Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club cancel Sam Newman and Wayne Carey’s speaking gig

Sam Newman has hit back at Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club after he and Wayne Carey were uninvited from the club’s charity fundraiser.

Wayne Carey and Sam Newman have been uninvited from Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club’s charity shindig.

Wayne Carey and Sam Newman have been sensationally blocked from appearing at a country football club fundraising event.

The two controversial former AFL greats were asked to appear at a Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club charity shindig later this month, but the committee later rescinded the invite.

The turnabout comes after there was considerable community backlash, with several people on the club’s committee unimpressed it was appearing to endorse Carey, who has a history of assaults against women, for speaking at the event.

“We decided to go in a different direction,” a club spokesperson said after being contacted by the Herald Sun on Tuesday.

There was considerable community backlash to Carey and Newman’s planned appearance.

Former North Melbourne great Carey just made headlines on the weekend after the Herald Sun revealed he was involved in a streetside stoush and filmed in a heated confrontation after a night out at an inner city pub.

Newman confirmed the speaking engagement, which had been organised by former Carlton great and Barwon Heads local Percy Jones, had been cancelled and described it as a case of the tail wagging the dog.

“Some people thought it was not a good idea so they cancelled it, which makes no difference to Wayne and I,” Newman said.

“It does not worry me and it does not worry Wayne, I am sure.

“These people in good faith asked us to come and then some people get a little anxious about who is appearing and they have every right to withdraw the invitation.

“It is pretty weak of a committee to have the tail wag the dog when I can assure you that the response they got about Wayne coming down, and me, was overwhelming. But the tail wags the dog and in this world we live in intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won’t feel offended.”

The President’s Lunch is being held at the Barwon Heads Hotel bistro on June 21, with tickets on sale for $60 to raise money for the country club.

The annual luncheon, which also features auctions and prizes, has become a sellout event in the Bellarine coastal town and is held before the season’s grudge match – known as “The Battle between the Breaks” – between fierce rivals Barwon Heads and Torquay.

The winning team takes home bragging rights and a surfboard, with Torquay winning last year’s battle.

Last year former Carlton Football Club president Luke Sayers, Carlton great Jim Buckley and former chairman of the AFL commission and Blues great Mike Fitzpatrick were special guest speakers, with Coodabeens comedian and radio presenter Ian Cover hosting the event.

Who will feature as special guests now is still in hot discussion, but one thing for sure is it won’t be Newman or Carey.

Originally published as Barwon Heads Football and Netball Club cancel Sam Newman and Wayne Carey’s speaking gig