Latest news with #LachieWhitfield
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Callan Ward turning heartbreak into inspiration sums up all that is wonderful about AFL
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon would have to rank among the most wooden media performers I have seen or heard. Many in the industry speak highly of him and his ability to distil and diffuse, the sort of operator every leader wants by their side. But he is no frontman. Last week, he did the radio rounds justifying the latest executive shakeup. As always, it sounded like he was reading off well-thumbed, suggested speaking notes. Look, he droned; crowds, ratings and revenue are all up – we're doing so much right! It was an AI response to a very human sport. The best of Australian rules football can't be explained in media releases, or in org charts, or in SEN Fireball Friday hot takes. The best of this sport can be found at the grassroots level, or on hall of fame night, or in thousands of little moments around the country each weekend. One of those occurred late on Saturday afternoon, in front of bugger all people, in a part of the country where footy hasn't yet taken hold. The best of the sport was probably the worst moment of Callan Ward's career. The GWS Giants inaugural co-captain lay on a massage table, sobbing. Lachie Whitfield, a teammate of 13 years, crouched down to Ward's level, hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek. Sentimental slop, you may say, and it is to a degree. But in an industry of grind and grift, it was a tender, human moment that said a lot about both the injured player and his club. When Ward first went to Greater Western Sydney, some saw him as a traitor. He had grown up in Melbourne's inner west, the son of a man who played VFA for Yarraville and the grandson of a former South Melbourne captain. He was booed by Western Bulldogs supporters when he was still playing for them. The Herald Sun devoted its front page to the story, under the headline 'Money Rules', with a photo of Ward's mother Kerri and his three sisters holding a framed photo of their brother in action for the Bulldogs. Don't blame Callan, his mum said. Blame the AFL. 'The days of the one-club player are really dying out, particularly when you have clubs being set up like this where they come along and offer ludicrous amounts of money to play football.' Inspirational. Despite his injury, Cal Ward fires up his team before the final term.#AFLGiantsTigers But Ward was no cheque collector, no mercenary and no flight risk. There was a swagger, a competitiveness and a camaraderie at the Giants that was distinct from what the Gold Coast cultivated. No one personified that refusal to yield more than Ward. Even when they were being trounced by 20 goals, they'd be mouthing off, putting their heads over the ball, and rallying around one another. Yes, plenty of players left to return to their home state, but they never had the player drain of the Suns, especially among their leaders. There were a lot of flashy, preternaturally talented players on that list. But Ward was a proper footballer. He didn't do many interviews, didn't rant or rave, and was a completely different personality to his co-captain Phil Davis. But he was the sort of leader people were drawn to and rallied around. He was rarely out of the top half dozen players. He was a reliable big game performer. He excelled in the often brutal Sydney derbies. But there was more to his game than a headfirst bulldozer. Martial artists often speak of 'heavy hips and light feet' and Ward had the ability to get down low, to evenly distribute his weight over the ball, and accelerate out of a stoppage. Ward has had some rotten luck. He played in five losing preliminary finals, and several of them could have gone either way. In the 2016 preliminary final, one of the best games of this era, his head collided with Zaine Cordy's knee and he was left twitching on the turf. He wrecked his knee early in the 2019 season, the only year the Giants have played off in a grand final. Late in last year's qualifying final, another classic, he charged through a stoppage, split a pair of Swans and banana kicked a goal to put them up by two majors. But the Giants lost that game and coughed up a seven-goal lead to eventual premiers Brisbane a week later, putting Ward's retirement plans on hold. He's been a remote footballer this year, living in separate states to his wife and his three gloriously named sons, Romeo, Ralfie, and Rex. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion There have been better and more talented footballers than Callan Ward. There have been footballers with more accolades, blazers, votes and medallions. There have been footballers who racked up bigger numbers, who looked better on a stats sheet. But there aren't many footballers who've been more admired, or meant more to a single club. His injury and his three-quarter time address summed up everything that is hard and wonderful and meaningful about the sport. They were moments where football spoke for itself, where nothing needed to be defended, or sold, or spun.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Callan Ward image breaks AFL hearts as fans pray for a miracle
Callan Ward's AFL career could potentially be over after the veteran hobbled from the ground in emotional scenes. The 35-year-old fell to the turf in agony clutching at his right knee after being shoved aside by Richmond's Hugo Ralphsmith. Ward remained down on the turf as the medical staff rushed to his side with the contest brought to a standstill. The 326-game star appeared to know his fate as he clutched his knee before being helped back to his feet and slowly making his way off the ground. 'It doesn't look good at all,' Mark Howard said on Fox Footy. The cameras then panned back to Ward who was laying on a trainers table as teammate Lachie Whitfield came over to give him a hug. 'Very emotional scenes down here guys, Lachie Whitfield giving him a hug … I think he knows,' Cameron Mooney said. 'He's pretty devastated down here at the moment. His family have already moved back to Melbourne so I think this was going to be his last year. 'Hopefully this isn't the way he goes out.' Leigh Montagna added: 'Hopefully it isn't the last time we see Callan Ward on a football field.' The heartbreaking scenes left fans across the football community hoping for a miracle that it wasn't the last time they'd see Ward out on the field. Mark Stevens wrote on X: 'Cal Ward a legend. Hoping for a miracle.' Another added: 'F***, heartbreaking to see Cal Ward like that.' A third wrote: 'That's heartbreaking for Cal Ward. Deserved to end a stellar career on his own terms.' A fourth posted: 'F*** that is shattering for Cal Ward. Tough scenes to watch there.' Giants coach Adam Kingsley was asked about the emotional scenes following the quarter time break. 'I haven't spoken to him yet, but it looks like a knee so that's really disappointing.' In the wake of losing Ward, the Giants were overran by the Tigers in the first term as the underdogs ran riot. Richmond slammed home six goals to two as they took a 28-point lead into the first break as they look to secure their fifth win of the season.
