Wayne Carey
Encyclopedia
Wayne Carey is a former Australian rules football
er who played with the North Melbourne
and Adelaide
Football Clubs in the Australian Football League
(AFL).
A dual Premiership Captain at North Melbourne, four time North Melbourne Best & Fairest
and seven time All-Australian
, Carey, nicknamed "The King", is generally considered to be one of greatest players to have ever played Australian Football. In 2001 he was named as centre half-forward
and captain of North Melbourne's Team of the Century and in 2008 was named as Australian football's greatest ever player as part of a list of the top 50 players of all time, published in the book The Australian Game of Football, which was released by the League
to celebrate 150 years of Australian rules football.
Carey has received significant media attention for his off-field scandals, both as a player and after retirement.
, regarded as the frontier dividing "Aussie rules" territory with that of rugby league
. Carey played rugby league as a junior but began playing Australian Football at age eight and, in his early teens, moved to Adelaide
, where he attended The Heights School
, Modbury Heights and continued playing junior football for North Adelaide.
Carey has since stated of his desire to play in the Essendon District Football League alongside nephew Kade. However Kade plays for Maribyrnong Park whilst Carey has been linked to Aberfeldie.
' recruiting staff slightly red-faced in hindsight. That year, North Melbourne club CEO Greg Miller met with Sydney
's football department to discuss the transfer to North Melbourne Football Club of John Longmire
, already an established key position player. Once that deal concluded, Miller then enquired about Carey. He made a token offer of $10,000 as transfer fee, to which the Swans surprisingly agreed. As a 16 year old, Carey made the move to Melbourne and played for the North Melbourne under 19s, where he starred in their 1988 premiership side, coached by Denis Pagan
. Carey was promoted to the senior list the following year and, after dislocating his left shoulder in a practice match early in the year, made his first appearance for the North Melbourne seniors as an 18 year old in round 11 of 1989
against Fitzroy
.
as a goal kicking Centre Half Forward and perfect support to Full Forward and fellow New South Welshman, John Longmire (who was that year's Coleman Medal
list as the league's leading goal kicker). Carey immediately drew the attention of the football world and built a reputation early in his career as an aggressive, big marking and long kicking key position player. That year, Carey would represent New South Wales
in State of Origin
football and finish the 1990 season as runner up in North Melbourne's best and fairest, behind Longmire. In round 13, a then 19 year old Carey took 8 marks, had 22 disposals and kicked 7 goals in a big win over Sydney. It was the first of many times Carey would dominate up forward for North. In 21 games in 1990 Carey averaged 5 marks, 14 disposals and 1.8 goals.
started very promisingly for Carey and after nine rounds he was averaging 7 marks, 16 disposals and 2.4 goals. At that stage he was leading North Melbourne's best and fairest and, despite still being a teenager, was arguably the Kangaroos' most important player. In Round 10 against Footscray, Carey started brilliantly, kicking two first quarter goals, before an injury to his right shoulder forced him to sit out the rest of that game and the next eight. He struggled to regain form when he returned for the last 5 rounds.
Carey considered leaving North Melbourne and returning to Adelaide due to internal unrest within the leadership of the club. He was convinced to stay by the coaching staff and, in the latter half of the season, Carey began to show signs that he was destined for greatness. A best on ground performance for South Australia
in their State of Origin win over Victoria
was followed by a string of outstanding performances to close the season out. By season's end Carey was dominating Centre Half Forward like no one else in the league, his play trademarked by big marks and long goals. He finished the year with an impressive 7 goal performance against Fitzroy and averaged 10 marks, 20 disposals and 3.3 goals during North Melbourne's last 8 games. For the season, he averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. Carey had his first top five finish in the Brownlow Medal
, claimed his first club best and fairest and was named club captain by new coach Denis Pagan ahead of the 1993 season.
by the Players' Association twice, in 1995 and 1998.
Carey was criticised widely for both his on and off field behaviour. On the field he was reported three times and suspended twice for a total of five weeks in 1994, and off the field a charge of sexual assault in 1996 put a damper on his otherwise stellar form. Bookies had Carey as pre-count favourite for the Brownlow Medal
on four separate occasions (1993, 1995, 1996 and 1998), but many believe his on field arrogance and backchat to umpires were the primary reason he never claimed the game's highest individual honor.
, at age 21, Carey was the second youngest club captain in VFL/AFL history. Carey consistently won games off his own boot, including a game against reigning premiers the West Coast Eagles
at the WACA
in round 12, where he cut All Australian and Hall of Fame centre half-back
Glen Jakovich
to shreds and then against that year's eventual premiers in Essendon in round 15, where he played a dominant final quarter that marked him as an out-and-out champion. Amazingly, after 15 rounds of the 1993 season, with North Melbourne on top of the AFL ladder, Carey was leading the club in marks, disposals and goals, before he was injured in their round 16 clash with Brisbane and did not play again until round 20. For the season he averaged 8 marks, 19 disposals and 3.4 goals per game. At the end of the season, Carey became the youngest ever All-Australian captain at 22 years of age and finished third in the Brownlow Medal count, after being outright favourite to take out the prestigious award. But for the freakish efforts of Gary Ablett, many experts had Carey as the game's best player at the conclusion of the season, and he was runner-up behind Ablett in the Leigh Matthews Trophy
.
season, Carey was averaging 12 marks, 21 disposals and 4.8 goals per game. This included a 17 mark, 26 disposal, 7 goal performance against Hawthorn
, 13 marks, 21 disposals and 6 goals against Footscray
and a 15 mark, 21 disposal, 5 goal demolition of arch rival, Glen Jakovich and the West Coast Eagles. Carey's mid season suspensions subdued him somewhat, before he turned it on again to dominate in the finals with two of the all time great individual finals performances.
In the qualifying final against Hawthorn, Carey kicked the last goal of the final quarter to level the score and force the game into extra time. Carey then kicked the goal to seal the win during extra time and earn North Melbourne a week break before the preliminary final. He finished the game with 10 marks, 32 disposals and 4 goals in an inspiring performance. Two weeks later Carey was irrepressible in the preliminary final against Geelong
. With North down by four goals at half time, it was Carey's four third quarter goals that kept them in the game. He played a lone hand up forward with 14 marks, of which 10 were contested, 24 disposals and 6 goals, to once again have the scores level at full time, before Geelong won by a goal, kicked after the final siren by Gary Ablett. Carey's 10 contested marks in the preliminary final were an all time AFL record at the time, and his finals performances were made more impressive by the fact that he played both games with a torn calf muscle. "In the 21 days between tearing the muscle and the end of the Geelong game, Wayne trained for approximately 10 minutes. To then be best on ground in two finals was nothing short of freakish, and a testament to his talent and commitment." Coach Denis Pagan later said of Carey's finals performances. For the season Carey averaged 9 marks, 19 disposals and 3.3 goals per game.
