Shane Tuck dead: Teammates share ripping stories about AFL great

Teammates of Shane Tuck — who died this week — have shared heartwarming stories about a man who was always there for them.

Daniel Jackson consoles Shane Tuck after a game.

Tributes continue to flow for Shane Tuck as former teammates shared a collection of their favourite stories illustrating just how great a man the AFL star was.

Tuck died earlier this week aged 38, sparking an outpouring of emotion from a footy community devastated at losing one of the game’s true good guys.

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The son of Hawthorn legend Michael, Tuck forged a mighty career of his own, playing 173 games for Richmond to become a Tigers icon and one of the most respected players in the league for how he performed on and off the field.

In an emotional piece published on the AFL Players website, several of Tuck’s former comrades penned some cracking tales that reveal just why he was so loved.

Dan Jackson said Tuck’s tough-as-nails exterior masked a soft side and he was “hugely empathetic to his mates, especially when he thought they may be doing it tough”.

During a rough trot in his career in 2012, when his poor form was a hot topic in the media, Jackson recalled being consoled by Tuck who put an arm around him and said: “Hey mate, don’t listen to those idiots, you’re a great player, you’ll prove them wrong.”

Tuck’s kindness didn’t end there. A year later, Jackson opened his locker and staring back at him was an article about how he’d reinvigorated his career.

“Having no idea where it came from, Tucky, who I’d shared the locker next to for 10 years appeared, once again put his hand on my shoulder, lowered his eyes (the way he did when you knew he was going to say something meaningful) and said, ‘I knew you’d prove them wrong Jacko, I thought you should leave that there as a reminder’,” Jackson wrote for AFL Players. “And off he strolled …”

He made a similar effort to encourage Tyrone Vickery. “I remember at a point I was not playing well and Tucky pulled me aside and told me, ‘Mate I was labelled a ‘list clogger’, ‘not good enough’ and a ‘waste of a spot’. Believe in yourself and don’t listen to the outside world’,” Vickery wrote.

“It stuck with me because he wasn’t naturally a super vocal leader, but he was naturally a really genuine caring person.”

Tuck (right) was a player everyone loved having on their team.

There were also tales of toughness.

Nathan Foley recalled Tuck breaking his scapula (shoulder) during a match against Port Adelaide in 2013, but ignoring the pain to play with an injury that required surgery.

Less than a week later Foley was moving house and who should turn up to help but Tuck with his arm nestled in a sling. That didn’t bother him, and he just got to work.

“With his arm in a sling he started picking things up one handed and taking them into the house,” Foley wrote. “I suggested he probably shouldn’t be doing that.

“He just said, ‘It’ll be right’ and continued on helping.”

“He didn’t try to be tough; he didn’t seek praise for being tough. Tucky was just tough and he knew no different.”

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Brett Deledio shared a lighter anecdote. At a pub for his Bucks party, Deledio’s blood pressure started to rise when another patron continually elbowed him in the back and wouldn’t take the hint when told he was being a pest.

Tensions escalated and as Deledio’s dad, nicknamed Block, stepped in, so too did Tuck.

“Now I don’t know if Tucky was watching or not, but personally I think he smelt something brewing and before I knew it he was standing right beside dad, as he was lecturing this other Buck, saying, ‘Right, we going Block or what?’” Deledio wrote.

“Tucky was ready to take on the whole pub if one of his mates needed him to.”