‘This one hits hard’: Tributes flow for Troy Selwood — a respected figure who was ‘loved across the industry’

An emotional Brendan Fevola has broken down during his tribute to former teammate Troy Selwood, lauding the support he provided the dual Coleman Medallist during his Lions stint.

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Tributes from a grieving footy community have flowed for former Brisbane player and Cats VFL premiership captain Selwood, who passed away at the age of just 40.

One of four brothers to play in the AFL, Selwood was the twin brother of premiership Eagle Adam Selwood, while his younger siblings were four-time premiership Cat Joel Selwood and former Eagle and Cat Scott Selwood.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our son, brother and father, Troy this morning. We will miss Troy more than words can express,” the Selwood family statement read.

“Troy was a much loved and loving member of our family. Over the course of his life, Troy bought joy and light to all who knew him. He was a loving son of Maree and Bryce, a supportive and caring brother to Adam, Joel and Scott, and a doting father of beautiful children Tom and Sadie.

“We will miss Troy’s bravery, his humour, his deep thinking, his love and compassion. Troy had a generosity of spirit, cared deeply about people and strove to make the lives of others better.”

Selwood played 75 games across eight seasons for the Brisbane Lions after being drafted with Pick 19 in the 2022 draft.

Fevola on Tuesday posted a tribute to Selwood on Instagram, writing: “RIP Bunno. Thanks for being there for me when I was going through a tuff (sic) time. Best house mate I’ve ever had. Love you mate. Sending all my love to Maree , Bryce the boys Tom and Sadie.”

Fevola on Wednesday morning then elaborated on his relationship with Selwood on his breakfast radio show.

“Yesterday was a bit of a tough day — and I apologise for this morning, I’ve been a little bit off, I haven’t been myself — because I had a really close friend pass away,” an emotional Fevola said on Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev & Nick.

“Troy is a ripper. I was going through a bit of a tough time when I was up in Brisbane, and he was sort of the bloke that was there for me, which meant a lot to me.”

Fevola said he reached out to Selwood’s parents after news of his passing.

“It’s just a real shock,” he said. “Obviously in the footy world, we can have this persona that we’re tough and we can handle anything. But we are human and we don’t really speak about our feelings often — and that’s not just in the footy world, but as men in general.

“Obviously he was going through a bit of a tough time and it ended yesterday. He’s got two young kids … it’s just really upsetting and shattering that you just think: ‘What could you have done?’ But you can’t do anything. It’s so hard.

“He was only 40. You’ll hear stories about him and no one will say a bad word about him. He was just one of the really good ones.

“It’s just sad.”

After retiring from the AFL, Selwood joined Geelong’s VFL team and captained the Cats to their 2012 premiership. Selwood then held various off-field roles at the Cats, including football operations, academy manager and talent ID manager.

Veteran Geelong defender Jed Bews on Tuesday spoke with reporters not long after being told the news.

“We only found out an hour or so ago, so it’s still pretty raw,” Bews said.

“We’re just going to wrap our arms around the Selwood’s and just do whatever we can to support them because it’s a pretty tough time for them.”

Bews played alongside Selwood in the 2012 Geelong VFL premiership.

Asked how he reflected on Selwood as a player, Bews said: “Just the way he went about it. His work ethic, for me, with him being an older guy and watching how he went about it, you try and model yourself off those kinds of guys.”

Geelong legend Jimmy Bartel said Selwood’s death hit “close to home”.

“I spent a lot of time with Troy at the Geelong Football Club,” Bartel said on 3AW’s Wide World of Sports.

“He was part of the famous Selwood family with Joel, who I spent 15 years of my playing career playing with the great Joel Selwood. One of the most beautiful families and a beautiful person.”

Selwood was drafted to Brisbane ahead of the 2003 season, but didn’t debut until Round 1, 2005. He was famously involved in a fierce head-on collision with Richmond star Alex Rance during a Tigers-Lions game in 2009 – an incident then-Lions coach Michael Voss said typified the Selwood on-field approach.

“Every now again as a coach you get goose bumps about different things, and I got goose bumps when I saw that,” Voss said in 2009 days after the game.

“I thought ‘that’s what teamwork is all about’ – when one of your mates puts his body on the line for you and is willing to hurt himself for the greater cause.

“When you see all the guys go over to him after the game and acknowledge that effort, it is spine tingling. And when you see a commitment like that from one of your teammates you can’t help but not want to let him down.”

Multiple former Lions teammates paid tribute to Selwood on Wednesday.

Former Brisbane player Ash McGrath wrote on Instagram: “Heartbreaking, Devastated. This one hits hard. Rest easy my brother Bunno.”

Triple premiership forward Jonathan Brown, who was at the Lions for all eight seasons Selwood was on the club’s list for, said Selwood “had a beautiful soul about him”.

“He had a great smile, and was a very empathetic bloke as well. So that’s why teammates loved him, and why everyone in the footy club loved him, and everyone involved that he met loved him,” Brown told Nova 100.

“Really tough day. I knew he’d been going through some struggles, unfortunately, but it never quite prepares you for the shock of a mouthful like that.”

Craig Lambert, who worked in Brisbane’s player welfare department during Selwood’s playing stint at the club, said Selwood’s passing was “absolutely devastating news”.

“Bunno you would light up the room @mellielambert Tuesday nights 1st to 3rd year dinners even when you were too old!” Lambert wrote on X.

“Your infectious smile & genuine care will be missed by everyone that knew & loved you.Condolences to the Family.#RIP”

Selwood was also a key member of the K Rock Football radio commentary team from 2011 to 2019 before rejoining in 2024.

“On behalf of Geelong Broadcasters, I send the deepest level of care and support to the Selwood family and all who loved Troy,” General Manager Rachel Patterson said.

“He was an incredibly talented and valued member of our K rock Football call team, and he will be sorely missed in the building and on the airwaves.”

K-Rock broadcaster Tom King added on X: “I loved working with him. I’m so grateful he came back to us last year.

Troy’s brother Joel Selwood commented on K Rock Football’s Instagram post: “Loved his krock family.”

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