During the first two years of Carey's captaincy at North Melbourne the Kangaroos
registered an impressive 25 wins from the 35 home and away games in which Carey played. In contrast, they lost all but one of the seven games in which he was absent during the same period. Such was the influence that Carey had on games in which he played, and so much did the Kangaroos struggle in his absence that, in mid 1994, the phenomenon was given a name – 'No Carey, no North'.
. He kicked 18 goals in North's four pre-season games and was the dominant player on the ground on each occasion. By mid season, Carey was an unbackable favorite to take out the Brownlow Medal as he dominated games like none before him. Over nine games, from rounds 6 to 14, Carey averaged 11 marks, 22 disposals and 3.8 goals per game in a brilliant run of form. In round seven, he registered a career high 33 disposals against Fitzroy. His best games of the year, however, came later in the season, both against Premiership contenders Richmond
. The first was in a come-from-behind last quarter win in round 19, and then four weeks later in a Qualifying Final win – Carey's third dominant finals game in succession. In both games Carey kicked five goals and had 25 and 22 disposals respectively. The season ended on a sour note for Carey, being well held by Jakovich in the Semi Final and then Full back of the Century Stephen Silvagni
in the Preliminary Final, where North Melbourne went down to eventual Premiers Carlton
. For the season, Carey averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 2.6 goals per game, led the league in marks and contested marks and took out a host of individual awards from the media and Players' Association as the seasons best player.
Carey was all but unanimously considered the best player in the AFL. He became known as a master of the pack mark and the long goal. Few players in the game have ever dominated in the air or kicked as many goals from beyond the 50 meter arc as Carey in the 1990s. He again led the league in marks and contested marks and kicked a career high 82 goals in 1996, one of his most consistent seasons. He kicked a career high 11 goals against Melbourne
in Round 17 – a game in which he also tallied 15 marks, 31 disposals and 3 tackles – and followed it up in the next game with 27 disposals and 7 goals against Hawthorn. His 12 contested marks in round 17 broke his own record for the most contested marks in a game, which he set two years earlier, and remains a record to this day. North went on to win the 1996 premiership, with Carey again a stand out in all three finals games, including the Grand Final against Sydney
, where he was runner-up to Glenn Archer
in Norm Smith Medal
voting. He averaged 11 marks, 23 disposals and 2.3 goals during the finals and 8 marks, 19 disposals and 3.3 goals for the season. Carey won his third best and fairest award in 1996, but finished runner-up to team mate Corey McKernan
in the Players' Association MVP award.
Carey dislocated his left shoulder for the second time in his career, and missed much of the season. Upon his return in round 13, Carey spent much of the remainder of the Home and Away season at Centre Half Back. There was some concern as to whether he would regain top form as he struggled with mobility through the injured shoulder. As North entered the finals campaign, Carey assumed his customary Centre Half Forward position and re-established himself as the games pre-eminent player in a Qualifying Final against Geelong. In a low scoring game, played in very wet conditions, Carey was dominant with 10 marks and 23 disposals. He also kicked 7 goals and created two others, in a team total of 11 goals. It was a performance that Mike Sheahan
named Carey's best in the book 'The Australian Game of Football', released in 2008.
, as the best on ground in the pre-season Grand Final, and issuing an ominous warning to the rest of the competition that he was over his injury woes of the previous year.
In one of his greatest seasons, Carey hit arguably the best form of his career in 1998 as he led North Melbourne on a club record 11 game winning streak. During the streak he registered 20 or more disposals and 5 or more goals on six separate occasions. Coach Denis Pagan
designed the team's offence around Carey, instructing other forwards to draw their direct opponents outside the 50 metre arc to make space for Carey, a tactic which became known as "Pagan's Paddock". In round 15, Carey demolished St Kilda with 14 marks, 26 disposals and 6 goals. The following week five first half goals against West Coast, including one of the goals of the year in the second quarter, saw Glen Jakovich taken to the bench. His form continued the next week when he kicked 8 goals against Melbourne, to go with 11 marks, 24 disposals and 4 tackles and, three weeks later, Fremantle
received the same treatment as Carey again kicked 8 goals and had 25 disposals. In the final two rounds Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs
had no answers to limit his influence and he was completely dominant in each game, kicking 5 and 4 goals respectively and taking contested marks at will, all around the ground. After Carey kicked another 5 goals in the first round of the finals to ensure a comfortable win over Essendon
, he had kicked 45 goals in the previous nine games and averaged 22 disposals and 9 marks per game. The winning streak ended on Grand Final
day with a loss to Adelaide. For the season, Carey averaged 8 marks, 20 disposals and 3.2 goals per game. He again led the league in marks and contested marks and was runner up in the league goal kicking race behind Tony Lockett
, with 80 goals. Carey once again won almost every individual award on offer at season's end, with the noticeable exception of the Brownlow.
. Once again Carey's late season form was unparalleled, and in the nine games leading up to the Grand Final
he averaged 8 marks, 19 disposals and 5.1 goals per game. He kicked 9 goals against Geelong
in Round 16, followed it up the next week with a 10 goal, 12 mark and 24 disposal performance in a losing side against Essendon
and in the wet in a Qualifying Final against Port Adelaide
had 11 marks, 24 disposals and 6 goals in one of his greatest finals performances. Matched up against Carlton's Stephen Silvagni in the Grand Final, Carey played a slightly unfamiliar role. After marking and kicking North Melbourne's opening goal in the first quarter, he struggled to get on top of the Carlton champion and was moved to the midfield after half time. He then gathered the most disposals afield in the third quarter and was the catalyst in a dominant quarter for North, before returning to the forward line in the final term to take a spectacular one handed mark and kick the final goal of the game.
, playing back in his customary Centre Half Forward position, Carey became only the second player, after Leigh Matthews
, to record 5 plus goals and 20 plus disposals in a game for the 30th time in his career. Three weeks later in round 17 against Melbourne, he repeated the feat for the 31st time. Statistically, 2000 was shaping up as one of Carey's best years and, with just two games left of the Home and Away season, he held averages of 9 marks, 20 disposals and 3.2 goals per game. Towards the end of the season however, Carey began to suffer heavily from the debilitating groin condition Osteitis pubis
and his mobility and form subsequently slumped going into the finals. For the season he finished with averages of 8 marks, 18 disposals and 3.0 goals. Carey was runner-up in the Leigh Matthews Trophy for the second year in a row and the fourth time in his career, this time behind Carlton's Anthony Koutoufides
. It was his sixth top two finish in the League's MVP award in eight seasons.
, his 13th season at North Melbourne and 9th as captain, Carey struggled to maintain consistent form as he battled various injuries. The physical nature of his play throughout his career began to take its toll on Carey's body, particularly his back, neck and shoulders and he was not able to string more than 5 games together at any point during the season. After round 13, Carey had played just seven games and averaged only 11 disposals and 2.0 goals per game. A comparatively injury free second half of the season saw him play seven of the next eight games and average an improved 14 disposals and 3.0 goals per game. He kicked six goals in round 14 against Melbourne, and the next week, against West Coast, Carey kicked five goals and had a season high 18 disposals in his final game in North Melbourne colours matched up against long time adversary Glen Jakovich. In round 21, after playing 14 games and kicking 35 goals that year, Wayne Carey played what would end up being his last game for the North Melbourne Football Club.
