Face of Nation : St KiIda is broken-hearted and the rest of the AFL community is devastated by the death of Saints great Danny Frawley. Frawley died when the ute he was driving hit a tree near Ballarat on Monday afternoon. He turned 56 on Sunday. No-one else was in the car at the time and investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the crash.
“The St Kilda Football Club is heart-broken by the passing of club great Danny Frawley,” the club said in a statement. AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said it was a “devastating day” for the football community. “Danny’s loss will be taken very hard by so many people within our industry, as well as within our own organisation,” he said in a statement.
“Danny was passionate about footy and passionate about people. He made such a positive and lasting influence on so many in our game.” Frawley, nicknamed Spud because he grew up on a potato farm in Bungaree near Ballarat, played 240 games for St Kilda from 1984-95. He was the club’s longest-serving captain until Nick Riewoldt surpassed him in 2016 and was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
“I wasn’t in a position to deal with any of that,” he told a Herald Sun podcast in August. “It did my head in eventually. It was something in my psyche, maybe from the Richmond days, not playing in a final, all those things built up to a tipping point.”
Frawley also worked as an AFL commentator for Triple M, Fox Sports, SEN and the Nine Network, as well as a part-time defensive coach with his beloved Saints. St Kilda president Andrew Bassat said the club was still coming to terms with his death.
“Danny will be remembered as one of St Kilda’s greatest ever players and a dear friend to so many at the football club,” he said in a statement.
“He was a larger-than-life character, a generous and warm personality, and a favourite son who has left an indelible mark on St Kilda.” A statement from Crocmedia, with which Frawley was also associated for many years, paid tribute to their “great friend”.
“Danny was simply loved. A true Australian character, a brilliant entertainer, a selfless father, husband and friend,” Crocmedia boss Craig Hutchison said. In a statement, Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany and Head of Fox Sports Peter Campbell said: “Words cannot convey our deep love and respect for Danny Frawley.
“The Fox Sports family, and particularly Fox Footy, today lost one of its own – a leader, a man of incredible passion, insight and love for his family and for his game, AFL.” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews described Frawley as a legend of the game.
“Danny Frawley described himself as a simple spud farmer who’d made his way in the big smoke. Of course, he was so much more than that,” he said. “Captain. Coach. Best and fairest. All-Australian. Legend of the game. Tonight, we’re thinking of Danny’s family, friends and fans.”
