For Dyson Heppell, dyson heppell is no longer only about red and black on Anzac Day. This year, the former Essendon captain approaches one of football’s most recognisable fixtures from a different side of the rivalry, after moving into Collingwood’s development program earlier in 2025. The change is striking not because the occasion has lost meaning, but because his role in it has changed completely. Heppell’s story now sits at the intersection of memory, loyalty and reinvention, with Anzac Day becoming less about where he once stood and more about what he now helps build.
Why this Anzac Day feels different
Heppell’s connection to the day is unusually deep. He played in 12 Anzac Day matches in Essendon colours and captained the Bombers in five of them. His final appearance in the fixture came in the 2024 draw, a match remembered for the silence after the siren and the respect shown during the last post. That history gives his present role real weight, because this is not a symbolic shift. It is a practical one: he now spends his week working with nearly every player who will run out for Collingwood, and the same game that once defined his Essendon years now carries a new professional purpose. dyson heppell has become part of the Magpies’ preparation rather than their opponent on the day.
The meaning behind the move to Collingwood
The move into Collingwood’s coaching staff came after Heppell retired from the AFL at the end of 2024. He had wanted time away from football before returning to the game in a development role that offered flexibility and room to pursue other interests outside football. That matters because it explains the shape of the decision: this was not a rush back into the industry, but a carefully timed return on his own terms. Heppell said the role suited things he cared about and gave him a chance to explore a new environment. In that sense, dyson heppell reflects a broader modern career path for retired players, where football remains central but no longer all-consuming.
The new chapter also shows how clubs now use development roles beyond the headline of senior coaching. Heppell works mainly with first-to-fourth-year players, but he has also spent time with Bobby Hill and the rehab group. That range suggests the job is as much about connection and daily standards as it is about tactics. Collingwood coach Craig McRae has described Heppell as energetic and infectious, saying players gravitate toward him and value his presence around the building. For a retired captain from a rival club, that level of acceptance is notable, and it helps explain why his transition has been seen inside the club as unusually smooth.
What Anzac Day has meant across his career
Heppell’s reflections on the occasion point to how much the day can reshape a player’s understanding over time. He said he did not fully grasp the meaning of Anzac Day when he first entered the league, but his appreciation grew as his career progressed. One memory stayed with him: standing during the minute’s silence and hearing what he described as 100, 000 people dead silent, with even a baby cry audible from the top tier. That detail matters because it captures the scale of the atmosphere without overstating it. The emotional power of the day, for Heppell, came not from rivalry alone but from the collective pause around it. It is part of why dyson heppell remains closely associated with the fixture even now, despite no longer playing in it.
His comments also underline a rare continuity between the old and the new. The colours have changed, but the meaning attached to the day has not. Heppell framed Anzac Day as a chance to show respect for those who fought and fell for Australia, which places his current role in a broader context than club allegiance. That context is important now because he is no longer preparing as a player, but still helping shape the same contest from within the opposition’s football structure.
Expert perspectives and the wider impact
Collingwood under-19s and Vietnam War veteran Barry Bermingham addressed the playing group before the 31st Anzac Day clash, adding another layer of remembrance to the occasion. His involvement reinforces that the day is built on more than football narrative; it is framed by service, history and collective respect. Heppell’s perspective aligns with that broader purpose, but also reveals how elite sport can absorb and repurpose experience after retirement.
There is also a wider football implication. A player with 253 games and deep Anzac Day history now contributes in a development role that touches almost every part of a senior list’s weekly preparation. That kind of influence may be less visible than match-day coaching, but it can matter just as much over time. The shift also highlights how clubs increasingly value former players not just for what they did on field, but for how they can guide younger groups through training, recovery and daily standards.
In that sense, dyson heppell is part of a larger story about adaptation. Anzac Day still carries the same weight, but his role in it now runs through coaching, mentoring and memory rather than the final siren. The question is no longer what the day meant to him as a captain, but how much his next chapter can influence those experiencing it for the first time.