's wife, Kelli. Carey and Stevens were attending a party at team mate Glenn Archer
's house. Carey is quoted as saying Kelli followed him into the toilets, in front of a large crowd including her husband. An argument ensued between Carey and Stevens and both subsequently failed to attend football training. In the face of his team being united against him, as well as nationwide condemnation, Carey resigned in disgrace from North Melbourne. Carey's then manager Ricky Nixon
famously stated that his client was on "suicide watch" during the aftermath. To avoid media attention Carey fled to Las Vegas
. Carey's management later denied speculation that he had trained with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys
.
season and a 12 month absence from football, Carey was signed up by the Adelaide Crows, where he played for the next two seasons.
and prevented him from dominating as he once did. He did manage to earn a top ten finish in the club best and fairest and kicked the second most goals of any Crow for the year, despite missing eight games. 2003 was most memorable for Carey's fiery encounters with his ex-North Melbourne team mates Glenn Archer
and Anthony Stevens
in round 6. On that day he kicked four goals, including one of the goals of the year. Carey's best performance for 2003 once again came in the finals, an Elimination Final against West Coast, when he had the most kicks and marks afield and became the 14th player to kick 700 career goals in AFL/VFL history.
season. He took 9 marks, had 17 disposals and kicked 6 goals, out of a team total of 12, in a heavy loss to Essendon
. Two weeks later, Carey's fourth goal against Hawthorn was one of the goals of the year. Taking a contested mark on the wing, Carey played on, having three bounces and shrugging off a tackle as he ran inside the forward 50. He gave off a handball to teammate Tyson Edwards, who in turn gave the ball back to Carey deep in the forward pocket
. Carey's left foot snap for goal was a highlight in a big win for the Crows. In round 12, Carey left the field early in the second quarter and was later forced to retire with a disc-related neck injury, marking the end of a career that spanned 16 seasons, 272 games, and included 727 goals.
was regarded as the premier Center half back in the AFL, and his battles with Carey were a talking point and a season highlight whenever the Eagles and Kangaroos met. Jakovich was one of the very few players who could match Carey for strength in a one-on-one contest and as a result he was often able to limit Carey's dominance. The rivalry gained significant media attention during 1995 when the pair met three times, with Carey being held to a combined total of just 7 marks, 35 disposals and 2 goals. Carey had dominated their encounters in 1993 and 1994, polling brownlow votes in two out of three games. Statistically, Jakovich held Carey to fewer disposals and goals than any other player could consistently manage. In all they played against each other 18 times, 16 while Carey was at North Melbourne and two when he was at Adelaide, first meeting in round 12 of 1992 and last in round 19 of 2003, with Jakovich being able to hold Carey to averages of 6 marks, 14 disposals and 2.1 goals per game. By comparison, in the 188 games Carey played against all other opponents in the same period, he averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 3.0 goals per game.
, who was voted the greatest player of the 20th century, honoured Carey by saying that he was the best player he had ever seen. In 2008, Carey was named as Australian Football's greatest ever player as part of a list of the top 50 players of all time, published in the book The Australian Game of Football, and placed third in a similar list put together by a panel of football legends in The Age
newspaper the same year. In 2011, the Herald Sun
polled 21 past and present AFL greats, including Carey, to find the players' opinion as to the greatest player of the AFL era. Carey topped the list, polling 85 of a possible 100 votes, 26 votes ahead of second placed Gary Ablett, Sr..
, acting voluntarily as a part-time skills coach. In 2006 he was an assistant coach at Collingwood Football Club
. Carey also worked as a commentator and host of shows on the Fox Footy Channel
throughout the 2006 season. In 2007 he participated in the Nine Network football analysis program Footy Classified, as well as special comments for radio station 3AW
's football coverage. Subsequent to his dual arrests for domestic violence and assault he was sacked from both positions.
In 2000 Carey provided character evidence for Jason Moran
, an infamous gangster who was subsequently murdered in Melbourne's gang war.
In 2004, while holidaying with his then wife, Carey was subject to arrest for a misdemeanour battery
report while holidaying in Las Vegas. He was placed in custody for one night then released. The local District Attorney
elected not to pursue the case
Carey again became the subject of public comment in February 2006 when he announced he was leaving his pregnant wife Sally for model Kate Neilson. His daughter Ella was born six weeks later.
In December 2006 Kate Neilson allegedly reported Carey to Australian police for domestic violence, allegeding he had punched her in the face. Neilson and Carey subsequently denied this report. Subsequently US security guard Kyle Banks told the Nine Network's A Current Affair he saw Carey attacking Neilson while working at the exclusive W Hotel in New York City in October 2006. Banks said he saw Carey break a bottle of French champagne over his own head.
On 27 January 2008 Carey was arrested after reports of a disturbance at his Port Melbourne apartment. Police had to subdue Carey with capsicum spray and he was seen hand-cuffed after allegedly assaulting the officers.
Two days later, the Australian Nine Network announced it would not renew the television contract of Carey after it was revealed that Carey had been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and Kate Neilson in Miami, Florida
on 27 October 2007, after he allegedly glassed Neilsen in the face and neck with a wine glass. Wayne says the truth about that night in Miami is that they had dinner in the hotel restaurant. But they began arguing which prompted him to leave the table. "I was so angry," he says. "I stood up and threw the wine over Kate, then dropped the glass. At the same time Kate got up and leant forward, and then the glass must have hit her face. I kept walking—-I had no idea I'd cut her. I just went straight up to our room and took two sleeping tablets and within a matter of minutes was dead to the world. The next thing I knew I was woken up in my hotel room by four people I didn't know. I was drunk and I'd taken sleeping tablets. Suddenly the first thing I see is four people I don't know and I'm on the other side of the world. I reacted the same way I'm sure anybody would in that situation." (My drink and drugs shame, page 9, New Idea, 22 March 2008) Police Lieutenant Bill Schwartz, however reported:
To stop Carey harming himself and damaging the car, the officers put him into a leather hobble restraint around his hands and legs.
Carey faced up to fifteen years in jail and $30,000 USD fines. Additionally Carey was fired from commentary jobs at 3AW and the Nine Network
following the coverage of the two arrests. Ultimately Carey pled guilty to assaulting and resisting Miami police. In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed that Carey should only serve 50 hours of community service, attend alcohol- and anger-management classes, serve two years probation, and pay $US500 ($720) to a Miami police charity.
As a consequence of his criminal record in the United States, Carey was refused an entry visa in October 2009.
