Revealed: Why disgraced footy great Wayne Carey is reuniting with Anthony Stevens more than 20 years after his affair with teammate's wife became the AFL's biggest scandal
Footy great Wayne Carey is dramatically set to return to the North Melbourne Football Club, 24 years after his shocking exit.
The Kangaroos are this year celebrating their 100th-year anniversary and will celebrate the landmark occasion at the Marvel Stadium during Round 17's Thursday night clash against the Western Bulldogs.
Plenty of fanfare is expected for the iconic match, with the club also set to welcome back several key faces from years gone by.
According to Channel 7's Caroline Wilson, Carey is now due to return alongside former team-mates Anthony Stevens and Glenn Archer for the match.
Interestingly, the news came six months after the two-time Leigh Matthews winner, Carey, was controversially snubbed by North from a video celebrating their 100-year anniversary.
The Roos forward is seen as one of the greatest players to have played AFL footy, winning seven All-Australian jackets and guiding the North Melbourne club to two premierships in 1996 and 1999.
He also captained the team for eight years between 1993 and 2001.
Despite that, Carey, Stevens and Archer will now all reunite for the landmark celebration.
It comes following Carey's shocking and messy exit from the footy club back in 2001 after his extramarital affair with Steven's wife, Kelli.
The affair left the footy world stunned after they had been caught in a toilet at a house party.
The two-time premiership captain subsequently left the club to join the Crows.
'All three men (Carey, Stevens, Archer) are well aware that they will be there together and united for the first time,' Wilson said on The Agenda Setters.
'There was speculation last year when North unveiled their centenary jumper. And if you remember, there were North champions through the eras and there was no Wayne Carey. And Corey McKernan was very upset about this.'
McKernan took to X, posting: 'FYI North Melbourne, you do know Wayne Carey played for us, don't you?'
Carey had an extramarital affair with Anthony Stevens (right) wife, Kelli (left) back in 2001
North Melbourne great Carey (pictured) subsequently left the footy club after the affair was made public
Wilson then continued: 'In 2022, a year later, they had a 25-year premiership reunion for the '96 flag, and there was an altercation at a pub between Anthony Stevens and Wayne Carey. We know the history there.'
Carey and Stevens allegedly had a heated altercation at a Melbourne Pub back in August 2022.
The pair were understood to have been at Yarraville's Railway Hotel for a 1996 premiership reunion. SEN's Sam Edmund stated that the pair allegedly had to be 'separated'.
SEN reported at the time that witnesses said Carey accused Stevens of 'talking behind his back and telling people he couldn't be contacted and to not bother trying to catch up with him, but then being fine in-person'.
Stevens, who resigned from his role on the club's board last year, did not attend the official celebrations the following day after the exchange.
'I don't think it was physical, but it was not nice,' Wilson said, reflecting on their spat in the pub.
'And when there was a motorcade the next day at Marvel Stadium, Anthony Stevens wasn't there and Wayne Carey was.
'So the club has worked really hard to get all these guys within the fold. And clearly you can't celebrate your 100th anniversary without Wayne Carey being there.'
Carey has interestingly been back at the footy club in recent months having also been seen at training
Interestingly, Wilson added that Carey had been returning to some training sessions at the club in recent months.
'I think it's been a slow and steady overture. He would say he was never banned from the club, but at times, probably didn't feel all that welcome,' she added.
Carey and Stevens' pair had also clashed on the field after the former's exit. Stevens was understood to have told Carey to 'stick it' at the time.
'It's the one thing he has never done,' Stevens said, when asked by Mike Sheahan in 2015 if Carey has apologised.
'He has never actually gone out of his way to say sorry for whatever reason.'
Carey did go on to apologise eventually, 14 years after the event.
He also spoke again on his apology to Stevens in 2022 during an episode of SAS Australia.
'It's haunted me for over 20 years. I was in self-destruction mode. You know, I guess my life started to unravel,' he said. While the affair was going on, Carey was married to Sally McMahon and had even invited Stevens to be a groomsman at his wedding.
Footy great Luke Hodge, meanwhile, added that he was delighted to see Carey being welcomed back by the club.
'Couldn't agree more,' Hodge said. 'This is just as much about the supporters who grew up watching the captain of their football team.
'He captained two premierships and for him not to be at the 100-year celebration. I think a lot of supporters would walk away upset about that, because he was such a big part of them throughout the 90s.
'He was the face of the AFL. Some have touted him as the best player that they've ever seen play the game.'
'All clubs have disagreements, but the club's bigger than anyone, and that's me, the celebration is about the players and it's about the supporters.
