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De Koning's men first played two years ago, and this was their fourth meeting overall, but Sam is usually deployed in a key defensive position.
Tom, on the other hand, is spending an increasing amount of his time in the ruck these days, after bouncing between the forward line and the ruck previously, in what is shaping up to be a breakout season.
Tonight, with Rhys Stanley's knee injury ruling him out of the Geelong squad, Cats coach Chris Scott entrusted Sam to face his in-form brother for most of the evening.
Scott insists that it was pure coincidence that it meant facing his brother, revealing that it was mostly about trying to ignite Sam's best form.
Tom de Koning.Credit: Getty Images
“I'm not denying that there's good theater out there,” Scott said. “A neutral observer would think that [Tom]He's better placed to win that position than the guy who hasn't played much in the ruck.
“[But] it's a bit of an investment in the future for us, and it's also an investment in Sam. We have to get him up and play his best football, and we thought it was the best thing to help him.”
Tom, on the other hand, relished the opportunity to take on Sam in what he guessed was about 60 ruck contests throughout the game.
“Being able to line up with my brother on the first bounce from downtown was really fun. I wasn't expecting it, to be honest,” he said.
“He was very calm all week. I was trying to get a bit out of him but he didn't give me anything so I had a bit of a feeling but it was really fun, it was a good battle and I I'm glad I was able to get through this time.”
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Sam fought back well after Tom's early physical dominance over him, but Carlton's rising star took the honours, helping the Blues win clearances (50-39) and contested possession (151-140).
Tom finished with 25 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 34 hits, 10 involvements, seven disposals, six tackles and 1.1 in another great performance.
The final numbers were also pretty good for Sam: 20 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 20 hits, five tackles, four clearances and a goal.
The goal came from a free kick against Tom, who tried to put his brother on a poster. They surely kept the 15 family members in attendance, and everyone else watching, entertained throughout the night.
“I ended up giving him a goal, and he enjoyed it,” Tom said. “He said, 'You guys just tried to take the mark of the year away from me,' and I said, 'Yeah, I'll give it to you.' It was fun, but I had to go for it.”
Carlton coach Michael Voss also saw the funny side of the De Koning brothers' interactions, but was thrilled with how far Tom has come with his football.
“He has definitely taken his game to another level. He's also taken his training to a whole different level,” Voss said. “It's not complicated where he's been, but he's definitely persevered and is reaping great rewards right now.”
Tom and Sam shook hands after the final siren, leaving their season book in one, and quickly went back to being just brothers who loved surfing the shore.
It's there that they escape the demands and attention of a game that looks set to launch them both into stardom.
“As children we spent a lot of time on the surf coast and then also on the peninsula, where we grew up. We love surfing,” said Tom. “To be honest, me and Sam now, we don't really talk about footy. It's more about life off the field, and I love going down to the surf coast.
“I always stay at his house and we get in the water, and it's our way of getting away from the footy for a bit. He loves to get away from it and then come back and shut himself up, and so do I.” .
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