Despite a litany of off-field points, Brendan Fevola is a beloved determine amongst AFL followers.
The burly full ahead has all the time been a larrikin and a straight talker, and whenever you mix that together with his prodigious goal-kicking abilities, it’s not laborious to see why.
Now the 42-year-old has given some extra insights into the dramatic day former coach Michael Voss informed him he was being fired from the Brisbane Lions.
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The setting that led to Fevola opening up as soon as once more about one of the vital dramatic durations in his life was barely uncommon, happening on his Melbourne breakfast radio present, 101.9 The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick.
The dialog started with Fifi Box recalling a narrative about Vogue editor Anna Wintour as soon as strolling right into a room and firing a bunch of individuals on the spot.
That led Box to abruptly ask Fevola: “I wonder if you could answer this in front of everyone and everyone listening, how did you get fired from the Lions when they said we no longer want you anymore?”
Now we’re certain this was not a query with out discover, however Fevola took the query on the chin and began recalling the story.
“I was up there (with the Lions) for a brief period, signed a three-year contract, lasted one,” he mentioned. “I was in a mental clinic in New Farm. I was just not well.
“First time ever, I got arrested for jaywalking on New Year’s Eve at two in the morning with seven other Brisbane players.
“But I got put in the back of a van, don’t know why, but then they got me on being drunk in a public place on New Year’s Eve. That’s not Australian.
“Then I went to the clink and they put me in there and at six in the morning the coppers knocked on my cell and said ‘your mates are here to get you’.
“I thought thank god, the footy club doesn’t know. Then as I walked out with my manager, there was about 100 media out the front.
“What do you want to do now, my manager said to me, I said I want Chinese.
“So I went down to Chinatown, we had some fried dim sims and beef and black bean, and then they put me in their little Hyundai and drove me straight to New Farm Clinic, checked me in.
“I was supposed to be there for seven days, I was in there for 70.
“And in that period of time I got sacked by Michael Voss, who came into the clinic and told me my services were no longer required.”
The truth media had received wind of the story and had been ready for him exterior the place he had been locked up meant Fevola had zero probability of preserving the incident personal.
To his credit score, nonetheless, he has spoken about this time in his life quite a few instances prior to now, saying he went to the clinic “to undergo rehabilitation for a range of problems, including depression, alcohol abuse and a gambling addiction”.
The Carlton life member continued his story on radio admitting he begged Voss to rethink, earlier than finally realising it was the very best factor for him.
“I was on a fair bit of medication,” he mentioned. “I think I pleaded with him, I might even have said I’d play for free, so I must’ve been drugged up.
“Yeah, that was a bad place to do it, it put me back a few steps, but it was probably the best thing that happened to me too because I got my life in order, so I’ll have to thank him for that.
“If I had kept playing, god knows where I would’ve ended up.
“But it was a blessing in disguise. So it doesn’t matter how you get sacked or where you get sacked, it’s just how you pick yourself up.”
For what it’s price, we expect it’s fairly admirable for Fevola to open up like that on stay radio, even when it was arrange and a bid for rankings.
Fevola by no means performed within the AFL once more, however he did proceed his footy profession in a variety of stops, together with the VFL and quite a few different nation footy leagues in Victoria and Tasmania.
He introduced his last retirement, we expect, in September final 12 months after profitable a premiership with the Diamond Valley Superules Football Club within the Victorian Superules League, which is for gamers aged over 35.
Fevola had beforehand introduced he was stepping away from the game solely to be drawn again into taking part in with suburban footy golf equipment, however acknowledged this time it was for actual.
“It was my fourth senior grand final and I am done,’’ he said.
“I went out on a premiership. After 37 years of the game I’ve loved so much and has given me so much more.
“It’s time to say goodbye. What a way to finish with a flag. I’m cooked.”
Originally printed as Brendan Fevola opens up on dramatic Brisbane Lions sacking at psychological well being clinic
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