On 16 March 2008 Carey revealed he was, for a long period, an abuser of alcohol and cocaine
. On 31 March 2008 Carey appeared on interview show Enough Rope
, where he talked candidly about his life and recent controversies. 1.5 million viewers tuned into the highly publicized interview.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played with the North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
and Adelaide
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....
Football Clubs in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL).
A dual Premiership Captain at North Melbourne, four time North Melbourne Best & Fairest
Syd Barker Medal
The Syd Barker Medal is awarded to the North Melbourne Football Club player who has been judged the best and fairest of the footy season. The award has been given out continuously since 1937. Before then it was known as the Syd Barker Memorial Trophy....
and seven time All-Australian
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
, Carey, nicknamed "The King", is generally considered to be one of greatest players to have ever played Australian Football. In 2001 he was named as centre half-forward
Centre half-forward
In Australian rules football, the centre half-forward is a position on the half-forward line of a football field. The directly opposing player is a Centre-Half-Back....
and captain of North Melbourne's Team of the Century and in 2008 was named as Australian football's greatest ever player as part of a list of the top 50 players of all time, published in the book The Australian Game of Football, which was released by the League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
to celebrate 150 years of Australian rules football.
Carey has received significant media attention for his off-field scandals, both as a player and after retirement.
Early years
Carey grew up in Wagga WaggaWagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
, regarded as the frontier dividing "Aussie rules" territory with that of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. Carey played rugby league as a junior but began playing Australian Football at age eight and, in his early teens, moved to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, where he attended The Heights School
The Heights School (Australia)
The Heights School is a combined Secondary and Primary school serving the Modbury Heights area in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in Adelaide's District 5 school district, in close proximity to Golden Grove High School, Gleeson College and Pedare Christian College.-History:The Heights...
, Modbury Heights and continued playing junior football for North Adelaide.
Carey has since stated of his desire to play in the Essendon District Football League alongside nephew Kade. However Kade plays for Maribyrnong Park whilst Carey has been linked to Aberfeldie.
1987–1989: VFL debut
In 1987, Carey was picked up by North Melbourne after a series of events which would have left the Sydney SwansSydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
' recruiting staff slightly red-faced in hindsight. That year, North Melbourne club CEO Greg Miller met with Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
's football department to discuss the transfer to North Melbourne Football Club of John Longmire
John Longmire
John Longmire is the current coach of the Sydney Swans. As a player, he represented the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League from 1988 to 1999.-Early years:...
, already an established key position player. Once that deal concluded, Miller then enquired about Carey. He made a token offer of $10,000 as transfer fee, to which the Swans surprisingly agreed. As a 16 year old, Carey made the move to Melbourne and played for the North Melbourne under 19s, where he starred in their 1988 premiership side, coached by Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
. Carey was promoted to the senior list the following year and, after dislocating his left shoulder in a practice match early in the year, made his first appearance for the North Melbourne seniors as an 18 year old in round 11 of 1989
1989 VFL season
-Notable events:* In Round 13, horrendous conditions at Windy Hill saw Essendon and Footscray play the lowest scoring game since the 1927 Grand Final, with the teams combining for only 6.15 ....
against Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
.
1990
After playing just four games for a mediocre return in his debut year, Carey burst onto the scene in 19901990 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1990.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 154...
as a goal kicking Centre Half Forward and perfect support to Full Forward and fellow New South Welshman, John Longmire (who was that year's Coleman Medal
Coleman Medal
The Coleman Medal is awarded yearly to the Australian Football League player who kicks the most goals in regular-season matches in that year...
list as the league's leading goal kicker). Carey immediately drew the attention of the football world and built a reputation early in his career as an aggressive, big marking and long kicking key position player. That year, Carey would represent New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in State of Origin
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
football and finish the 1990 season as runner up in North Melbourne's best and fairest, behind Longmire. In round 13, a then 19 year old Carey took 8 marks, had 22 disposals and kicked 7 goals in a big win over Sydney. It was the first of many times Carey would dominate up forward for North. In 21 games in 1990 Carey averaged 5 marks, 14 disposals and 1.8 goals.
1991
19911991 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1991.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...
started very promisingly for Carey and after nine rounds he was averaging 7 marks, 16 disposals and 2.4 goals. At that stage he was leading North Melbourne's best and fairest and, despite still being a teenager, was arguably the Kangaroos' most important player. In Round 10 against Footscray, Carey started brilliantly, kicking two first quarter goals, before an injury to his right shoulder forced him to sit out the rest of that game and the next eight. He struggled to regain form when he returned for the last 5 rounds.
1992
Early in 19921992 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1992. The AFL Grand Final this year was won by the West Coast Eagles, who became the first non-Victorian club to win a Premiership.-Ladder:...
Carey considered leaving North Melbourne and returning to Adelaide due to internal unrest within the leadership of the club. He was convinced to stay by the coaching staff and, in the latter half of the season, Carey began to show signs that he was destined for greatness. A best on ground performance for South Australia
South Australia Australian rules football team
The Croweaters is the representative side of South Australia in the sport of Australian rules football. The team is currently the representative team of the South Australian National Football League and South Australian under-age footballers.-History:...
in their State of Origin win over Victoria
Victoria Australian rules football team
The Victorian Australian rules football team, also known as the Big V is the representative side of Victoria, Australia in the sport of Australian rules football....
was followed by a string of outstanding performances to close the season out. By season's end Carey was dominating Centre Half Forward like no one else in the league, his play trademarked by big marks and long goals. He finished the year with an impressive 7 goal performance against Fitzroy and averaged 10 marks, 20 disposals and 3.3 goals during North Melbourne's last 8 games. For the season, he averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 2.2 goals per game. Carey had his first top five finish in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
, claimed his first club best and fairest and was named club captain by new coach Denis Pagan ahead of the 1993 season.
1993–2001: Captaincy
As captain, Carey led North Melbourne to the finals for eight consecutive years from 1993 to 2000. This streak included seven straight preliminary finals, three Grand Finals and two Premierships (1996 and 1999). During this eight year period, Carey played 170 games, averaged 8 marks and 19 disposals per game and kicked 524 goals at 3.1 per game. He won three further club best and fairests, was a five time club leading goal kicker, All Australian Centre Half Forward seven times, including four times as captain and once as vice-captain, and he was named MVPLeigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
by the Players' Association twice, in 1995 and 1998.
Carey was criticised widely for both his on and off field behaviour. On the field he was reported three times and suspended twice for a total of five weeks in 1994, and off the field a charge of sexual assault in 1996 put a damper on his otherwise stellar form. Bookies had Carey as pre-count favourite for the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
on four separate occasions (1993, 1995, 1996 and 1998), but many believe his on field arrogance and backchat to umpires were the primary reason he never claimed the game's highest individual honor.
1993
In 19931993 AFL season
-Ladder:All teams played 20 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. Each team also had two byes. An additional 7 games were played during the finals series.-Awards:*The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Gavin Wanganeen of ....
