The three competitive brothers who grew up battling Troy Selwood in “bloody” backyard sporting battles at their Bendigo childhood home farewelled the former Brisbane Lions player in a beautiful and moving funeral service on Friday in Geelong.
More than a thousand mourners filled the Brownlow Stand at GMHBA Stadium to hear Adam, Joel and Scott pay tribute to the “kind, generous, humorous and courageous” brother they will dearly miss.
Joel (left), Adam and Scott Selwood farewell their brother, Troy, at GMHBA stadium.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“Troy, I just wanted you to know how much you were loved,” Geelong premiership hero Joel said.
There to hear about Troy’s life and legacy were former Brisbane Lions teammates including close friend Daniel Merrett, Brendan Fevola, Alastair Lynch, Jonathan Brown and Luke Power. There was a large contingent of Geelong players led by captain Patrick Dangerfield and Gary Ablett jnr. Collingwood coach and former teammate Craig McRae, Magpies skipper Darcy Moore and Nick Daicos paid their respects. Veteran administrator and former Geelong football boss Neil Balme and Adam Selwood’s Eagles teammates Luke Shuey and Andrew Embley were there, too.
A busload of students represented Geelong Grammar, where Troy was head of football and sports performance. Another former student, No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor, was there to remember the mentor who died on Tuesday, February 4, aged 40.
To start the service, Troy’s mother, Maree, read a poem in which she said, “I didn’t know that you would be gone, and life would be so unfair”, but “I am still your mum and I will be every day”, while father, Bryce, read a prayer, giving thanks to the special years they had spent together.
Maree Selwood, mum of Troy, places a rose for her son.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
He asked for guidance, love and care for Troy’s children, Tom and Sadie, their mother Sarah (Galbally), his family, countless friends, as well as staff and students at Geelong Grammar who “Troy loved like family”.
Joel was the last of the three brothers to speak. He said the only thing more important to Troy than football was family.
“Mum and Dad were Troy’s heroes,” he said. “He felt comfortable, loved and cared [for] in their company. He loved the way that they made things simple.”
Joel said the “best times of the day” for his brother were sharing riddles and nursery rhymes with his son Tommy, who was born in 2015.
Joel Selwood delivers his eulogy for brother, Troy.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
He said Troy would colour in thousands of rainbows and spend countless hours skipping rope with his daughter Sadie who was born in 2017.
“But the thing he loved most were your cuddles,” Joel said.
Identical twin Adam said that from the moment they were born on May 1, 1984, their parents had trouble telling them apart.
“They left our hospital tags on for a couple of weeks just to make sure they knew which child they were holding,” he said.
Former teammate Jonathan Brown.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“Mum vividly recalls a time when she woke up in the middle of the night to Nan and Dad having a midnight argument over which baby was which, convinced that they’d fed one of us twice.”
Adam, who played 187 games for West Coast, said his twin was “my mirror, my fiercest competitor, my greatest ally, and the one person that I knew that knew what I was always thinking”.
He said the family’s backyard in Bendigo became a battleground throughout their childhood, playing tennis, basketball, football, cricket and even scooter soccer.
“Every game we played in our backyard or across the road at the park was for sheep stations, and if there wasn’t blood spilled from one of us boys during play, then it wasn’t played hard enough,” Adam said.
Brit and Joel Selwood, parents Maree and Bryce, and brother Adam.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“Troy and I were relentless competitors. More often than not, our tennis matches ended with some form of injury or a John McEnroe-style tantrum.
“We were never in the same class, but in year six, we decided to swap places for the day, just to see how long it would take for the teachers to notice. They finally caught us just before recess, which wasn’t a bad effort at that age.”
Scott Selwood, the youngest of the four boys, revealed that Troy earned his nickname “Bunno” from Lions teammate Craig McRae.
“Craig stepped in, taking Troy under his wing and giving him a home as well as a new nickname,” Scott said.
“He was called “Bun” because everyone in a footy club needs a nickname. Breaking the Selwood last name up into half - “Sell” and “Wood” - only gave a couple of options [for places that sold wood]: Mitre 10 or Bunnings. Bunno had a nice ring to it.”
A tribute to Troy Selwood.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Scott said his brother, drafted at pick 19 at the end of 2002, did not break into the Lions team until 2005 and went on to play 75 games after finding his place in the team as a tagger where “his attention to detail and refusal to give in made life miserable for the competition’s best midfielders”.
“No one knew this better than my teammate Daniel Kerr,” he said. “Whenever we were set to face Brisbane, Daniel’s head would start spinning at the thought of Troy tagging him. He just couldn’t figure him out.
“We would play the game, Troy would get the better of him again, and for the next week, Daniel would barely speak to Adam, simply because he looked so much like the guy who had given him nightmares on the field over the weekend.”
Hundreds of mourners at GMHBA Stadium.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
After finishing his AFL career with Brisbane in 2010, Troy returned to captain Geelong’s VFL team and began his career in sports development and administration at Geelong, followed by a short stint at Collingwood and later at Geelong Grammar.
“Troy’s time in Geelong was based around having fun, family, football and personal growth,” Joel said.
“He had fun, but I wish he had more. He spent time with us as a family. We loved it when he was around, and then he grew one himself.
“He played football and taught it. He did both so well as a captain, a coach, a mentor, and as he grew as a person, despite the challenges he had in his way.
Brendan and Alex Fevola.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“He always loved Geelong, and he was always going to return after his time at the Lions.”
Joel said whenever Troy called him, the conversation had the same start and finish.
“He would call you and say, ‘Hey brother, just a quick one’. And 90 minutes later, he would say, ‘anyway, mate, I better let you go’,” Joel recalled.
“I probably didn’t realise at the time how much I loved those calls and what I would do for another long chat about anything at all.”
Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Selwood embrace.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Joel said during his playing days Troy was obsessed with having towels on the bench for when he came off the ground, and later, as a player development officer, he became the “neatest white board writer in the history of mankind”.
“The only thing neater was the top drawer in his office,” Joel said.
As a coach and mentor, Joel said, his brother treated everyone equally - from No.1 on the list to No.60.
“As a family, we sit here in pain, but also proudly of the time Troy put into himself over many years,” Joel said.
“He was dealt some pretty tough cards over his lifetime. Some he was dealt, he found a way to deal with. But, sadly, there were others that no matter how hard he tried, he could never fully control.
“And he did try. He tried so hard, he put up a hell of a fight. For Mum and Dad, for his kids, for his brothers, for his friends, and for others that are fighting the same fight, just as he was.
Jeremy Cameron and Brad Close.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“He fought for all of us. He wanted to keep fighting, as he always did in life, but in the end, he simply couldn’t lift his arms to throw another punch back.
“He’ll be missed by so many, and I thank you all for coming today. He’d be so chuffed with an incredible turnout.”
In closing, Joel said if his brother’s number popped up on his phone this afternoon, he would answer and say what Troy had always said to him.
“Hey, brother, just a quick one,” Joel said, “and I’d follow with, ‘Troy. I just wanted you to know how much you were loved. And I want to thank you for everything. I want to thank you for the support and the help and the guidance over the years’.
“I’m sorry you had to struggle so hard, but thank you for fighting as long as you did. I want you to know you were really loved, and everyone wanted you to be happy, especially me. I hope you’re in a good spot now. Love you, brother. Speak soon.”
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