How Cam McCarthy’s death aged just 29 is the fourth unimaginable tragedy to hit his AFL club in just eight years

The death of Cam McCarthy, aged just 29, is the latest in a series of heartbreaking tragedies to hit the Fremantle Dockers AFL club over the past eight years.

McCarthy, who played in the AFL from 2014-2020, was found dead at Lake Coogee in Perth on Thursday evening.

“The death is being treated as non-suspicious,” WA Police said in a statement, adding that a coronavirus report will be prepared.

The Western Australian-born footballer was drafted by GWS with pick No. 14 in the 2013 national draft.

He played 21 games for the Giants before leaving the Sydney club at the end of the 2015 season, citing mental health issues and homesickness.

The devastating news about McCarthy comes after his fellow dockers Shane Yarran, Harley Balic and Colin Sylvia all died young in shocking incidents dating back to 2018.

In April that year, Yarran was found dead at his Perth home aged just 28, with police also not treating his death as suspicious.

He joined Fremantle in 2015 and branded himself as a talent by scoring ten goals in six games before retiring due to legal troubles when he faced two assault charges, followed by a string of court appearances after quitting to play.

Yarran, father of a young daughter at the time of his death, was fondly remembered as a loving father and great teammate.

Fremantle’s Shane Yarran (pictured) was found dead in his Perth home in 2018 aged just 32, leaving behind a young daughter

Colin Sylvia (pictured playing for the Melbourne Demons) died in a car accident in 2018 aged 32

Sylvia died in a car accident in October 2018 at the age of just 32.

He died at the scene of the collision in Irymple, in Victoria’s far northwest, and the devastating news was first announced by his former teammate Brent Moloney, who mourned the loss of his ‘best friend’.

Sylvia’s friend Mindy Jory, a legal receptionist in Mildura, shared a photo of him with her and her son, captioned with a heart emoji.

The couple had only started dating shortly before the accident, but posts on both his and her social media accounts showed a deeply loving relationship full of weekend getaways and a happy, family-oriented life.

Sylvia played for the Melbourne Demons and the Dockers for eleven years, and was the former club’s leading vote-getter in the 2010 Brownlow Medal count.

Harley Balic was just 25 when he was found dead in a Melbourne hotel in January 2022. Once again, the police ruled that the incident was not suspicious.

Nearly two years ago, Harley Balic (pictured playing for Fremantle in 2017) was found dead in a Melbourne hotel aged just 25

The talented midfielder (pictured in a social media post) had been open about discussing his mental health struggles during and after his playing career

The highly touted junior player joined the Dockers before being traded to the Demons ahead of the 2018 season, but had retired from the sport before the end of that year, saying his ‘heart isn’t in it’.

Balic had been open about the mental health issues he had faced in the past, saying he had lost his passion for the game.

“It was an easy decision in the end as I have been thinking about it for a while,” he said as he announced his retirement.

“It’s something I won’t regret and I’m very grateful to Melbourne for allowing me to come to the club for a second chance.

“I’ve always loved football but my heart isn’t in it and everything ends up being a drag and I think this is exactly the right thing to do.”

In 2020, he spoke about his mental problems since retiring from the sport prematurely.

“The way I left football unfinished made me get lost in the world,” he said.

McCarthy (pictured center during a 2017 match for the Dockers) managed to get traded to his hometown club after starting his AFL career with the GWS Giants

‘That led to depressing episodes and things like that. Getting to the highest level, to which you have dedicated your whole life, and then suddenly being a nobody anymore, I found that quite a challenge.’

After failing to secure a trade to Fremantle for the 2016 season, McCarthy fell out of AFL football before being picked up by the Dockers.

The talented forward made 49 appearances for Fremantle in four seasons from 2017 before being dropped at the end of the 2020 season.

During his final season in the AFL system, McCarthy was diagnosed with epilepsy after collapsing in training.

In total, the talented forward played 70 AFL games and kicked 99 goals.