Former Sydney Swan Michael O’Loughlin says booing Adam Goodes was a ‘disgrace’

Former Sydney Swan Michael O’Loughlin says the booing controversy surrounding Adam Goodes was a “disgrace” and drove the Brownlow medallist out of the game prematurely.

Former Sydney Swan Michael O’Loughlin says AFL champion Adam Goodes would have played two more seasons but was forced out of the game by the booing controversy.

O’Loughlin, a relative of Goodes, and who played alongside the dual Brownlow winner, told Confidential: “In my opinion, Adam could have played for another two years. But the crowd drove him out of the game, and we’re worse off for that.

“But we’re so much better for having him front of mind. We’re privileged to have him in our lifetime,” O’Loughlin said.

Michael O'Loughlin and Adam Goodes in The Australian Dream

O’Loughlin’s comments come as the Goodes doco, The Australian Dream, has its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Thursday night.

The doco studies Goodes’ upbringing, rise to AFL stardom, then a backlash after he called out a young fan for calling him an “ape” during an indigenous round match at the MCG.

O’Loughlin with Goodes in their playing days. pic. Phil Hillyard

Goodes’ views on indigenous rights while he was Australian of the Year, and negativity over his “war cry” during a game, saw him loudly booed at games until he retired in 2015.

“What he’s been through, what he’s been subjected to, is an absolute disgrace,” O’Loughlin said. “At every turn, there was someone having a crack at him.

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The thing that gave him the most joy was kicking the footy around, and he couldn’t even do that anymore.”

O’Loughlin hopes the film helps “the next generation be proud of who they are, no matter what skin colour they have, or where they’re from.”

Asked if the film might re-trigger the boo squad, O’Loughlin replied: “What do you do?

Do you live in your bubble and not talk about these things? Let’s tackle some broader questions and who we are as a nation.”