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Fremantle captain Alex Pearce and his predecessor Nat Fyfe paid their last respects to their ex AFL teammate Cam McCarthy, who sadly passed away on Thursday aged just 29.
Paramedics found the former Fremantle and GWS forward unresponsive at a house believed to belong to his parents in Coogee Lake in Perth’s south on Thursday evening. His death is not being treated as suspicious by police.
WATCH ABOVE: Nat Fife and Alex Pearce lay flowers for Cam McCarthy.
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Ahead of Fremantle’s match with Sydney on Friday night, players from each team held hands as the crowd stood in unison to observe a minute’s silence in memory of McCarthy, who played 49 games for the Dockers and 21 for the Giants.
Almost certainly affected by the emotion of the tragedy, the Dockers failed to continue their form from the start of the season, falling behind the league leaders Swans by 48 points at Perth Stadium.
Both Fyfe and Pearce were in tears during the pre-game tributes, and although they couldn’t get the win for their partner, they still took some time out after the game to leave a memory of McCarthy.
Flowers should have been handed out by Fremantle players to mothers around, given Mother’s Day is on Sunday, if the Dockers had won.
That didn’t happen after the loss, but the two Dockers veterans found another use for them.
The two went down together to the door from which McCarthy had led so many times to lay flowers in his honor.
“A touching tribute from former and current captain, Nat Fyfe and Alex Pearce,” former Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich said.
“(They) played a lot of footy and spent a lot of time with Cam McCarthy, both during his career and after.
“You can see what an emotional night it was for the players who played, but everyone in the stadium and everyone part of the GWS Giants and Fremantle football clubs.”
Adam Papalia said the terrible news would be heavy baggage for the Dockers players to take into the game.
“Tough night for the Fremantle Football Club to have to go to work after something like this,” he said.
“It would have been really shocking news for all the players this morning.”
Pavlic said there was a core group of senior Fremantle players who were still quite close to McCarthy despite his departure from the club in 2020.
“I think it would have been incredibly challenging, especially for those who were close to Cam. I know Alex in particular kept in touch and was only recently with him,” Pavlich said.
“It would have been very difficult for these players. For some others it would be quite simple simply because they don’t know it.
“But when your club leaders are emotional or have that influence on them, it can permeate the whole group.
“In terms of effort, their effort was pretty strong all night, the Dockers. He may have dropped out in the last quarter when the game was surely up.
“But it all comes down to being able to handle that emotion and apply their skills, and they couldn’t do that tonight; Sydney showed them a clean pair in terms of using the ball, in terms of spreading from a stoppage and that’s why they’re a happy team tonight.”
Swans midfielder Chad Warner said after the game that the pre-match celebration was “very special”.
“It’s obviously such a tragedy and all (our) thoughts and prayers (are) with their family,” he said.
“I think that stadium being completely dark and everyone giving him a standing ovation was just a special moment.”
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