The AFL’s biggest stars are set to get back out on the field this weekend, but its been a busy off season for many of them in the real estate.
From country acreages, bayside reno projects to lavish city mansions — some of the games top players have made property their top priority since the siren sounded last season.
RELATED: AFL champ Wayne Carey tackles new gig for old rival
Dane Swan reveals teammate he gave a ‘free ride’
Where rents have skyrocketed $110+ per week
See which players and league personalities tried their hand at the property game by selling their properties, and who else is making moves to become a mogul.
Lance Franklin and wife Jesinta splurge on Gold Coast mansion
Bought in November for $9m
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Franklin’s jaw-dropping new property.
Buddy and Jesinta Franklin.
AFL Sydney Swans player Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin and his fashion influencer wife Jesinta splashed a whopping $9m on a glamorous Mediterrean mansion on the Gold Coast, weeks before listing their luxury apartment for sale in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
They snapped up the sprawling luxury property known as Villa Casa in November, after just six days on the market, smashing the previous sales record in the emerging Gold Coast hinterland suburb.
The stunning lounge room.
The kitchen and living space.
The seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom home on a 4497sq m block with panoramic views is a significant upsize for the couple and their two children, Tullulah and Rocky.
Outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan sells Prahran pile
Sold for $8m
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan during the TICT luncheon at Hobart. Picture Chris Kidd
Outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan’s lavish Prahran mansion he shared with wife Laura has finally sold after being listed for $11m last August.
The ritzy six-bedroom digs was later pulled from the market, before it eventually notched an off-market $8m sale, settling early in January with a $3m haircut to its initial asking price.
The outgoing AFL CEO’s home has a lush tennis court.
Set across 1189sq m, the property could be likened to a luxury resort, featuring two storeys, a tennis court, in-ground swimming pool and alfresco entertaining area.
New Brisbane Lion Josh Dunkley and netballer girlfriend buy QLD digs
Bought for $2.3m
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 768"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tippah Dwan and Josh Dunkley at Champions Stakes Day at Flemington on Saturday, November 5, 2022 Picture: Channel 10
Star Brisbane Lions new recruit Josh Dunkley and his netballer girlfriend Tippah Dwan have paid $2.265m for a home in the Sunshine State.
The 25-year-old made the move from Melbourne after being traded from the Western Bulldogs to the Lions in a six-year deal believed to be worth about $700,000 per year.
The back yard of Dunkley’s new home.
The two-storey, character home they have bought is in one of Paddington’s best streets, with five bedrooms, a wine cellar, a pool, a covered back deck and outdoor kitchen, and a large, flat lawn allowing for plenty room to kick a footy.
Hawthorn premiership champ-turned Kangaroo Liam Shiels lists family home
On the market for $1.625m
Shiels is still looking for a buyer for his Hawthorn home.
Three-peat Hawk Liam Shiels and wife Claire are selling the Hawthorn East house they purchased after falling for its Victorian-era charm over a decade ago. Now a Kangaroo, Shiels played 255 games with Hawthorn including the three flags between 2013-2015.
After passing in at auction last month, the home remains on the market with $1.625m price hopes.
GWS Giants’ co-captain Stephen Coniglio buys deceased estate in Mosman
Bought for $2.9m
Stephen Coniglio’s new pink property.
It’s been a busy summer break for Giants’ co-captain Stephen Coniglio and wife Rebecca Demlakian who have bought up big in one of Australia’s richest suburbs.
After getting married in a lavish ceremony at St Mary’s Cathedral — and a honeymoon in Dubai, Venice and Paris — they settled on their first house together.
The newlyweds’ new abode.
They spent $2.9m on a deceased estate, a duplex apartment block dating back to the 1940s with a bright pink facade.
Beach house where Sam and Tom De Koning grew up for sale
For sale for $1.58-$1.68m
![AFL big names making off season property moves.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1024 768"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The De Koning family house is for sale.
A Safety Beach house where two of the AFL’s leading names were raised is still waiting to be handballed.
Geelong Premiership player and AFL Rising Star nominee Sam De Koning and his 32-game Carlton Football Club brother Tom De Koning are among the 10 siblings brought up at 28 Iluka St since their parents bought the five-bedroom house in 2009.
The pool area where the De Konings grew up.
The house on an 822sq m block includes five bedrooms, three bathrooms, four living rooms, and al fresco spaces to enjoy summer days.
Collingwood champ Dane Swan sells property that Magpies ‘made him buy’
Sold November for $970k
Swanny has sold his first home.
Former Collingwood great Dane Swan toasted to success in the AFL’s off season, after his home went to auction with an $850,000 reserve price, and snared a sale at $970,000.
Swan told the Herald Sun that it was the first home he bought when the club “kicked” him out of living with his mates as a young draftee.
The kitchen and living space that Swan said he hosted many shindigs.
The 2011 Brownlow Medal winner and 2010 AFL premiership star told Property Confidential his entry into the property market came after an ultimatum from the Magpies.
AFLW star Georgie Prespakis sleeps in car to buy a block of land
Bought in February between $328,900-$499,900
AFLW player Georgie Prespakis has bought in the Kimberley estate in Sunbury.
AFLW rising star Georgie Prespakis spent 13 hours camped out in a car as part of a move that has made her a property owner in the “under the radar” suburb of Sunbury.
The 19-year-old was No. 2 draft pick for the league in 2021 and spent 13 hours camped in a carpark after arriving on Friday, ahead of a new housing estate’s 9am Saturday launch.
Images of the Kimberley estate by Villawood, where Prespakis has just bought land in.
Her plan is to build a two-storey house to maximise views from her 350sq m allotment near the top of an escarpment looking over Jackson’s Creek when the title comes through in two years time, and to use the interim period to keep saving.
Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.
MORE: Foreign buyers on track to spend more on Aussie homes than since pandemic
Maggots, poo, 80 bins of rubbish: Landlady’s $30k damage shock
Portaloos reveal where most Victorian tradies are on the job, and looming sector issues
