Tragedy is not a word that should ordinarily sit in any sport story. But this was a tragedy.
Troy Selwood, former Brisbane Lions player and father of two, died suddenly at the age of 40.
His death on Tuesday morning left the Selwood family – including twin brother Adam, brothers Joel and Scott and their parents Bryce and Maree – and the wider football community grieving.
Former Lion Troy Selwood.Credit: AFL Photos
The shock and grief within the AFL industry was profound – largely because of the warmth of Selwood’s character, and partly because of the wide football connections of the Selwoods and the deep affection and regard in which the family is held across multiple clubs and states.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our son, brother and father, Troy this morning. We will miss Troy more than words can express,” the Selwood family said in a statement released by the AFL on Tuesday.
“Troy was a much loved and loving member of our family. Over the course of his life, Troy brought joy and light to all who knew him.
The Selwood family: Joel (front), dad Bryce, mum Maree, and brothers Troy, Scott and Adam.Credit: Ella Pellegrini
“We will miss Troy’s bravery, his humour, his deep thinking, his love and compassion. Troy had a generosity of spirit, cared deeply about people and strove to make the lives of others better.”
Selwood arrived at Brisbane at the end of 2002 in its glory era, just as the club had won the second of its three-peat flags. Split from twin brother Adam, who was drafted in the same year by West Coast, and separated from family, Selwood was a teenager thrust into the strongest club with the biggest names in football. While he was too young to force himself into that premiership dynasty, many of his Lions teammates would later feel like he had been part of the premiership era. He had an affability common to his brothers that made him quickly loved in the many clubs he was involved in. He was an old friend you’d only just met.
A trait he had in common with his AFL-playing brothers – and one perhaps at odds with a public impression of the family crafted from TV shots from the football field – was that he was quick to smile and laugh. He was always generous with his time and gave the convincing impression, even to those he didn’t know well, that he was far more interested to hear from others than to let them hear from him.
Troy Selwood played 75 games for the Lions.Credit: Getty Images
“Troy achieved many great things in his life. From his time as a young man and student, to his journey as an AFL player, to working in recruiting young players to help live their AFL dreams to his latest passion and adventure at Geelong Grammar School, Troy was able to influence and touch the lives of so many people,” the family said.
They were sentiments shared across an industry in mourning and encapsulated by the league’s CEO Andrew Dillon.
“He always placed the needs of young players first and created environments where they could be themselves,” Dillon said.
“Troy always bought a sense of positivity, humour and care to the recruiting and talent development process and will be sadly missed by everyone that was fortunate enough to work with him.”
Selwood’s AFL career stretched to 75 games across six seasons after he made his debut in 2005. But his football and life journey would always fold back to Geelong, closer to the family home in Victoria. He played for Geelong in the VFL and in 2012 captained the VFL team to a premiership, coincidentally in the first year his little brother Joel had taken over as captain of the AFL team.
He worked in football operations roles at Geelong, was academy manager and from 2017 to 2021 was talent ID manager. At Geelong there were old Brisbane teammates in Chris Scott and Nigel Lappin, but new close friends too, such as Shannon Byrnes, with whom he lived for a period. He moved to Collingwood to work in the recruiting and list management area but for personal reasons that proved short-lived.
“We are extremely saddened to learn of Troy’s passing. The news today has had a deep impact on many current and former players and staff,” Geelong CEO Steve Hocking said.
“Troy had a great spirit and energy and was someone who always cared about others. He had a passion for working with young people and helping them achieve their dreams of playing elite football.”
On Tuesday, Selwood was being mourned by so many people across the country. The Lions players and staff were grieving his loss, but the tentacles of that Lions dynasty reached into so many clubs – such as at Carlton, Essendon and Collingwood, where ex-players are head coaches.
At West Coast, they felt they knew the family so well through Adam and younger brother Scott, who also played for the Eagles. Scott is now an assistant coach at Collingwood, where Troy also worked.
They are a small clique with a tightness borne from their many shared hours sitting in stands, huddled in puffer jackets, searching to see something in a player they hope the person next to them might have overlooked.
The pain of Selwood’s death was partly compounded by the news from earlier in the day of the death from cancer of Dale Tapping, a popular and respected assistant coach with a long history in development and assistant coaching across the AFL, VFL and high elite private schools.
As Tony Shaw succinctly put it: “Bloody sad day for the AFL fraternity”.
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