in 2019 after 155 goals from 258 career appearances.
