Wayne Carey

Wayne Carey, known as "The King" or more humbly "Duck" due to his walking style caused by one leg being longer than the other, is regarded as one of the greatest Australian Football League players of all time.

Retirement and comeback

In March 2002, after 244 games and 671 goals with the Kangaroos, Carey was pressured to resign from the club in sensational circumstances after other senior players reportedly agreed that they were unwilling to continue playing alongside him, after it was revealed that he had an ongoing extramarital affair with the wife of the Roos' vice-captain, Anthony Stevens. The story filled the Melbourne media (and to a lesser extent the Australian national media) for days, with front page after front page of the Herald Sun devoted to the subject, giving some indication of Carey's and football's prominence in that city.

Related Topics:
Anthony Stevens - Herald Sun

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For some time, it was unclear whether Carey would continue playing AFL football again, but by the end of the 2002 season and following a bidding war between several clubs, Carey announced his wish to play for the Adelaide Crows in 2003 and the Kangaroos and Crows eventually negotiated the terms of a deal to allow the exchange to happen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In June 2004, after 28 games with his new club, Carey retired with a disc-related neck injury, marking the end of a career that spanned 16 seasons, 272 games and included 727 goals. He is regarded by many the game's greatest ever player.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~