Champion Southport ruckman Jed Turner opens up about why late teammate Alex Aurrichio was so good

Alex Aurrichio treated every contest like he was in a grand final and had an incredibly ability to lift those around him. It’s why Jed Turner believes the Sharks were able to reach a second straight grand final in 2019.

“IT’S odd to think someone so full of life and made everyone around him better could be gone so quickly.”

Those are the words of two-time NEAFL premiership player Jed Turner, a man qualified more than most to speak about the late Alex Aurrichio, who died in an accident in the Northern Territory on Monday.

The duo played together at Southport Sharks in 2019, with New York’s Aurrichio, an avid student of the game, working directly alongside fellow ruckman Turner at the club.

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The Sharks won the NEAFL premiership in 2018 and while Aurrichio was injured for large parts of 2019, Turner said his presence was a major reason why the club reached a second straight grand final that year.

“He was a little taller than me but a lot stronger,” Turner said of the 198cm Aurrichio.

“He was incredibly athletic and very strong. Whether we were at training or on the deck playing he treated every contest, every play he was involved in like it was a grand final.

Jed Turner celebrating with his Southport teammates after the Sharks Round 21 NEAFL win over Sydney University at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday, August 24, 2019. Picture credit: TJ Yelds/NEAFL.

“He was always striving to be the best the could. He was a handful to play against.

“Rooch was always the hardest worker in the room. From day one he had this God-life physique.

“The bloke was a monster. He threw me around a bit at training.

Late Southport Sharks player Alex Aurrichio. Picture: Jerad Williams

“If he was in the gym doing rehab and needed to do one circuit, he would do three. He was the kind of bloke you would go to battle with.

“If he was doing extras I’do them too because he was there.”

Turner said he was still coming to grips with losing Aurrichio.

“You are never prepared for something like that. It’s tragic.”

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