Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton has come to the defence of controversial AFL legend Wayne Carey after he was left out of a North Melbourne centenary celebration video over the weekend.
The Kangaroos released a video with cutaways of young star Zane Duursma showing off a retro guernsey the club will revive for their Round 20 clash with Geelong next year to celebrate 100 years in the VFL/AFL.
Included in the video was a string of highlights from some of the greatest players the club has ever produced, so Carey’s exclusion set off an eruption of backlash, not least from his former teammate, Corey McKernan, who slammed the club.
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Brereton, a champion in his own right and a goalkicking rival to Carey in the 1990s, said he too was surprised that the captain of the club’s team of the century was left out.
“If you are trying to get your very best players that were representative of your team as players, Wayne Carey sits top of the list and I would have thought there would be a place for him in that video,” Brereton told SEN on Monday.
“But the club has a decision to make: do we put that piece of footage of Wayne in there and we know we will have to defend our actions in doing so?
“And that’s the battle that they have moving forward and they’ve made a stance that: no, they don’t want to defend their actions of putting his profile there in that commercial.”
Iconic moments from modern day stars Brent Harvey, Ben Cunnington, Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells and even Cam Zurhaar are featured, as are ‘90s heroes David King, Adam Simpson and Glenn Archer, and older legends like Ron Barassi, Phil Krakouer and Malcolm Blight.
Carey, meantime, features for less than one second on the premiership dais in amongst his 1999 teammates, holding the cup, before it cuts away again.
The 1996 and 1999 premiership captain is without doubt the club’s greatest ever player, and his omission was glaring.
The 53-year-old is a controversial figure within the footy world, having unceremoniously left the Roos when his affair with the wife of teammate Anthony Stevens became public.
Carey denied reports of a physical altercation with Stevens at a premiership reunion in 2022.
Earlier this year, he became part of the inaugural inductees to the NSW Australian Football Hall of Fame, but was denied Legend status — having initially been slated as one of the 10 people to be instantly elevated — because of his checkered history.
The NSW Hall of Fame night fell on the same week as the AFL paid tribute to victims of gender-based violence at games across the competition, which proved unfortunate timing for Carey, who has previously had allegations of domestic violence levelled against him.
He also has an assault conviction on his rap sheet.
After speaking with AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, Carey — who was born in country NSW town Wagga Wagga — decided not to attend the gala night.
Carey was a prominent figure in footy media until being sacked in 2022 after being escorted out of Crown Perth when a small bag containing a powdered substance fell out of his pocket, which he vehemently claimed was an anti-inflammatory medicine. He was officially cleared of any wrongdoing for the incident.
Brereton said Carey is “a good guy”.
“He’s made some really bad decisions in the past and he has confessed and copped up to some of them,” Brereton said.
“He’s a good guy and he makes so many people around him happy… He’s fantastic, he’s a pretty good citizen who has made some bad errors.”
Included in North Melbourne’s release of the video was a message that reads: “A legacy everlasting
“In 2025, we’ll celebrate a century of North Melbourne in the VFL/AFL with a fresh spin on the jumper we wore from 1925 to 1932.
“We’ll wear the guernsey in a signature home game against Geelong at Marvel Stadium in Round 20.”
Carey’s former teammate and forward-50 partner, McKernan, was furious at the club for the video.
“FYI North Melbourne, you do know Wayne Carey played for us, don’t you?” he said.
Also excluded were longtime club captain Wayne Schimmelbusch and two-time premiership coach, Denis Pagan.
McKernan later added: “Can North Melbourne answer why you’d leave out Wayne Carey for a football-related video for such an occasion? (And leave out Denis/Schimma as well).
“Explain how it happens? If the excuse is ‘oh it’s a young kid who did it and he didn’t know’, please spare me.”
Collingwood great Mick McGuane was equally baffled.
“Love the concept and innovation, North Melbourne, but if it’s a true celebration you cannot overlook your greatest ever player in the vision to promote it,” he said.
McKernan proceeded to go on a tear on social media, reposting a host of replies to his post that agreed with him.