Three black-and-white photographs. Nine words framed by doves and a heart.
“Rest up, love you brother. Look after each other.”
And so Geelong great Joel Selwood paid public tribute to his brother Adam on Wednesday night, in an Instagram post, as the heartbroken family mourns following Adam’s death in Perth on Saturday at 41, just three months after the death of his identical twin and fellow former AFL player, Troy Selwood.
The family moments captured in Joel’s tribute include sharing a glass of wine, all four brothers – Adam, Troy, Joel and Scott – in the Geelong rooms after a match, and with Adam at an NFL match.
Adam played 187 games for West Coast, including the 2006 premiership, before retiring from football in 2013.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of Adam earlier today. Words cannot express the grief and sadness we feel,” the Selwood family said in a statement via the AFL on Saturday.
The four Selwood brothers in the Geelong rooms.Credit: Instagram
Troy, who played 75 games for the Brisbane Lions, died in February and was remembered by Adam as a “built-in best mate” at his funeral.
The Selwood family is beloved across clubs and the league, and there has been an outpouring of grief in the AFL and wider football industry.
Sydney coach Dean Cox, who played with Adam in West Coast’s 2006 grand-final winning side, on Wednesday urged the AFL industry to do more to destigmatise mental health issue and spoke of his struggle to comprehend the news.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae broke down in tears in a press conference on Saturday as he offered his support and love to Scott – an assistant coach at the Magpies – and the Selwood family, while Geelong coach Chris Scott said emotions were raw.
“It was a tough weekend – for the Selwood family, for the footy club, and also a lot of us close mates to Adam,” Cox said.
“We spent a lot of time together. [It was] devastating to see that … there were some tough conversations on Saturday you had to have, which you never want to have.”
“Having people talk more about how they are feeling certainly would help. And for men, that’s probably the toughest thing to do. The conversations you have to have, I’ve certainly learned over the short period recently … you might think things are going well, but you don’t actually know.”
Staff reporters, AAP
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