'They've had some tough times over the years to go back and put a smile on their face, from the '96, from the '99. I think that will pass the argument. And what happened then? For the bigger part of the club.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
41 minutes ago
- BBC News
Five talking points from the Lions' loss to Argentina
Prior to losing 28-24 to Argentina in Dublin on Friday night, no British and Irish Lions had lost their opening tour game since though, will have faced opposition as strong and as on song as the Pumas. Despite quickly giving all credit to the victors in the immediate aftermath, head coach Andy Farrell's attention will quickly turn to what needs to improve before his side's first game on Australian soil against Western Force on 28 June. Scratch side still building connections There was no competition for word of the day at the Lions media briefing on Wednesday - "cohesion" was clearly the focus. Given how clunky these affairs have been in the recent past, and that this represented a first hit for what is a brand new side, it was fair to assume clicking quickly would be a challenge. Two-time Lion Tadhg Beirne, for one, seemed a bit perplexed by such a notion however, reminding that we were talking about "world class" players. Across their first 80 minutes together, the Lions attack felt like it should be judged in two different facets - ambition and execution. In terms of the former, their shape was strong and they created plenty of opportunities through sharp it came to the latter, however, they were lacking. Offloads that went to ground or straight into Argentine hands were one serious issue, as were passes just a beat off the runner. While there was the bones of an encouraging display with ball in hand, Farrell will clearly demand his side are sharper once they hit Australian shores. "The whole story of the game is that we compounded too many errors and in the end weren't able to put the pace on the game that we wanted to because of that," said the irked head coach afterwards. Scrum dominant but line-out falters There is a natural inclination to look at attacking combinations when the Lions first come together, but Friday's defeat again offered the reminder of the difficulties of quickly gelling a collection of great individuals into a Test-ready unit at the set-piece. While there were errors aplenty with the ball, perhaps the most concerning element of the performance was the line-out. The Lions had 18 throws from touch and were turned over four times, a statistic that was all the more disappointing given that the maul did make headway when they got it right."I think we were just finding our rhythm, unfortunately we couldn't get it quite as smooth as we wanted but we'll definitely get better," said skipper Maro Itoje."We'll review, we'll learn the lessons and we'll get better."I think as we improve our relationships, as we spend more and more time together training and understanding each other's triggers, that will come."The scrum was a different story. In what Farrell called an "aggressive" performance at the set-piece, the front row were able to eke out a string of props Ellis Genge and Finlay Bealham, the latter only added to the squad after Zander Fagerson's injury, certainly made early cases for big roles on this tour. Loss of aerial battle will catch Schmidt's eye When Joe Schmidt was coach of Ireland between 2013 and 2019, a huge part of his success was built upon an ability to zero in and ruthlessly exploit an opponent's events in Dublin, the Australia head coach will surely have taken note of the Lions' struggles defensively and under the high ball in their back-three. There were times when those on the outside were left in unenviable positions out wide, but too many tackles did not stick and Argentina definitely got the better of things when putting boot to ball. Some of the more athletic backs at Schmidt's disposal would surely fancy their chances in an aerial battle should the Lions not improve in that area before the Test series. When things did get scrappy after spilled kicks, Farrell seemed especially frustrated by his side's inability to win loose balls. "What is disappointing is scraps on the floor from that type of battle always seem to go to Argentina," he said. "There's a bit of fight and hunger from them that we can't accept." Fresh faces can provide boost in Australia When it came to how those involved had helped or hampered their Test prospects, Farrell said: "Some people will be happy and obviously others won't and will be dying to get another chance out there." When that chance comes for those who failed to impress is anyone's was hardly ideal that the schedule for this tour left the Lions without the vast majority of those involved in the United Rugby Championship and Premiership finals, as well as Toulouse's Blair though, on the back of a defeat, Farrell has ample opportunity to freshen things up against Western Force with a host of players ready to see their first action of the trip. The likes of James Lowe and Hugo Keenan would be expected to improve things under the high ball in particular, while both Garry Ringrose and Huw Jones would appear to be more natural fits in the outside centre role. After Fin Smith's strong showing in the 10 jersey, it will be fascinating to see how Bath's Finn Russell goes in his first outing of the tour too. 'Sea of Red' on show in Dublin While this was not a Lions Test in name, it certainly felt like one in terms of the occasion. "Spectacular," was Maro Itoje's summary. A huge percentage of the 51,700 crowd seemed to be at the Aviva Stadium early and it was striking to see so many red jerseys milling around the streets in the hours before kick-off. When you think back to the South Africa trip four years ago, played in virtually empty stadiums due to Covid-19 restrictions, Friday offered a reminder of how big a part the travelling supporters will play when this tour lands in Australia. "I don't think the fans fully understand how much it means to us," said centre Bundee Aki, who was on that South Africa tour four years ago."I got goosebumps when I saw the sea of red. [It was] unbelievable compared to what we had the last time. "
