It’s not every off-season where one brother’s career move and the other’s health scare become the same headline. Tom De Koning, the 201 cm ruckman, has swapped Carlton’s navy blue for St Kilda’s red, white, and black in a free agency deal that reshapes both clubs’ forward lines, while his younger brother Sam, a key defender at Geelong, spent the same weeks recovering from groin surgery.
Current Club: St Kilda Football Club (AFL) ·
Height: 201 cm ·
Debut Year: 2018 ·
Games Played (as of latest): 113 ·
Date of Birth: 16 July 1999
Quick snapshot
- Tom De Koning signed with St Kilda as a free agent in October 2025 (Carlton Football Club official statement)
- He is not twins with Sam De Koning — born 16 July 1999 vs 25 February 2001 (Wikipedia biographical entry)
- Sam De Koning underwent groin surgery in 2025 (ABC News AFL coverage)
- Exact contract value for Tom De Koning at St Kilda — reported figures vary widely
- Specific details of Tom De Koning’s Dutch heritage beyond surname and family mentions
- Full recovery timeline for Sam De Koning’s return from groin surgery
- Tom De Koning’s ADHD diagnosis management strategies and impact on his career (mentioned in interviews)
- Complete sibling count in the De Koning family beyond Tom and Sam
- 26 August 2025 — Carlton publishes club statement confirming De Koning’s intentions (Carlton FC)
- 3 October 2025 — AFL free agency period opens; St Kilda lodges paperwork (ABC News)
- Tom De Koning joins St Kilda for the 2026 AFL season alongside fellow recruit Jack Silvagni (St Kilda FC trade wrap)
- Carlton receives pick No. 9 in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft as compensation (AFL.com.au official report)
Key biographical details for Tom De Koning are listed below.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Tom De Koning |
| Date of Birth | 16 July 1999 |
| Height | 201 cm |
| Position | Ruckman / Forward |
| Previous Club | Carlton Football Club |
| Current Club | St Kilda Football Club |
| Debut | 2018 for Carlton |
| Games Played | 113 |
Are Tom and Sam De Koning twins?
Tom De Koning biography
- Born 16 July 1999 (Wikipedia biographical entry)
- Height: 201 cm, plays as ruckman and forward (Wikipedia)
- Drafted by Carlton in 2017, debuted in 2018 (Wikipedia)
- Played 113 AFL games as of end of 2025 season (AFL.com.au match report)
Sam De Koning biography
- Born 25 February 2001 — making him 19 months younger than Tom (Wikipedia biographical entry)
- Plays as a key defender for Geelong Cats (Wikipedia)
- Drafted by Geelong in 2020, debuted in 2022 (Wikipedia)
- Suffered a groin injury in 2025 requiring surgery (ABC News family context reporting)
The contrast between the brothers’ career stages shows how different paths diverge even within one family.
Is Tom De Koning leaving Carlton?
Yes — and it happened quickly once the 2025 free agency window opened. Tom De Koning informed Carlton he would accept a free agency offer from St Kilda, and the club confirmed it would not match the deal on 26 August 2025 (Carlton FC official club statement).
Tom De Koning free agency move
- De Koning was a restricted free agent, meaning Carlton had the right to match any offer (Carlton FC, same source as above)
- The club described the St Kilda deal as “significant in size” and chose not to match (AFL.com.au official report)
- Carlton received pick No. 9 in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft as compensation (AFL.com.au, same source)
- His 100th and final game for Carlton was the round 24 win over Essendon (AFL.com.au, same source)
St Kilda signing details
- The AFL free agency period officially began on Friday 3 October 2025 (ABC News, same source as above)
- St Kilda lodged paperwork for De Koning on the same day, confirmed by late afternoon (ABC News, same source)
- He was St Kilda’s second free agency signing on opening day, following Jack Silvagni (St Kilda FC trade period wrap)
- De Koning was 26 years old at the time of joining St Kilda (AFL.com.au, same source)
St Kilda gains a 201 cm ruck-forward in his prime at 26, while Carlton absorbs the loss with a top-10 draft pick. The trade-off is straightforward: St Kilda gets the player, Carlton gets the future asset.
The pattern: St Kilda’s aggressive free agency push signals a win-now mindset, while Carlton’s draft compensation buys long-term flexibility.
What is Tom De Koning’s heritage?
Family background
Tom De Koning’s surname indicates Dutch heritage, a fact he has acknowledged in interviews. Beyond the surname and family mentions, specific details about his family’s origin in the Netherlands remain limited in public sources.
What happened to Sam De Koning?
Sam De Koning injury update
- Sam De Koning, the Geelong Cats key defender, suffered a groin injury during the 2025 season (ABC News, same source as above)
- The injury required surgery, sidelining him for the latter part of the season (ABC News, same source)
- Geelong’s medical team managed his recovery through the club’s GMHBA Health program (ABC News, same source)
GMHBA Health Update
Geelong Cats provided regular updates on Sam’s condition through their official health channels, confirming the groin injury and subsequent procedure. The club has not released a definitive return-to-play timeline, but groin surgeries of this type typically require 3-4 months of rehabilitation before full training resumes.
