Shane Mumford opens up on his family’s video pain as comeback trail nears its goal

GWS Giants star Shane Mumford has opened up on the pain his now infamous video has caused for he and his family as he prepares to launch his AFL comeback.

Shane Mumford has come out of AFL retirement for one last crack at his first love.

But it won’t change the fact that fatherhood and family is now his true identity.

When Mumford returned from GWS training last week — his 32-year-old hamstrings screaming — he dutifully trudged from room to room bending down to help 10 month old Theo take his first steps.

The night before that he barely slept a wink either, with eldest son Ollie in his bed and needing his full attention.

GWS Giants players Shane Mumford has completed more pre-season training for his comeback season than he has ever done in his 172-game AFL career. Picture by Damian Shaw

Life is different now for Mumford in his second coming, and it’s a reality he has wholeheartedly embraced.

Which is precisely why the embarrassing release of a five-year-old video of him snorting a white powder, to coincide with his AFL comeback, has so profoundly devastated the renowned Giants’ tough-man.

Mumford can’t help but get emotional when he opens up about how he is resigned to the inevitable fate that his two sons will one day see their father’s moment of stupidity, captured on a phone long before they were born.

“That’s still one of the hardest things. Knowing … f …, I still get choked up talking about it,” says Mumford as he labours on his words.

Shane Mumford plays with his son Ollie (then aged 11 months). Picture: Brett Costello

“Knowing my boys are going to see that video at some point.

“I’m totally embarrassed by it and I’ve put my family through hell.

“My wife, my old man … my old man wanted to kill me. My whole family.

“The worst thing for me was just how do you tell your kids one thing when you’ve gone out and done something completely stupid like that? How do you tell your kids not to go do something when you’ve gone and been a complete moron in the past?

“That’s the hardest thing just knowing that they’re going to see their dad at some point, no matter how many good things come out over the next little bit … it’s always going to be there and it’s something I strongly regret.”

Shane Mumford has worked hard to regain the respect of friends, family and his football club.

Mumford’s anguish is, in itself, a lesson about the life-altering perils of social media.

So too is his commitment to taking full responsibility for his actions and not blaming the betrayal of friends on the Whatsapp group who he trusted had deleted the video years ago.

“There’s no point. I was the one who did the wrong thing so why go hunting for how it got out,” he says.

“The point is I stuffed up and I take full responsibility for it and I’ve got to try and earn back the respect of the football club and everyone around me.

“You want to stop and have a think about what you’re doing. Because once it’s out there it’s out there for good and it’s something you can never get back.

“What I went through should be enough of a wake-up call (for young players) not to be a dick head.

“Don’t put yourself in a silly position where you could be ruining your brand and who you are.”

THE COMEBACK

Mumford’s rough couple of months still can’t erode the pure excitement that coursed through his veins one day in June last year when the GWS coaches first floated with him the extraordinary prospect of a comeback.

Forced to retire at the end of 2017 due to a debilitating foot injury, Mumford moved into a role as Giants’ ruck coach, but by the middle of last year he had regained some of his lost mobility and his competitive streak took over as he started taking a hands-on approach to his mentoring.

Shane Mumford on his way to a win by way of knockout over Kyle Brumby. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

“I was off the side doing some ruck stuff with the guys they were coming out of a drill one at a time, and I basically had to step in and ruck against them,” he recalls.

“I had all three guys one after the other in a five-minute patch and I did quite well against all three and that was the moment. A couple of the coaches were looking over and saying, ‘what do you reckon? Could you go again?’”

ANOTHER DRAMA

Already condemned to serving a two-match club-imposed suspension over the release of the white powder video, Mumford was rocked again just two weeks ago when he was facing another week on the sidelines following an incident in his first trial match against the Sydney Swans.

Media reaction was fierce when footage emerged of Mumford knocking Swans midfielder George Hewett to the ground, and following 72 hours of intense scrutiny, the AFL charged him with an intentional striking offence.

In the end, Mumford beat suspension at the AFL tribunal after Hewett provided a statement confirming that the contact was minimal, and high definition footage proved that the strike was in fact an open palm push not a punch — as was initially reported in some quarters.

Mumford, who was hurt by the blowback, says had he actually intended to punch Hewett the Swan wouldn’t have bounced back up.

“I was just trying to get a bloke off me who had me in a headlock,” says Mumford who is aiming to make his much-anticipated AFL return in round three against Richmond.

“The umpire saw in the first place it was an open handed push and told me to be careful with it which I thought was fair. Yes, the free kick was there but it came as a bit of a shock when it was put out everywhere that Mumford had punched, because anyone that was anywhere near the contest knew it wasn’t actually a punch.

“(The reporting of it) probably didn’t help my case, but it’s what it’s and I certainly won’t be doing it again because I can’t afford to be paying $3000 every time you do something silly.”

ONE MORE TIME

Mumford has completed more pre-season training for his comeback season than he has ever done in his 172-game AFL career.

Although he maintains his retirement “had to happen”, Mumford never lost the mental desire, hence his decision to pursue a second career in boxing — and his hope he can go around again in the AFL in 2020.

The boy from Bunyip is grateful for the opportunity given and the faith shown, and is confident he can make a big impact in the Giants’ quest for premiership glory.

“I love the game,” says Mumford.

“Sitting on the sidelines for 12 months and coaching, yes it’s a great job and I love doing it, but it doesn’t compare to being out there and the atmosphere of playing.

“I just can’t wait.”