By Peter Ryan and Paddy Sweeney
Former teammates of Fremantle and GWS player Cam McCarthy will play with heavy hearts this weekend as they mourn the tragic death of the key forward at the age of 29.
Police in WA confirmed on Friday that McCarthy was found at a home in Perth on Thursday evening, and that his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Former Docker teammate and now Collingwood forward Lachie Schultz described McCarthy as “the light in every room” as players from clubs across the competition came to grips with the news.
Former Fremantle and GWS player Cam McCarthy.Credit: AFL Photos
McCarthy played alongside seven Giants players who remain on the club’s list from his first season in 2014, including veteran Callan Ward, who celebrates his 300th game on Saturday against Essendon at Marvel Stadium. He also played with GWS forward Jesse Hogan when both were at the Dockers.
Fremantle and Sydney wore black armbands and paid tribute to McCarthy before Friday night’s clash at Optus Stadium, with 11 players in the Dockers’ team who were on their list alongside McCarthy in his final season in 2020.
A WA Police statement on Friday said: “About 6.15pm yesterday, Thursday 9 May 2024, emergency services were called to an address in Lake Coogee. Upon arrival, it was confirmed a 29-year-old male was deceased.
“The death is being treated as non-suspicious.
“A report will be prepared for the coroner.”
The news has rocked the football world with McCarthy the third former Docker to die in the past six years before reaching the age of 30. His cause of death remains unclear.
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon offered his condolences on behalf of the AFL, and said the league’s “deepest sympathies and thoughts are with the entire McCarthy family and Cam’s loved ones and friends, along with his former teammates from both Fremantle and GWS”.
Drafted at pick No.14 in the 2013 national draft, the West Australian played 70 matches and kicked 99 goals before being delisted by the Dockers at the end of 2020.
He spent two seasons at the Giants before leaving the club ahead of the 2016 season after 21 games due to homesickness, having attempted to be traded back to Fremantle in the previous trade period.
Giants CEO Dave Matthews said in a statement that the news had impacted all who knew McCarthy from his time at the club as he extended his sympathy to McCarthy’s family and friends.
“Cam had great energy and was a much-loved member of our club for the seasons he was here. He was very popular and a bright footballing talent,” Matthews said.
He stood back from football in 2016 before being traded to the Dockers at the end of that season, and he played 49 games as a key forward for the club in the next four years. He had grown up a Dockers fan and was born on the day of the club’s first AFL game.
Cam McCarthy in his AFL draft year.Credit: Tony Ashby
His time at the Dockers ended just before the completion of the 2020 season, when he was told he would not have his contract extended.
McCarthy was diagnosed with epilepsy after collapsing at Dockers’ training midway through that season.
The talented forward won the Dockers’ goalkicking in 2017 with 25 goals and showed his talent as a marking forward who was an accurate kick.
Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick said in a statement that McCarthy’s death was tragic.
“Cam was a kind and easy-going person at the club, and he was someone who had a habit of making people smile and laugh. His talent was undeniable, and he loved his footy,” Garlick said.
McCarthy was coached by Leon Cameron, Lyon and Justin Longmuir during his career, with David Hale coaching him in one game as an interim coach. Hale paid tribute on social media site X, writing “loved how you could always make me laugh mate.”
McCarthy struggled to meet the demands of a professional career in the AFL, and played two more seasons with South Fremantle in the WAFL, having been part of the club’s zone as a South Coogee junior.
He lost his driver’s licence for 10 months in June last year, when police charged him with driving with a blood-alcohol reading of 0.414.
Cam McCarthy in his playing days with the Giants.Credit: Getty Images
South Fremantle said in a statement that they were deeply saddened by his death.
“Cam is remembered as not just a prodigious football talent but as a popular, compassionate and caring person who had time for everyone at our club. He will be dearly missed.”
McCarthy is the third player from the Dockers’ 2017 list to have died since leaving the club. Shane Yarran died in 2018 and Harley Balic in 2022.
Former Melbourne and Dockers player Colin Sylvia also died in a car accident in 2018 having been with the club in 2014 after joining as a free agent. Sylvia retired from the AFL early in 2015.
The AFL PlayersAssociation has offered services and support to McCarthy’s family, his former teammates, and the Dockers and Giants.
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