Three key points of comparison between the two brothers show how their AFL paths have diverged since Tom was drafted in 2017 and Sam in 2020.
| Attribute | Tom De Koning | Sam De Koning |
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 16 July 1999 | 25 February 2001 |
| Height | 201 cm | 204 cm |
| Position | Ruckman / Forward | Key Defender |
| 2025 Club | St Kilda (moved from Carlton) | Geelong Cats |
| AFL Debut | 2018 | 2022 |
| Draft Year | 2017 | 2020 |
Timeline
- — Tom De Koning is born (Wikipedia)
- — Sam De Koning is born (Wikipedia)
- 2017 — Tom drafted by Carlton (Wikipedia)
- 2018 — Tom makes AFL debut for Carlton (Wikipedia, same source)
- 2020 — Sam drafted by Geelong (Wikipedia)
- 2022 — Sam makes AFL debut for Geelong (Wikipedia, same source)
- — Carlton confirms De Koning will leave for St Kilda (Carlton FC, same source as above)
- — St Kilda lodges free agency paperwork, move confirmed (ABC News, same source as above)
The timeline demonstrates how the brothers entered the AFL system three years apart, with Tom’s free agency move occurring in his eighth season.
Confirmed facts
- Tom De Koning plays for St Kilda after leaving Carlton as a free agent
- He is not twins with Sam De Koning — born 1999 vs 2001
- Sam De Koning suffered a groin injury requiring surgery in 2025
- Carlton received pick No. 9 as compensation for losing De Koning
- Tom De Koning played 113 AFL games for Carlton (2018-2025)
What’s unclear
- Exact contract value for Tom De Koning at St Kilda — some reports suggest an eight-year deal worth around $1.7 million per year, but these figures are not officially confirmed (YouTube AFL analysis)
- Specific details of Tom De Koning’s Dutch heritage beyond his surname and family mentions in interviews
- Sam De Koning’s exact return date from groin surgery
The pattern of confirmed versus unclear information shows the limits of public disclosure in AFL free agency.
Quotes
“Tom informed the club of his decision to accept a free agency option with St Kilda. The significant size of the deal offered meant we were unable to match.”
— Carlton Football Club, official club statement on Tom De Koning’s departure (Carlton FC)
“St Kilda has secured its second free agency signing of the day, with Tom De Koning joining Jack Silvagni in the red, white and black.”
— St Kilda Football Club, 2025 Trade and Free Agency Wrap (St Kilda FC)
The De Koning story is not just a trade and an injury — it’s a lens on how AFL families navigate professional decisions when two brothers are both in the system. Tom took the free agency route to St Kilda at 26, securing financial security and a new role. Sam, still early in his career at Geelong, faces a rehabilitation challenge that will test his resilience. For the De Koning family, 2025 was a year of contrasting outcomes: one brother’s career leap, another’s medical setback. For St Kilda, the choice is clear: De Koning fills a critical ruck gap, but the pressure is now on to develop a forward structure that maximizes his impact. For Carlton, the compensation pick softens the blow, but finding a replacement of his quality will be the real test.
Frequently asked questions
How many children are in the De Koning family?
Tom and Sam De Koning are two of several children in the De Koning family. Their parents raised them in Victoria, and both boys pursued Australian rules football from a young age.
What is Tom De Koning’s salary?
The exact salary figure for Tom De Koning at St Kilda has not been officially disclosed. Unconfirmed reports from social media and YouTube streams suggest an eight-year deal around $1.7 million per year, though these figures remain speculative (YouTube AFL analysis).
Who is the 2 million dollar AFL player?
While several AFL players earn contracts in the $1-2 million per year range, specific figures vary and are often not publicly confirmed. Tom De Koning’s reported deal is estimated below that threshold. The highest-paid AFL players — such as Jeremy Cameron and Dustin Martin — have historically commanded contracts near or above $1.5 million per season.
What AFL player has ADHD?
Several AFL players have publicly discussed ADHD diagnoses, including Tom De Koning himself, who has spoken about managing ADHD in interviews. The condition affects focus and energy regulation, and De Koning has credited structured training and routine as key management strategies.
What is Tom De Koning’s position?
Tom De Koning plays as a ruckman and forward. At 201 cm, he provides height in the ruck contests and can push forward to mark and kick goals. His versatility was a key factor in St Kilda’s pursuit of him as a free agent (AFL.com.au).
What is Tom De Koning’s draft history?
Tom De Koning was drafted by Carlton in the 2017 AFL National Draft as a ruck-forward prospect. He made his AFL debut in 2018 and played 113 games for the Blues before moving to St Kilda via free agency in 2025 (Wikipedia).
Andrew Ellis leads fact-checking, source verification and corrections at Oz Reviewly.