Brendan Fevola's family in tears after 'great honour' for AFL cult hero revealed
The former Carlton and Brisbane player kept the news from his wife and daughters until very recently.
Brendan Fevola has revealed the heartwarming reaction of his wife and kids after revealing he's set to be inducted into the Carlton Hall of Fame. The 43-year-old, who played 187 games for the Blues and another 17 for the Brisbane Lions, kicked 623 goals across a 12-year career in the AFL.
Carlton announced on Monday morning that Fevola would be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame on Monday evening at a gala event at Crown in Melbourne. The AFL cult hero has known about the news for months, but kept it a secret from his family.
Speaking with Carlton president Luke Sayers on his own radio show on Fox 101.9 on Monday, Fevola opened up on how he kept the news from wife Alex and daughters Leni, Lulu, Tobi and Mia. “You’re going to make me cry again,” Fevola told Sayers while recounting it on the Fifi, Fev & Nick show.
“God. When I spoke to you, you rang me what a couple of months ago. And we said we’ll have a chat, just because we’re mates… and he said, I’ve actually called you on the Carlton footy club’s behalf.
“I thought, ‘Oh God, they want to get me back to coach or something’. And then he said, you’re getting inducted into the Hall of Fame and I think I cried. This is by a big stretch, the greatest thing that’s ever happened in my footy career.
“To be inducted into a club where you walk through the halls of the old Heatley Stand you’ve got all the old players and I was just a 17-year-old kid with a pimply face had no idea from Nazza Wazza (Narre Warren) and then now to be inducted as one of those greats, I don’t even know what I said to you. I think I messaged you about two hours later, once it sunk in because I don’t even know what I said.”
Brendan Fevola's funny crack at wife and daughters
Fevola said he hopes the honour will give his girls a bigger appreciation for his career. “It is such a great honour and obviously tonight’s going to be great,” he said. “I obviously told Alex and the girls and they all cried because the girls don’t think that I was any good because they were young.
“They think Charlie Curnow is so much better than you and the Carlton footy club is 40 times better than what you ever were. Shut up kids, watch the highlights. So hopefully tonight, they will get that. Alex was really upset. I rang mum and dad. It is a great honour.”
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Sayers paid tribute to Fevola, saying: “Brendan is such a figurehead of the sport. The way he played with such showmanship, skill and excitement was something that drew so many people, not only to the club, but to follow him even as opposition supporters. He was a glorious kick, both in terms of distance and accuracy, and equally so an opportunist, who could fashion a goal out of nothing.”
Fevola was Carlton's leading goal-kicker in seven seasons, winning the Coleman Medal in 2006 and 2009. A three-time All-Australian, he will be included into Carlton's the Hall of Fame with former players Jack Carney and Neil Chandler.