, at age 21, Carey was the second youngest club captain in VFL/AFL history. Carey consistently won games off his own boot, including a game against reigning premiers the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
in round 12, where he cut All Australian and Hall of Fame centre half-back
Centre half-back
In Australian rules football, the centre half-back refers to a position in the half-back line of a football field.Centre half back is considered a key position in defence. Examples of centre half-backs include Glen Jakovich, Darren Mead, Tom Harley and Chris Tarrant....
Glen Jakovich
Glen Jakovich
Glen Jakovich is a former Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles.Glen was recruited from South Fremantle in Western Australia and debuted in 1991 and played most of his career at the Centre Half Back position, in the number 27 gernsey...
to shreds and then against that year's eventual premiers in Essendon in round 15, where he played a dominant final quarter that marked him as an out-and-out champion. Amazingly, after 15 rounds of the 1993 season, with North Melbourne on top of the AFL ladder, Carey was leading the club in marks, disposals and goals, before he was injured in their round 16 clash with Brisbane and did not play again until round 20. For the season he averaged 8 marks, 19 disposals and 3.4 goals per game. At the end of the season, Carey became the youngest ever All-Australian captain at 22 years of age and finished third in the Brownlow Medal count, after being outright favourite to take out the prestigious award. But for the freakish efforts of Gary Ablett, many experts had Carey as the game's best player at the conclusion of the season, and he was runner-up behind Ablett in the Leigh Matthews Trophy
Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
.
1994
The following year Carey appeared to have improved again. After round 6 of the 19941994 AFL season
-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. An additional 9 games were played during the finals series. It was the first season that the AFL implemented a top 8 team finals series...
season, Carey was averaging 12 marks, 21 disposals and 4.8 goals per game. This included a 17 mark, 26 disposal, 7 goal performance against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
, 13 marks, 21 disposals and 6 goals against Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
and a 15 mark, 21 disposal, 5 goal demolition of arch rival, Glen Jakovich and the West Coast Eagles. Carey's mid season suspensions subdued him somewhat, before he turned it on again to dominate in the finals with two of the all time great individual finals performances.
In the qualifying final against Hawthorn, Carey kicked the last goal of the final quarter to level the score and force the game into extra time. Carey then kicked the goal to seal the win during extra time and earn North Melbourne a week break before the preliminary final. He finished the game with 10 marks, 32 disposals and 4 goals in an inspiring performance. Two weeks later Carey was irrepressible in the preliminary final against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
. With North down by four goals at half time, it was Carey's four third quarter goals that kept them in the game. He played a lone hand up forward with 14 marks, of which 10 were contested, 24 disposals and 6 goals, to once again have the scores level at full time, before Geelong won by a goal, kicked after the final siren by Gary Ablett. Carey's 10 contested marks in the preliminary final were an all time AFL record at the time, and his finals performances were made more impressive by the fact that he played both games with a torn calf muscle. "In the 21 days between tearing the muscle and the end of the Geelong game, Wayne trained for approximately 10 minutes. To then be best on ground in two finals was nothing short of freakish, and a testament to his talent and commitment." Coach Denis Pagan later said of Carey's finals performances. For the season Carey averaged 9 marks, 19 disposals and 3.3 goals per game.
'No Carey, No North'
During the first two years of Carey's captaincy at North Melbourne the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
registered an impressive 25 wins from the 35 home and away games in which Carey played. In contrast, they lost all but one of the seven games in which he was absent during the same period. Such was the influence that Carey had on games in which he played, and so much did the Kangaroos struggle in his absence that, in mid 1994, the phenomenon was given a name – 'No Carey, no North'.
1995
After leading North Melbourne to the Ansett Cup Premiership in the pre-season, Carey's reputation as the games number one player continued to grow early in 19951995 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1995.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:*This was the first ANZAC Day clash held between Collingwood and Essendon which famously ended in a draw.-Round 5:-Round 6:...
. He kicked 18 goals in North's four pre-season games and was the dominant player on the ground on each occasion. By mid season, Carey was an unbackable favorite to take out the Brownlow Medal as he dominated games like none before him. Over nine games, from rounds 6 to 14, Carey averaged 11 marks, 22 disposals and 3.8 goals per game in a brilliant run of form. In round seven, he registered a career high 33 disposals against Fitzroy. His best games of the year, however, came later in the season, both against Premiership contenders Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
. The first was in a come-from-behind last quarter win in round 19, and then four weeks later in a Qualifying Final win – Carey's third dominant finals game in succession. In both games Carey kicked five goals and had 25 and 22 disposals respectively. The season ended on a sour note for Carey, being well held by Jakovich in the Semi Final and then Full back of the Century Stephen Silvagni
Stephen Silvagni
Stephen Silvagni is a former Australian rules footballer for the Carlton Football Club.During his long VFL/AFL career, from his debut in 1985, until his retirement in 2001, he gained the reputation as one of the greatest ever full-backs to play the game and was named as full-back in the AFL Team...
in the Preliminary Final, where North Melbourne went down to eventual Premiers Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
. For the season, Carey averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 2.6 goals per game, led the league in marks and contested marks and took out a host of individual awards from the media and Players' Association as the seasons best player.
1996
By 19961996 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:...
Carey was all but unanimously considered the best player in the AFL. He became known as a master of the pack mark and the long goal. Few players in the game have ever dominated in the air or kicked as many goals from beyond the 50 meter arc as Carey in the 1990s. He again led the league in marks and contested marks and kicked a career high 82 goals in 1996, one of his most consistent seasons. He kicked a career high 11 goals against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
in Round 17 – a game in which he also tallied 15 marks, 31 disposals and 3 tackles – and followed it up in the next game with 27 disposals and 7 goals against Hawthorn. His 12 contested marks in round 17 broke his own record for the most contested marks in a game, which he set two years earlier, and remains a record to this day. North went on to win the 1996 premiership, with Carey again a stand out in all three finals games, including the Grand Final against Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
, where he was runner-up to Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire career with the North Melbourne Football Club.Archer had a reputation as one of the most courageous players ever to play the game...
in Norm Smith Medal
Norm Smith Medal
The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.-History:The Norm Smith Medal is named after former Melbourne player and coach, Norm Smith...
voting. He averaged 11 marks, 23 disposals and 2.3 goals during the finals and 8 marks, 19 disposals and 3.3 goals for the season. Carey won his third best and fairest award in 1996, but finished runner-up to team mate Corey McKernan
Corey McKernan
Corey McKernan is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos and Carlton Blues in the Australian Football League...
in the Players' Association MVP award.
1997
Eight minutes into the second quarter of the 1997 AFL season1997 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997.The Port Adelaide Power joined the competition.The Brisbane Lions also joined the competition after the merger of the and ....
