AFL great Dermott Brereton has revealed his heartache for Cam McCarthy, who died on Thursday, having worked closely with the former Fremantle and GWS player in McCarthy’s time at the Giants.
McCarthy died at the age of 29 on Thursday night, with the football world rocked when the news broke on Friday morning. WA Police will prepare a report for the coroner, with the cause of death unknown.
Tribute was paid to Cam McCarthy by his former club Fremantle on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir revealed some players had been in doubt to feature in Friday night’s 48-point loss to Sydney following the news as the club grappled with grief.
“I got the chance to work with Cam McCarthy for a protracted period of time one-on-one when I was doing work with the Giants. It is not often that you say it, but he was just a beautiful young man,” Brereton said on SEN on Saturday.
“It moved me last night to see Alex Pearce and Nat Fyfe just breaking up. It was tremendously sad. He was just a beautiful young man who lost his way and had some issues internally. So to the McCarthy family and those who survive him, please accept our deepest commiserations.”
Brereton said as a footballer McCarthy had been “superbly brave, heroic, in the air”.
“He was the bravest in the air by far. He didn’t care if his legs would get tucked up in the player in front of him and he’d end up toppling head first. He had a desire to launch at the footy,” he said.
“Looking at it this morning, I hadn’t spoken to Cam for probably two to three years and obviously a lot has transpired in that time. But his number is still in my phone, the same number, and I looked at it, gazed at it, and thought, knowing what has happened, ‘Have we done enough? Have I spoken to him enough?’ Not that I am deep in his life, but he would call me after he left the Giants, and ask me stuff when he was at Fremantle – ‘how do you think I’m doing?’ – so he was astute to the game.”