The AFL is entering its fashion era as they follow world sports - can the NRL keep up?

Now in his eleventh year in the AFL, the 29-year-old is a seasoned veteran in a sport beloved by half the country - but not necessarily the part he plays for, in Greater Western Sydney.

And while he is an Australian sports star, his status as a dual-citizen with America thanks to his father means he is deeply in touch with the global sporting landscape.

Not only the landscape, but the associated cultural elements, knowing what works for these league’s on the world stage.

Which is why it’s significant when he says that finally, thankfully, the AFL might be slowly starting to catch up to the rest of the world when it comes to sports and fashion.

“NFL players I reckon are some of the most stylish in professional sports,” Himmelberg tells CODE Sports.

“Seeing those guys wearing game day fits and stuff like that just sort of accelerated that and that’s how I got really into it.

“I love that culture and, and the way that they portray their own personal brands through that channel as well.

“The ability to be able to have a personal brand outside of just football is something that I’ve always been pretty passionate about and something that I feel like you need to establish, otherwise it can be a little bit all-consuming.

“So it’s one of my outlets, being able to wear cool stuff and I’ve always been into that sort of stuff.”

Himmelberg has been a big advocate of the AFL and its players leaning further into their stylish side - he even had his wedding recently featured in Vogue - and as of this season it appears that the league has finally taken notice.

The seismic shift occurred before Melbourne’s Round 3 match, as Changkuoth Jiath arrived in a pair of double-layered jeans and a tight black tee, Timberland boots, a beanie, sunglasses, chain, and a Louis Vuitton duffel bag.

Just like that, the AFL’s fashion era had arrived.

Gone were the matching team-issued Melbourne tracksuits, replaced by pieces from the player’s very own wardrobe, a chance to dress-up (or dress down) ahead of each game.

This move was especially significant for stylist Simon Finnegan, who worked during the pre-season with three AFL stars - Isaac Quaynor, Patrick Lipinski and Cody Weightmann - on a ‘Tunnel Fits’ themed shoot that he says was intended to put the league on notice.

“With that shoot, I wanted to show the AFL that if they did let players express themselves and then they let the fashion community also play a hand in that, then very quickly these players can look exactly like the stars over in the States and in Europe,” Finnegan said.

“I picked the three players that I thought were probably the most fashion forward in the league, got in touch with them and put it all together.

“Obviously there’s been a few articles about a few AFL players having good fashion in the grand scheme of things in terms of Australia, but on the global stage, we’re a little bit behind.”

But while the AFL looks set to finally go all in on fashion, the NRL is still a little skittish, a handful of training fit-pics the closest that rugby league fans get to understanding the styles of their top players.

This is something Roosters star Angus Crichton wants to see changed.

“I reckon [NRL pre-game fits] would be sick,” Crichton says.

“I think any way to champion the players and their individual style and give everyone a chance to express themselves, it’s cool for the players to show a bit more of their personality and it’s cool for the fans to be able to connect with players in a different, less serious light.

“It could be cool, but I don’t know if we’ll end up doing it anytime soon. I can’t see the game coming around to it.”

Part of this resistance stems from what Crichton believes could be judgement from within his own ranks, with not all NRL players and fans as welcoming to fashion-forward players.

“At the end of the day, there’s going to be people that are going to judge or laugh or snicker and talk behind your back. But if you’ve got the confidence and you enjoy wearing what you like to wear, you don’t really care what people are saying.”

This echoes the sentiment of former NRL star Lewi Brown, who has gone on to become one of Australia’s top designers and the brains behind the brand EARLS.

“When I played footy, I always dressed differently, and I copped a lot of shit for it,” Brown told CODE Sports in November.

“The silhouettes that I was wearing were cardigans and knits, probably brighter colours than most of the boys.

“It was more about the team [back then], not building your own personal profile.”

But as the NRL chases the AFL’s fashion impact, the AFL in turn continues to chase American sports, leaving the entire Australian sports landscape pushing to keep up with the rest of the world.

“[The AFL is] just starting to get a little bit better,” StreeX’s Daniel Bradshaw tells CODE.

“[The NRL] is just very slow moving. My perception is they’re just a bit stuck in the times. They need to open up and do more.

“[These league’s] should just literally look at what the NFL is doing and replicate it, if not do it better and repurpose it for Australia.”

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Of course, once the league’s buy in, it will only be a matter of time until the players join in

“The reason [pre-game fits] work so well in the NBA is because they are making statements, or at the very least they dress immaculately,” Finnegan says.

“In the NBA, maybe 20 per cent of them might rock up in whatever but the 80 per cent are styled by stylists or already have their own clear fashion directions, so it actually adds something to the pre game.”