Carey dislocated his left shoulder for the second time in his career, and missed much of the season. Upon his return in round 13, Carey spent much of the remainder of the Home and Away season at Centre Half Back. There was some concern as to whether he would regain top form as he struggled with mobility through the injured shoulder. As North entered the finals campaign, Carey assumed his customary Centre Half Forward position and re-established himself as the games pre-eminent player in a Qualifying Final against Geelong. In a low scoring game, played in very wet conditions, Carey was dominant with 10 marks and 23 disposals. He also kicked 7 goals and created two others, in a team total of 11 goals. It was a performance that Mike Sheahan
Mike Sheahan
Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...
named Carey's best in the book 'The Australian Game of Football', released in 2008.
1998
Prior to round one of the 1998 season, Carey booted six second half goals in the Ansett Cup Grand Final against St Kilda, earning himself the Michael Tuck MedalMichael Tuck Medal
Since 1992, the Michael Tuck Medal has been awarded to the best-and-fairest player in the AFL Pre-season Cup Final. It is named after Michael Tuck, the current AFL games record holder who played 426 senior matches for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1972 and 1991....
, as the best on ground in the pre-season Grand Final, and issuing an ominous warning to the rest of the competition that he was over his injury woes of the previous year.
In one of his greatest seasons, Carey hit arguably the best form of his career in 1998 as he led North Melbourne on a club record 11 game winning streak. During the streak he registered 20 or more disposals and 5 or more goals on six separate occasions. Coach Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan
Denis Pagan is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the VFL/AFL. He is current coach of Northern Knights in TAC Cup.-Playing career:...
designed the team's offence around Carey, instructing other forwards to draw their direct opponents outside the 50 metre arc to make space for Carey, a tactic which became known as "Pagan's Paddock". In round 15, Carey demolished St Kilda with 14 marks, 26 disposals and 6 goals. The following week five first half goals against West Coast, including one of the goals of the year in the second quarter, saw Glen Jakovich taken to the bench. His form continued the next week when he kicked 8 goals against Melbourne, to go with 11 marks, 24 disposals and 4 tackles and, three weeks later, Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
received the same treatment as Carey again kicked 8 goals and had 25 disposals. In the final two rounds Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
had no answers to limit his influence and he was completely dominant in each game, kicking 5 and 4 goals respectively and taking contested marks at will, all around the ground. After Carey kicked another 5 goals in the first round of the finals to ensure a comfortable win over Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, he had kicked 45 goals in the previous nine games and averaged 22 disposals and 9 marks per game. The winning streak ended on Grand Final
1998 AFL Grand Final
-Match details:-References:...
day with a loss to Adelaide. For the season, Carey averaged 8 marks, 20 disposals and 3.2 goals per game. He again led the league in marks and contested marks and was runner up in the league goal kicking race behind Tony Lockett
Tony Lockett
Anthony Howard "Tony" Lockett is a former Australian rules football player. Lockett is the highest goal scorer in the history of the VFL/AFL with 1,360 goals in a career of 281 games, that commenced in 1983 with the St Kilda Football Club, and finished in 2002 with the Sydney Swans...
, with 80 goals. Carey once again won almost every individual award on offer at season's end, with the noticeable exception of the Brownlow.
1999
Carey missed five games early in 1999 through injury, and spent much of the year in the forward line closer to goals. He averaged a career high 3.8 goals per game for the season, to go with 7 marks and 18 disposals. He helped North to a 15 and 2 record after his return from injury, in another premiership year for the Kangaroos. In round 8, Carey's first game back from injury, he kicked 7 goals against HawthornHawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
. Once again Carey's late season form was unparalleled, and in the nine games leading up to the Grand Final
1999 AFL Grand Final
The 1999 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between and , held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1999. It was the 103rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the...
he averaged 8 marks, 19 disposals and 5.1 goals per game. He kicked 9 goals against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
in Round 16, followed it up the next week with a 10 goal, 12 mark and 24 disposal performance in a losing side against Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
and in the wet in a Qualifying Final against Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...
had 11 marks, 24 disposals and 6 goals in one of his greatest finals performances. Matched up against Carlton's Stephen Silvagni in the Grand Final, Carey played a slightly unfamiliar role. After marking and kicking North Melbourne's opening goal in the first quarter, he struggled to get on top of the Carlton champion and was moved to the midfield after half time. He then gathered the most disposals afield in the third quarter and was the catalyst in a dominant quarter for North, before returning to the forward line in the final term to take a spectacular one handed mark and kick the final goal of the game.
2000
By season 2000, Carey had firmly established himself in the minds of most as the greatest player of the modern era and greatest Centre Half Forward ever to play the game. Stints at Centre Half Back and in the midfield that year had him notch consecutive 30-plus possession games and add yet another dimension to his game. In an incredible run of form over 6 games between rounds 4 and 10, Carey averaged 12 marks, 27 disposals and 3.5 goals per game, playing in a variety of positions. In round 14 against BrisbaneBrisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
, playing back in his customary Centre Half Forward position, Carey became only the second player, after Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
, to record 5 plus goals and 20 plus disposals in a game for the 30th time in his career. Three weeks later in round 17 against Melbourne, he repeated the feat for the 31st time. Statistically, 2000 was shaping up as one of Carey's best years and, with just two games left of the Home and Away season, he held averages of 9 marks, 20 disposals and 3.2 goals per game. Towards the end of the season however, Carey began to suffer heavily from the debilitating groin condition Osteitis pubis
Osteitis pubis
Since 1924, osteitis pubis has been known as a noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis causing varying degrees of lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Osteitis pubis was first described in patients who had undergone suprapubic surgery and remains a well-known complication of invasive...
and his mobility and form subsequently slumped going into the finals. For the season he finished with averages of 8 marks, 18 disposals and 3.0 goals. Carey was runner-up in the Leigh Matthews Trophy for the second year in a row and the fourth time in his career, this time behind Carlton's Anthony Koutoufides
Anthony Koutoufides
Anthony Koutoufides is a former Australian rules footballer with the Carlton Football Club. One of the most powerful and athletic players of all-time, he played in almost every position and was often called the prototype of the modern footballer.Of Greek and Italian descent, Koutoufides has been...
. It was his sixth top two finish in the League's MVP award in eight seasons.
2001
Going into 20012001 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:Port Adelaide defeated Brisbane Lions 17.9 to 3.8 in the Final....
, his 13th season at North Melbourne and 9th as captain, Carey struggled to maintain consistent form as he battled various injuries. The physical nature of his play throughout his career began to take its toll on Carey's body, particularly his back, neck and shoulders and he was not able to string more than 5 games together at any point during the season. After round 13, Carey had played just seven games and averaged only 11 disposals and 2.0 goals per game. A comparatively injury free second half of the season saw him play seven of the next eight games and average an improved 14 disposals and 3.0 goals per game. He kicked six goals in round 14 against Melbourne, and the next week, against West Coast, Carey kicked five goals and had a season high 18 disposals in his final game in North Melbourne colours matched up against long time adversary Glen Jakovich. In round 21, after playing 14 games and kicking 35 goals that year, Wayne Carey played what would end up being his last game for the North Melbourne Football Club.
