AFL round 9: Dermott Brereton congratulates Majak Daw ahead of return

AFL great Dermott Brereton fought back tears while congratulating North Melbourne’s Majak Daw ahead of his fairytale return.

AFL great Dermott Brereton delivered some emotional words of respect ahead of North Melbourne star Majak Daw’s fairytale comeback.

Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton has congratulated North Melbourne star Majak Daw during an emotional interview ahead of his “heroic” comeback to the AFL.

Having not played an AFL match since August 2018, Daw made his highly-anticipated return on Saturday, facing the Adelaide Crows at Marvel Stadium.

Daw was hospitalised in December 2018 after he fell from the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne — the star ruckman broke his hips and pelvis during the incident.

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There were concerns the 29-year-old’s fairytale comeback would be delayed further after he tore a pectoral muscle during a gym session in May.

But on Wednesday, Daw was named in North Melbourne’s side for their round nine clash at Metricon Stadium, and the heartwarming moment was captured by the club.

No words can describe this moment 👏 pic.twitter.com/z4zIM9Ljsl

— North Melbourne (@NMFCOfficial) July 29, 2020

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Countdown, Brereton congratulated Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw and the North Melbourne for supporting Daw through the tumultuous 18-month period.

Brereton lost his father and brother to suicide, and was understandably emotional as he spoke about the concerning number of cases in 2020.

“As someone who has lost family members through suicide, to see a young man reclaim his status, it’s awesome. It really is fantastic to see him reclaim his life,” Brereton said on Saturday.

“My mum will be watching so she won’t want to hear about that in detail. This is a huge problem in society, suicide.

“Majak tried. And so often we hear, ‘Why did he attempt that?’. We have a problem at the moment with COVID, 10 times as many people have taken their lives this year already. It is a massive problem, ten times the amount.

“We hear so often, ‘He had so much to live for, why would he do it?’ They’re all questions we ask. This is a bloke who almost did it, tried to do it, went bloody close to taking his own life.”

“What made me emotional, he’s got a chance to reclaim that life. Today, whether he plays well, good, bad, poorly. He has reclaimed his life today.

“For everybody that has family that have done it, this is a snapshot into their life of what their loved ones who took their lives could’ve done. They could’ve succeeded again in life with the right support around them.

“That’s why I congratulate North Melbourne and Rhyce for the support around this young man. That man, he could’ve been a memory.

Great words and perspective by Dermott Brereton about North Melbourne’s Majak Daw on Fox Footy today. Good luck to Majak in his comeback match.

— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) August 1, 2020

“He could’ve had his plaque in a funeral parlour somewhere. But his flesh living and breathing, he is living proof people can reclaim their lives.

“A lot of people in my circumstance, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who have a close link to someone who has taken their own life who love their footy and in some small way would live through this today.

“It’s heroic what he’s done. Well done Majak.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Daw slotted his first goal of the match after claiming a classy mark, and was promptly swamped by his ecstatic teammates.

Daw and partner Emily McKay celebrated the birth of their son last year as the footballer continued to make his slow recovery towards the AFL.