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McRae breaks down in emotional tribute to Selwood
SEN • May 17th, 2025 9:58 pm
- Adam Selwood has died aged 41
- His death comes just months after his twin brother Troy
- The AFL and clubs have paid tribute
- Adam won a flag with West Coast in 2006
An emotional Craig McRae fought back tears to pay tribute to Adam Selwood after the 41-year-old’s shock death on Saturday.
Collingwood players were not informed of the tragic news going into their MCG clash against Adelaide, shielded from it all until a post-match team meeting led by McRae.
Collingwood’s assistant coach Scott Selwood – Adam’s brother – had flown back to Perth in the wake of the tragedy and missed the side’s match, but players had not known why until afterwards.
“There’s no book written on this stuff, we got the news this morning and it’s horrible,” McRae said.
“We didn’t really know what to do, to be honest.
“The coaches knew because we had to get to work on Scott getting on a plane to go back to Perth.
“We protected the players thinking it might be the right thing, I don’t know if it was, but we told the whole club straight after the game.”
Immediately after Collingwood’s 10-point victory, players were ushered into a private meeting away from cameras and family. It was here they were informed of what had happened.
“Clearly when you come in to prepare for the game your phone goes into a box and you don’t hear about the outside world,” Pies captain Darcy Moore said.
“Players who played were unaware so it was a one-way conversation (post-match) about what’s happened and how it affects us and the importance of rallying around each other and supporting each other.”
In a tight knit community like Collingwood, Moore said they would all be wrapping their arms around Scott and the Selwood family who suffered similar heartache in February this year when Adam’s twin brother Troy passed away.
“We clearly work very closely with Scott, we know him so well,” Moore said.
“He works so hard for us players to be out there and live our dreams so for him and his family to be dealing with this is heart-breaking. For us it is about rallying around and supporting and sending our strength as much as we can.
“We’ve worked with him for over five years now and anyone who works with him and knows how selfless he is and what an empath he is and that he would do anything for anyone, so for him and his family to go through this just breaks your heart.”
Moore praised McRae and the Collingwood leadership for the actions they took to protect the group.
“The professionalism they displayed was exceptional,” he said.
“It was not a normal thing for a human being to process news like that about one of their closest mates, closest co-workers, and then have to go and do a high pressure job like that.
“I don’t really know what to say, it is a bizarre situation they found themselves in and a really difficult one as a human being but I’m really proud of them the way they stuck together and handled it.”
Adam’s death was announced on Saturday morning by his wife Fiona via a statement though the AFL.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of Adam earlier today. Words cannot express the grief and sadness we feel,” it said.
“Adam was a loving husband, and an incredible father to Lenny and Billie. We are devastated to lose such a wonderful husband, father, son and brother.
“We will miss Adam deeply — his spirit, his kindness, and the joy he brought to every room. His determination, the lessons he shared, and his infectious personality will stay with us always. Adam had a unique ability to make people feel special, and our family was lucky to experience that every day.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult time.”
