Kangaroos stars were spotted wiping away tears during a pre-match tribute to Liam Hampson at the Rugby League World Cup on Saturday morning.
Tournament officials organised a moving tribute for Hampson which was shown on the big screen during a moment of silence at the Coventry Building Society Arena before the national anthems were played.
It was an emotional moment for the Aussie players with several of the NRL stars having personally known Hampson, who tragically died this week in a Barcelona nightclub.
Kangaroos forward Pat Carrigan was friends with Hampson, who played with the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Rugby League.
A group of NRL players holidaying with Hampson in Europe, including AJ Brimson, Jordan Riki and Jesse Arthurs, had attended the Sala Apolo nightclub on Tuesday night together before they lost contact with Hampson at around 5.30am in the morning.
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After he had been missing for 30 hours, his lifeless body was discovered by employees on one of the floors of the nightclub.
His final moments were revealed in chilling CCTV footage. Local police have confirmed the security footage recorded the entire route the 24-year-old took leading up to the tragic accident.
The footage shows Hampson fell through a 10-metre hole.
Kangaroos players only learned of the news when they arrived in Coventry ahead of their clash with Scotland on Saturday morning.
The Kangaroos thrashed Scotland 84-0.
It was an emotional scene as players showed their respects on the field before the game.
Panthers star Isaah Yeo was spotted during the live TV broadcast wiping away a tear as the moment of silence concluded. The TV broadcast did not show Carrigan’s face during the spectacle.
However, the Broncos star was spotted with the simple message of “Hampo” written on the strapping that was wrapped around his wrist.
The Kangaroos wore black armbands in Hampson’s honour.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga said before the match he had no doubt Carrigan would make Hampson proud when he stepped onto the field. He was selected in a starting position at lock.
“He is comfortable with that (playing at the moment),” Meninga said.
“We are still 24 hours away so we will see how it pans out. “Everyone needs time to grieve, sometimes you just jump back on the bike and keep going – that is a way of handling it as well.
“At some stage all his close friends, particularly over here, will be grieving. We will support them as best we can.
“Being so far away from home is the thing too.”
Meninga said the Hampson family were in the Kangaroos’ thoughts.
“We’re very much behind them all and in the back of our minds we will be playing for them tomorrow,” he said.
Several players have shared a link to a GoFundMe page and said any donations would help Hampson’s family bring his body home to Australia.