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Teenager Konstas not out to prove himself ahead of West Indies return
June 21 (Reuters) - Teenage batter Sam Konstas has vowed to take a more conventional approach than in his early test appearances for Australia after earning a recall to the team that will face the West Indies in the two nations' first test in Bridgetown from Wednesday. The 19-year-old has been drafted into the side to replace opener Marnus Labuschagne, having made headlines with his outlandish shot selection and rapid scoring during his debut against India in Melbourne in the Boxing Day test. "I still can't believe it," Konstas told Australian media when asked about his swashbuckling introduction to test cricket. "I don't know what was going through my mind at that time. I thought it was right in the moment. It was good fun. "The emotions probably got to me with the crowd. It was good reflecting and having a bit of time off, trying to strengthen my game. Hopefully we get to win the next test match. "I feel like I trust people that I work with and they understand my game. I'm not trying to prove to anyone how I'm going to play. I just want to be myself and obviously understand when to take the game on." Konstas hit 60 runs in his debut innings and kept his place for the following test in Sydney as the Australians wrapped up a 3-1 series win over Virat Kohli and company. He was included in the squad that travelled for a two-test series against Sri Lanka later in January, but was not selected for either match. Konstas has earned a recall for the three-test series in the Caribbean due to Labuschagne's struggles with the bat, while Josh Inglis has also been recalled as a result of a finger injury sustained by Steve Smith. "Obviously, it's a tough team to crack and (they have) got legends of the game in that team," Konstas said. "Very excited for the opportunity, and hopefully I can grab it with both hands. "I've been training really hard and I understand the reasons why they picked (other players in recent tests). "I'm just trying to be in the present moment, trying to focus on a few key areas with my batting coach, and feel like I've come a long way. Hopefully, I can display that in the next few test matches. "It's a dream come true, to be honest. Nineteen years old, playing for your country, travelling the world, getting to experience different cultures and against the best players as well. I'm lucky to be where I am."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Drama in Darwin as V8 Supercars is marred by TWO crashes just 15 seconds into the race
Broc Feeney has extended his lead at the top of the Supercars standings, holding onto pole position to win a crash-filled first race of the Darwin Triple Crown. The Triple Eight speedster's third consecutive win opened up his championship gap over teammate Will Brown to 107 points, keeping his cool despite the chaos unfolding behind him on Saturday. Feeney held off Tickford's Cam Waters at the opening turn and remained in front until the end. Waters opted to change all four tyres in his compulsory pit stop, sacrificing time off the track in the hope his fresher tyres would give him a speed boost to haul down Feeney later in the race. While he closed the gap to 1.7 seconds, it was not enough to haul down the 22-year-old, even with a clutch issue hampering his drive. 'It was super stressful. I didn't know how it was going to go,' he told Fox Sports. 'But it was awesome fun. Cam chasing me down, it was super hard out there. Hot, stressing, I had lots of stuff going in my head. 'I bloody love coming to Darwin, so stoked to win here.' It's Feeney's fourth race win at the venue, having won both races in 2024. It took just one turn for the first big shunt of the race to bring out the safety car. Wheel contact from James Golding fired Jaxon Evans into the barrier at the exit of turn one at high speed, dislodging his front left wheel and ruling his car out of the rest of the day's action. Thankfully, Evans walked away from the incident unscathed, except for a slightly sore foot. There was more drama straight off the restart. The grid was pinched together as drivers jostled for position on the 1.1km-long straight; at one point cars were five-wide as braking ahead squeezed the available space on the track. ABSOLUTE CHAOS ON THE SAFETY CAR RESTART! We're under control of the bp Ultimate Safety Car once more! #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) June 21, 2025 Broc Feeney escaped the carnage to claim victory in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro Contact amid the cramped conditions sent Jack Le Broq into the wall, losing his front-left wheel, and seconds later a tangle between Nick Percat and Richie Stanaway on turn five left the PremiAir Racing man with heavy damage. Meanwhile, Ryan Wood's Ford Mustang lost power and emerged immobile out of the chaos. Walkinshaw Andretti United later revealed his car had suffered engine failure and was in doubt to start in race 18. We had to wait until lap 12 for the first green lap of the race. Off the second restart, Brodie Kostecki bumped past Matt Payne on the inside of turn one to move into third position and was handed a five-second penalty as a result. Payne eventually finished in third, while Brown managed to close six spots to finish in eighth after failing to make the top 10 earlier for both races. Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing four seconds behind Payne in fourth. Feeney will start from pole position again in the second 120km race of the day, which kicks off at 3.40pm (AEST).
