Adelaide Crows star Darcy Fogarty has got a can of Cooper’s beer tattooed on his bicep as part of a paid promotion ahead of this week’s Gather Round fixtures.
The Crows come up against Geelong on Friday night and will be keen to bounce back to winning ways after controversially suffering a one-point defeat by Gold Coast on Saturday.
Fogarty, who booted three goals during that match, published a clip of himself on Instagram heading into Uncle Winston’s tattoo parlour in Adealaide on Sunday to get the new piece of ink.
On entering the shop, the 25-year-old revealed to his followers that this would be his first-ever tattoo.
‘Getting something you love for your first tattoo. I chose Coopers Brewery,’ Fogarty wrote on Instagram.
Footy star Darcy Fogarty has taken to instagram to tell fans he has got a can of beer tattooed on his bicep
The Crows forward revealed on Sudnay that this was his first tattoo and that he’d be getting a can of Coopers’ beer inked on his bicep
‘You’ll always remember your first,’ Coopers wrote on Fogarty’s Instagram video
Coopers replied in the comments: ‘You’ll always remember your first.’
The beer company say they are Australia’s largest family-owned brewery and is known for being one of the world’s largest suppliers of homebrewing beer kits.
Founded in 1862 by Thomas Cooper, the Adelaide-based brewery also places great importance on sustainable production of their products.
Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary explained that Fogarty was due to make a big profit from the stunt, but concerns had been raised over whether the move could infringe on the AFL’s sponsorship rules.
The football league has held a long-standing partnership with Carlton Draught, while Asahi Beverages are the league’s official drinks partner along with Gatorade and Cool Ridge water.
And under the AFL’s regulations on sponsorships, players are instructed ‘not to accept any sponsorship, endorsement or other commercial arrangement which would compel or require them to promote or endorse any supplier of goods and/or services which compete with AFL Protected Sponsors’ or AFL Club Protected Sponsors.’
But Cleary told Channel 7 News that the tattoo isn’t in breach of that ruling with Coopers understood to not be competing with the league’s protected sponsors.
‘Fogarty is sure to receive a windfall for the move, and Coopers, well they’re already a partner of the Crows,’ Cleary said.
Coopers say they are Australia’s largest family-owned brewery. The company are based in Adelaide and were founded in 1862
Fogarty will sport his new piece of ink this week as the Crows take on Geelong on Friday
‘It’s a bit of a throwback to when Geelong’s Garry Hocking legally changed his name to cat-food brand Whiskas to raise money for Geelong while the club was in heavy debt.’
The move has raised some questions about how far players will be able to go when it comes to paid endorsements and partnerships.
It also comes after Western Bulldogs star Rory Lobb shaved a pink lobster into the back of his head.
The Crows have enjoyed a great start to the season, going 3-1 for their opening four matches.
But they will feel aggrieved they were unable to continue their unbeaten record this weekend after they were struck by a controversial decision that left Crows boss Matthew Nicks frustrated.
It came after the AFL confirmed on Sunday that match referees had denied Izak Rankine a mark inside the Crows’ forward 50 with just two minutes left on the clock.
Rankine could have restored Adelaide’s lead with a subsequent shot at goal.
‘With 1.44 remaining in the Gold Coast v Adelaide match Rankine should have been awarded a mark,’ the AFL conceded. ‘Subsequently, he was also held in the marking contest, which should have also warranted a free kick. Upon review, the umpires missed it in real-time.
Fogarty has enjoyed a great start to the 2025 campaign, booting 12 goals to go sixth in the John Coleman medal race
Meanwhile, the Crows were the subject of a controversial umpiring decision on Sunday after Izak Rankine was not paid a mark late on in their match against the Suns. Adelaide could have won the match had Rankine been paid the mark and booted the resulting kick
‘The AFL football department has contacted Adelaide this morning.’
Had the Crows won the match, it would have been the first time since 2017, when the Crows finished as minor premiers, that the side had gone 4-0 at the beginning of the season.
‘You get to the end of the game, and we’ve given ourselves a chance — and you need every bit of luck in that moment. But that last minute and a half, we clearly didn’t get things going our way,’ Nicks said after the match.
‘I’d say there’s some really frustrated fans of ours out there, and I feel for them and I’m a little bit with them.
‘My version of it is, if he didn’t mark it, he’s tackled in a marking contest.’