2002: Extramarital affair and leaving North Melbourne
In March 2002 Carey had an extramarital affair with then-best-friend North Melbourne stalwart and Vice Captain Anthony StevensAnthony Stevens
Anthony Stevens is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. He was named as ruck rover in the club's official 'Team of the Century'....
's wife, Kelli. Carey and Stevens were attending a party at team mate Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire career with the North Melbourne Football Club.Archer had a reputation as one of the most courageous players ever to play the game...
's house. Carey is quoted as saying Kelli followed him into the toilets, in front of a large crowd including her husband. An argument ensued between Carey and Stevens and both subsequently failed to attend football training. In the face of his team being united against him, as well as nationwide condemnation, Carey resigned in disgrace from North Melbourne. Carey's then manager Ricky Nixon
Ricky Nixon
Ricky L. Nixon is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and now a high profile Australian sports agent. He is currently serving a two year suspension following an investigation by the AFL Players Association Accreditation Board.-Football career:Recruited from Golden Square in the...
famously stated that his client was on "suicide watch" during the aftermath. To avoid media attention Carey fled to Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Carey's management later denied speculation that he had trained with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
2003–2004: Re-emergence at Adelaide
For some time, it was unclear whether Carey would return to AFL football, but after the end of the 20022002 AFL season
-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176...
season and a 12 month absence from football, Carey was signed up by the Adelaide Crows, where he played for the next two seasons.
2003
Age and injury plagued Carey in 20032003 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...
and prevented him from dominating as he once did. He did manage to earn a top ten finish in the club best and fairest and kicked the second most goals of any Crow for the year, despite missing eight games. 2003 was most memorable for Carey's fiery encounters with his ex-North Melbourne team mates Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer
Glenn Archer is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire career with the North Melbourne Football Club.Archer had a reputation as one of the most courageous players ever to play the game...
and Anthony Stevens
Anthony Stevens
Anthony Stevens is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Kangaroos. He was named as ruck rover in the club's official 'Team of the Century'....
in round 6. On that day he kicked four goals, including one of the goals of the year. Carey's best performance for 2003 once again came in the finals, an Elimination Final against West Coast, when he had the most kicks and marks afield and became the 14th player to kick 700 career goals in AFL/VFL history.
2004
Carey played the first 11 games in 2004, after which he had taken the most contested marks at Adelaide, was 11 goals clear in the Crows' goal kicking and was coming second in the club best and fairest. Carey's best performance in the Adelaide colours came a week before his 33rd birthday, in round 8 of the 20042004 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St...
season. He took 9 marks, had 17 disposals and kicked 6 goals, out of a team total of 12, in a heavy loss to Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. Two weeks later, Carey's fourth goal against Hawthorn was one of the goals of the year. Taking a contested mark on the wing, Carey played on, having three bounces and shrugging off a tackle as he ran inside the forward 50. He gave off a handball to teammate Tyson Edwards, who in turn gave the ball back to Carey deep in the forward pocket
Forward pocket
In Australian rules football, the forward pocket refers to a position on the field deep in offense.Forward pocket players, situated in the forward line, need to have good avoidance and goal sneak skills and usually, quality forward-pockets are noted for their agility and ability to score difficult...
. Carey's left foot snap for goal was a highlight in a big win for the Crows. In round 12, Carey left the field early in the second quarter and was later forced to retire with a disc-related neck injury, marking the end of a career that spanned 16 seasons, 272 games, and included 727 goals.
Carey vs Jakovich
Throughout much of the 1990s Glen JakovichGlen Jakovich
Glen Jakovich is a former Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles.Glen was recruited from South Fremantle in Western Australia and debuted in 1991 and played most of his career at the Centre Half Back position, in the number 27 gernsey...
was regarded as the premier Center half back in the AFL, and his battles with Carey were a talking point and a season highlight whenever the Eagles and Kangaroos met. Jakovich was one of the very few players who could match Carey for strength in a one-on-one contest and as a result he was often able to limit Carey's dominance. The rivalry gained significant media attention during 1995 when the pair met three times, with Carey being held to a combined total of just 7 marks, 35 disposals and 2 goals. Carey had dominated their encounters in 1993 and 1994, polling brownlow votes in two out of three games. Statistically, Jakovich held Carey to fewer disposals and goals than any other player could consistently manage. In all they played against each other 18 times, 16 while Carey was at North Melbourne and two when he was at Adelaide, first meeting in round 12 of 1992 and last in round 19 of 2003, with Jakovich being able to hold Carey to averages of 6 marks, 14 disposals and 2.1 goals per game. By comparison, in the 188 games Carey played against all other opponents in the same period, he averaged 7 marks, 18 disposals and 3.0 goals per game.
Legacy
Carey has been named by many media commentators as the greatest footballer to play the game. In 1999, Leigh MatthewsLeigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
, who was voted the greatest player of the 20th century, honoured Carey by saying that he was the best player he had ever seen. In 2008, Carey was named as Australian Football's greatest ever player as part of a list of the top 50 players of all time, published in the book The Australian Game of Football, and placed third in a similar list put together by a panel of football legends in The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper the same year. In 2011, the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
polled 21 past and present AFL greats, including Carey, to find the players' opinion as to the greatest player of the AFL era. Carey topped the list, polling 85 of a possible 100 votes, 26 votes ahead of second placed Gary Ablett, Sr..
