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$28k on Uber Eats in one year: Stephenson’s shock diet while at Magpies
Lachlan Geleit • May 1st, 2025 10:58 am
Former Collingwood and North Melbourne forward Jaidyn Stephenson was famous for his dietary habits during his time at the top level.
In his rookie year of 2018, Stephenson revealed that he’d eat 95 Weet-Bix a week drowned in full cream milk, but that certainly wasn’t the only thing he was consuming that Collingwood’s dietitian might not have been thrilled with.
Speaking on The Watch with Ben Gibson, Stephenson revealed that he spent a whopping $28,000 on Uber Eats that same year and only would have cooked for himself on a couple of occasions.
Clearly, it didn’t affect him much on-field though as he’d win the Rising Star award after kicking 38 goals from 26 games as the Magpies made the 2018 Grand Final.
“It’s challenging I suppose. In my first year in the AFL system, I spent $28,000 on Uber Eats,” Stephenson said.
“I lived with Jack Madgen and his girlfriend, who is his wife now, and they’d have their chicken and veggies every night. They were six years older than me, and they understood how life worked.
“I think I cooked twice the whole year. I would order Uber Eats for lunch or dinner, whenever I needed to.
“Luckily the club cooked us food for breakfast and lunch, but everything else was Uber Eats or going out for dinners.
“It’s hard, it’s challenging and it’s something there probably isn’t enough education on.”
While Stephenson admits he could have more money in his bank account if he made smarter financial decisions early in his career, it’s not something he looks back on with regret.
“It’s a lesson along the way,” Stephenson said.
“Jeez, I had a good time. I could probably have a bit more money than I do, but I wouldn’t have the same experiences.
“You can always make more money.”
After that whirlwind first year, Stephenson would play two more years with Collingwood before being traded to North Melbourne where he’d feature 68 times over four years.
He the retired with a year left on his contract at the end of the 2024 season.
While Stephenson’s decision to retire at 25 while contracted raised plenty of eyebrows, the speedy forward says he could have called it quits much sooner before knowing his time was definitely up before the end of last season.
“Probably three years ago, to be honest,” Stephenson said.
“I would have done it a lot sooner, but I obviously had my family, my friends and my partner and they all enjoyed watching me play. It was a cool outing for them to watch their son play at the MCG or Marvel Stadium.
“I sort of stuck it out for them, I just couldn’t do it anymore last year. I had fallen out of love with the game, but I really enjoyed playing in the twos in the VFL when the scrutiny was off a bit.
“I thought if this is what VFL is like, imagine what playing at Ferntree Gully is going to be like, it’s just going to be very relaxed, and I’ll feel a lot better about myself.
“Probably before the season’s end, I knew that was going to be it.”
Stephenson is now playing in the Eastern Football League for Ferntree Gully. The 26-year-old had a ridiculous 54 disposals and eight clearances in their Round 2 win over Upper Ferntree Gully.
The former Magpie and Roo isn't the only ex-AFL player who may have overspent on Uber Eats, with Carlton great Brendan Fevola admitting to spending $36,000 in one year. Although, Fevola was long retired at the time.
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