Footy is thrown into shock as AFL star Cam McCarthy dies aged just 29 after battling mental health issues during his career
- Former Fremantle and GWS star was found living with a Perth resident
- Police say his death was not suspicious
- If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
AFL star Cam McCarthy has died aged 29, leaving the football world in mourning.
Emergency services, including paramedics and police, were called to Lake Coogee in the southern part of Perth about 6.15pm on Thursday. Upon arrival, they found a 29-year-old man dead.
βUpon arrival it was confirmed that a 29-year-old man was deceased,β police said.
‘The death is being treated as non-suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.β
Former AFL star Cam McCarthy has died in Perth aged 29 under non-suspicious circumstances
McCarthy famously walked out on the GWS Giants and sat out a season before continuing his career with Fremantle
McCarthy was drafted by the Giants with the No. 14 pick in 2013 and scored one game in his debut season.
He played a total of 49 games for the Fremantle Dockers and 21 games for the Greater Western Sydney Giants after being drafted as 14th choice from South Fremantle in 2013.
He made headlines when he left the Giants at the end of the 2015 season, serving out the final year of his contract before being traded to Fremantle.
McCarthy was granted an indefinite leave of absence by the Giants in January 2016 to be closer to his family while battling mental illness.
That came after he requested a trade to Fremantle during the 2015 trade period, which was denied by the Giants.
He had a breakthrough season that year, scoring 35 goals, but did not play a single match in 2016.
McCarthy would play 49 games for the Dockers after finally being traded
GWS had hoped that McCarthy would return to the club after his medical leave
The sudden death of the former GWS and Fremantle star has shocked football fans.
McCarthy is the fourth Fremantle player to die young in the past eight years.
Shane Yarran was found dead in his Seville Grove home in 2018 after taking his own life at the age of 28.
Harley Balic died in January 2022, days after his 25th birthday, after documented battles with drug addiction, anxiety and other mental health issues.
And Colin Sylvia died in a car accident in 2018 at the age of 32.
More to come…
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