John McCarthy (Australian rules footballer, born 1989)

John Shane McCarthy (19 November 1989 – 9 September 2012) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

For the Welsh born former Fitzroy VFL player, see John McCarthy (Australian rules footballer, born 1967).
John McCarthy
McCarthy in June 2012
Personal information
Full name John Shane McCarthy
Nickname(s) J-Mac[1]
Date of birth (1989-11-19)19 November 1989
Place of birth Victoria, Australia
Date of death 9 September 2012(2012-09-09) (aged 22)[2]
Place of death Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Original team(s) Dandenong Stingrays (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 31, 2007 National Draft, Collingwood
No. 8, 2012 Pre-Season Draft, Port Adelaide
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2008–2011 Collingwood 18 (10)
2012 Port Adelaide 21 0(5)
Total 39 (15)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2012.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Playing career

Drafted by Collingwood with the 31st selection in the 2007 National Draft, McCarthy was a midfielder.[3] He made his debut late in the 2008 AFL season and held his position for the last six matches of the year, including two finals. He struggled to maintain his place in the Collingwood side in 2009 and 2010, playing only two games in each season, due to poor form and injuries. In each year however, he returned to the senior side at the end of the year, playing in the qualifying final in 2009 and being named as an emergency for the 2010 AFL Grand Final.[4] He played eight games in 2011, but was not selected during the finals and was delisted by Collingwood at the end of the 2011 season.[5]

After training with Richmond, he was drafted by Port Adelaide in the 2012 pre-season draft, who had the selection before Richmond.[6] He cemented his place in the Port side, missing only one game for the year.[4]

Education

McCarthy attended The Peninsula School in Mount Eliza, Victoria, graduating in 2007.[7]

Family

McCarthy's father Shane and brother Matthew both played football with Geelong. He also had two uncles, Bernie and Gavan, who played for North Melbourne. His grandfather Alan Olle and great uncle Jack Coffey played for St Kilda.[8][9]

Death
Commemorative banner

McCarthy died on 9 September 2012, after falling 9 metres (30 ft) from a rooftop at the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The incident occurred at the start of a post-season holiday for McCarthy and other Port Adelaide players. They had arrived in the U.S. resort city only a few hours before the incident.[2][10][11] After reviewing evidence, police said that McCarthy had attempted to jump off the roof onto a palm tree, but slipped and fell to the ground.[12]

References
  1. Gleeson, Michael (11 September 2012). "Pies players mourn loss of 'J-Mac'". The Age. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  2. "Statement: John McCarthy". Port Adelaide Football Club. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  3. "John McCarthy". Collingwood Football Club. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  4. Landsberger, Sam (10 September 2012). "John McCarthy's travels from Collingwood to Port Adelaide". Herald Sun.
  5. "Collingwood list changes: four delisted Magpies". Collingwood Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  6. Paton, Al (13 December 2011). "Port Adelaide grabs former Collingwood midfielder John McCarthy in pre-season draft". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  7. McEvoy, Simon; Amy, Paul (10 September 2012). "Sorrento in shock over death of footballer John McCarthy". Mornington Peninsula Leader. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  8. Hulett, Nick (27 November 2007). ""A phenomenal feeling": McCarthy". Collingwood Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  9. Rucci, Michelangelo (11 May 2012). "Footy runs in family for John McCarthy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  10. "AFL footballer John McCarthy dies in Las Vegas". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  11. Walsh, Courtney (11 September 2012). "No suspicious circumstances in John McCarthy's Las Vegas death, says coroner". The Australian. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  12. Drill, Stephen; Langmaid, Adrian (12 September 2012). "AFL footballer John McCarthy aimed for palm tree in roof jump as 'deeply shocked' Port Adelaide players arrive home after teammate's tragic death in Las Vegas". Herald Sun. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
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