Career statistics
Carey's career total of 727 goals ranks him equal 16th in VFL/AFL history, and his 671 goals for North Melbourne is the club record.| Season | Team | No. | Games | Disposals | Kicks Kick (football) Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:* Association football* Australian rules football* International rules football* American football* Canadian football* Gaelic football* Rugby league* Rugby union... |
Handballs Handball (Australian rules football) Handball is a term in the sport of Australian rules football which describes a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand. It is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball... |
Marks Mark (Australian football) A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground.... |
Tackles Tackle (football move) Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend.... |
Hit Outs | Goals | Behinds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 1989 VFL season -Notable events:* In Round 13, horrendous conditions at Windy Hill saw Essendon and Footscray play the lowest scoring game since the 1927 Grand Final, with the teams combining for only 6.15 .... |
North Melbourne | 40 | 4 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1990 1990 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1990.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 154... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 21 | 290 | 196 | 94 | 98 | 18 | 8 | 38 | 23 | |
| 1991 1991 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1991.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 14 | 188 | 132 | 56 | 84 | 10 | 8 | 28 | 21 | |
| 1992 1992 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1992. The AFL Grand Final this year was won by the West Coast Eagles, who became the first non-Victorian club to win a Premiership.-Ladder:... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 21 | 385 | 278 | 107 | 157 | 26 | 16 | 46 | 32 | |
| 1993 1993 AFL season -Ladder:All teams played 20 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. Each team also had two byes. An additional 7 games were played during the finals series.-Awards:*The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Gavin Wanganeen of .... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 19 | 375 | 238 | 137 | 150 | 21 | 19 | 64 | 44 | |
| 1994 1994 AFL season -Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. An additional 9 games were played during the finals series. It was the first season that the AFL implemented a top 8 team finals series... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 19 | 353 | 237 | 116 | 164 | 13 | 3 | 63 | 42 | |
| 1995 1995 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1995.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:*This was the first ANZAC Day clash held between Collingwood and Essendon which famously ended in a draw.-Round 5:-Round 6:... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 25 | 452 | 309 | 143 | 187 | 28 | 10 | 65 | 46 | |
| 1996 1996 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 25 | 486 | 332 | 154 | 200 | 31 | 10 | 82 | 55 | |
| 1997 1997 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997.The Port Adelaide Power joined the competition.The Brisbane Lions also joined the competition after the merger of the and .... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 14 | 226 | 160 | 66 | 74 | 14 | 4 | 25 | 15 | |
| 1998 | North Melbourne | 18 | 25 | 489 | 368 | 121 | 193 | 40 | 14 | 80 | 49 | |
| 1999 | North Melbourne | 18 | 20 | 353 | 253 | 100 | 145 | 33 | 7 | 76 | 39 | |
| 2000 | North Melbourne | 18 | 23 | 422 | 336 | 86 | 176 | 35 | 16 | 69 | 37 | |
| 2001 2001 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:Port Adelaide defeated Brisbane Lions 17.9 to 3.8 in the Final.... |
North Melbourne | 18 | 14 | 174 | 137 | 37 | 69 | 13 | 4 | 35 | 11 | |
| 2003 2003 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:... |
Adelaide | 2 | 16 | 171 | 136 | 35 | 62 | 21 | 0 | 29 | 19 | |
| 2004 2004 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St... |
Adelaide | 2 | 12 | 127 | 101 | 26 | 57 | 12 | 2 | 27 | 22 | |
| Career Totals | 272 | 4525 | 3239 | 1286 | 1830 | 319 | 123 | 727 | 457 | |||
| Source: AFL Tables | ||||||||||||
Post-playing career
In early 2005, Carey agreed to assist former coach and mentor Denis Pagan at the Carlton Football ClubCarlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
, acting voluntarily as a part-time skills coach. In 2006 he was an assistant coach at Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. Carey also worked as a commentator and host of shows on the Fox Footy Channel
Fox Footy
Fox Footy is an upcoming Australian Rules football subscription television channel dedicated to screening Australian rules football matches and related programming. It will be owned by Premier Media Group, operated out of their Melbourne based studios and available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus...
throughout the 2006 season. In 2007 he participated in the Nine Network football analysis program Footy Classified, as well as special comments for radio station 3AW
3AW
3AW is a talkback radio station in Melbourne, Australia on 693 kHz AM. It began transmission on 22 February 1932 as Melbourne's fifth commercial radio station.-History:...
's football coverage. Subsequent to his dual arrests for domestic violence and assault he was sacked from both positions.
Scandals, domestic violence, arrests and drug abuse
In 1996 Carey pleaded guilty to indecent assault after grabbing a passing woman's breast on a Melbourne city street after 12 hours of drinking with team mates. He allegedly told her "Why don't you get a bigger pair of tits". Carey later settled out of court when the woman filed a civil suit against him.In 2000 Carey provided character evidence for Jason Moran
Jason Moran
Jason Matthew Patrick Moran was an Australian criminal from Melbourne, Victoria, and one of the leaders of the Moran crime family, notable for its involvement in the Melbourne gangland killings. He sported a 12 cm scar on the side of his face.-Early life:Moran was the son of Lewis Moran and...
, an infamous gangster who was subsequently murdered in Melbourne's gang war.
In 2004, while holidaying with his then wife, Carey was subject to arrest for a misdemeanour battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
report while holidaying in Las Vegas. He was placed in custody for one night then released. The local District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
elected not to pursue the case
Carey again became the subject of public comment in February 2006 when he announced he was leaving his pregnant wife Sally for model Kate Neilson. His daughter Ella was born six weeks later.
In December 2006 Kate Neilson allegedly reported Carey to Australian police for domestic violence, allegeding he had punched her in the face. Neilson and Carey subsequently denied this report. Subsequently US security guard Kyle Banks told the Nine Network's A Current Affair he saw Carey attacking Neilson while working at the exclusive W Hotel in New York City in October 2006. Banks said he saw Carey break a bottle of French champagne over his own head.
On 27 January 2008 Carey was arrested after reports of a disturbance at his Port Melbourne apartment. Police had to subdue Carey with capsicum spray and he was seen hand-cuffed after allegedly assaulting the officers.
Two days later, the Australian Nine Network announced it would not renew the television contract of Carey after it was revealed that Carey had been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and Kate Neilson in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on 27 October 2007, after he allegedly glassed Neilsen in the face and neck with a wine glass. Wayne says the truth about that night in Miami is that they had dinner in the hotel restaurant. But they began arguing which prompted him to leave the table. "I was so angry," he says. "I stood up and threw the wine over Kate, then dropped the glass. At the same time Kate got up and leant forward, and then the glass must have hit her face. I kept walking—-I had no idea I'd cut her. I just went straight up to our room and took two sleeping tablets and within a matter of minutes was dead to the world. The next thing I knew I was woken up in my hotel room by four people I didn't know. I was drunk and I'd taken sleeping tablets. Suddenly the first thing I see is four people I don't know and I'm on the other side of the world. I reacted the same way I'm sure anybody would in that situation." (My drink and drugs shame, page 9, New Idea, 22 March 2008) Police Lieutenant Bill Schwartz, however reported:
When officers went and spoke to him, he immediately was belligerent, starting striking out at the officers, in fact, kicked one of the female officers in the face with his foot, elbowed another one in the side of the face. They had to wrestle him down and handcuff him. When he was in the police car, he used his head as a battering ram and tried to smash a hole between the front compartment of the police car and the prisoner compartment.:
To stop Carey harming himself and damaging the car, the officers put him into a leather hobble restraint around his hands and legs.
Carey faced up to fifteen years in jail and $30,000 USD fines. Additionally Carey was fired from commentary jobs at 3AW and the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
following the coverage of the two arrests. Ultimately Carey pled guilty to assaulting and resisting Miami police. In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed that Carey should only serve 50 hours of community service, attend alcohol- and anger-management classes, serve two years probation, and pay $US500 ($720) to a Miami police charity.
As a consequence of his criminal record in the United States, Carey was refused an entry visa in October 2009.
On 16 March 2008 Carey revealed he was, for a long period, an abuser of alcohol and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. On 31 March 2008 Carey appeared on interview show Enough Rope
Enough Rope
Enough Rope with Andrew Denton is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC Television in Australia...
, where he talked candidly about his life and recent controversies. 1.5 million viewers tuned into the highly publicized interview.
Further reading
- Carey, Wayne and Charles Happell. The Truth Hurts. Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, 2009. ISBN 1405039663