By Son Son.
Grieving Walyalup (Fremantle) players gathered together on Saturday night to mourn and celebrate the life of ex-Docker Cam McCarthy after he passed away on Thursday.
The Dockers bravely played against Sydney on Friday and many were in tears during a tribute to him before the match. Captain Alex Pearce and ex-skipper Nat Fyfe then laid flowers in the goalsquare after the game.
Veteran Michael Walters said the group was sticking together to try to come to terms with McCarthy’s death.
“It was a tough week. The boys caught up on the Saturday night, hung out, had a few yarns, talked about Cam and shared some stories,” Walters said.
“He was a happy kid and someone we really enjoyed having at this football club. It was only right that we spoke about him and had a few laughs too. He gave the players and staff heaps of laughs over his time here.”
Walters said players are being well supported by the club as they returned to training on Monday. He said the tragedy had shown the importance of players being able to rely upon each other for help.
“That’s something we built over this pre-season – the connection amongst each other and getting around each other when things get tough,” he said.
“But also to celebrate the good things together as well. It’s good that we created a real bond at this football club ever since JL has come. It’s not something that can be built overnight.”
Questions have been raised about whether the game against Sydney should have been postponed or cancelled given how little time the players had to grieve.
Walters said they chose to play because it provided them with an opportunity to represent everyone who was hurting and also pay tribute to their friend.
“Cam was a happy kid and football was something he truly loved,” Walters said.
“We just wanted to go out and try to represent him and try to represent the Freo family as much as we can.
“We just wanted to turn (around) a really bad situation and make sure everyone came together. I thought it was important that we did that.”
There is a great photo in the article. Hopefully the link works.
images.thewest.com.au/publication/C-1463...=828&impolicy=wan_v3