Wayne Carey

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Wayne Carey (born May 27, 1971) is a former Australian rules football player. His nicknames include "The King", or "Duck", due to his walking style, caused by one leg being longer than the other.Carey played for North Adelaide in the SANFL, before joining North Melbourne in 1989. He won his club's best and fairest award in 1992 and was awarded the club captaincy by coach Denis Pagan in 1993. As captain he led the club to two premierships in 1996 and 1999. Carey has been involved in several highly-publicised scandals, both as a player and since retiring. He is widely regarded as the greatest player to have ever played the game, with influencial journalist Mike Sheahan naming him number 1 in his top 150.

Carey grew up in Wagga Wagga, a city in southern New South Wales regarded as the frontier dividing "Aussie rules" territory with that of rugby league.^[1]

North Melbourne club CEO Greg Miller met with the Sydney's football department to discuss the transfer to North Melbourne Football Club of John Longmire, already an established key position player. Once that deal concluded, Miller then enquired about Carey. He made a token offer of $10,000 as transfer fee, to which the Swans agreed^{[citation needed]}.

In 1993, one of the first things new coach Denis Pagan did was to appoint Carey as the club's captain - the second youngest captain in VFL/AFL history at 21 years of age. Carey was named captain of the All-Australian team - the youngest All-Australian captain ever.

Carey was well known for his performances in big games, particularly finals. In 1994, after tearing a calf muscle in the final game of the home-and-away season, he faced up to play perennial finalists Hawthorn. A tight contest all day, Hawthorn stepped up to kick a couple of goals with little time remaining. Enter Carey, who marked strongly over Hawthorn captain Chris Langford to kick a goal and then another to tie the scores. The match went into extra time, with Carey again kicking the sealer. Still struggling with the calf but with a week's break, Carey limped into the preliminary final against Geelong. Carey immediately stamped his authority on the game with a couple of strong marks and goals in the first quarter. Geelong then took complete control in the 2nd quarter. It was left to Carey again to lift his team out of despair and that he did, in one quarter, playing one of the most inspirational finals performances in recent memory, kicking 4 goals and seeing off Tim McGrath and Leigh Colbert. With scores level deep in the final quarter, Gary Ablett would mark and kick the winning goal after the siren, but Carey's performance that day would be remembered by all for many years to come.

Other dominating performances include his 11 goals 2 behinds (both hitting the post) against Melbourne in 1996. Carey was irrepressible under lights at the MCG this Friday night, seeing off Shaun Smith early, then David Neitz and Anthony Ingerson. Melbourne simply had no answer to his brilliance as Carey took contested marks at will, including a one-hander as Neitz pulled him to the ground.

Another memorable day for Carey was his 10 goals in a losing team against Essendon in 1999. Carey made a complete mockery of Kevin Sheedy's decision to start Paul Barnard on him, after which Sheedy quickly moved the more conventional match up of Dustin Fletcher to face the might of Carey. But the damage was already done. Carey was on fire again and there was little Essendon could do - except exert their dominance in every other area of the ground. With the ball almost going over the boundary line deep in the pocket at the Punt Rd end of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Carey, under pressure, picked it up, and with a checkside kick on his non-preferred left foot from 25 metres, bent it back through the big sticks for one of the most freakish of his 727 goals, and one of the best ever.

Despite his widely recognised skill, he was not well-liked by fans of opposing teams, who regarded him as arrogant. Carey never won a Brownlow medal. It is also sometimes asserted^{[citation needed]} that Carey's testy relationship with the umpires, notably him pointing at the replay of any decision they had gotten wrong, was also responsible for him losing votes on occasion.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2002 Carey had an extramarital affair with then-best-friend North Melbourne stalwart and Vice Captain Anthony Stevens's wife, Kelli. Carey and Stevens were attending a party at team mate Glenn Archer's house. Carey is quoted as saying Kelli followed him into the toilets, in front of a large crowd including her husband Stevens.^[2] An argument ensued between Carey and Stevens^[3] and both subsequently failed to attend football training. In the face of his team being united against him, as well as nationwide condemnation, Carey resigned in disgrace from North Melbourne.^[4] Carey's then manager Ricky Nixon famously stated that his client was on "suicide watch" during the aftermath.^[5] To avoid media attention Carey fled to Las Vegas.^[4] Carey's management later denied speculation that he had trained with the NFL's Cowboys.

For some time, it was unclear whether Carey would continue playing AFL football again, but by the end of the 2002 season, following a bidding war between several clubs, it was announced Carey would play for the Adelaide Crows in 2003. Carey played 28 games in two seasons with the Crows, but was limited by injuries, in particular to his shoulders, hamstrings and neck. Highlights included kicking a dramatic winning goal in the Crows four point win against Sydney in Round 18, 2003, and a 'soccer' goal from a 90 degree angle in heavy rain against his former side in Round 21 of 2003. He had several infamous on-field run-ins with former team mates, including Stevens and Archer, during these years.

In June 2004 Carey retired with a disc-related neck injury, marking the end of a career that spanned 16 seasons, 272 games, and included 727 goals.

In early 2005, Carey agreed to assist former coach and mentor Denis Pagan at the Carlton Football Club, acting voluntarily as a part-time skills coach. In 2006 he was an assistant coach at Collingwood Football Club. Carey also worked as a commentator and host of shows on the Fox Footy Channel throughout the 2006 season.

In 2007 he participated in the Nine Network football analysis program Footy Classified, as well as special comments for radio station 3AW's football coverage. Subsequent to his dual arrests for domestic violence and assault he was sacked for both positions.^[6]

On 12 August of 2007, Carey sparked more controversy while, as a member of the Nine Network's Sunday morning Footy Show, he responded to criticisms from Nathan Thompson by mocking Thompson's well-publicised bout with major depression. In addition, on returning from a commercial break, he was heard to make references to 'necking himself', to the apparent delight of other members of the Footy Show panel. Carey and the Nine Network were quick to issue an apology over the incident, although no mention was officially made of the 'necking himself' comment.

In 1996 Carey pleaded guilty to indecent assault after grabbing a passing woman's breast on a Melbourne city street after 12 hours of drinking with team mates.^[7] Carey later settled out of court when the woman filed a civil suit against him.^[8]

In 2004, while holidaying with his then wife, Carey was subject to arrest for a misdemeanour battery report while holidaying in Las Vegas.^[4] He was placed in custody for one night then released. The local District Attorney elected not to pursue the case^[4]

Carey again became the subject of public comment in February 2006 when he announced he was leaving his pregnant wife Sally for model Kate Neilson.^[9] His daughter Ella was born six weeks later.

US security guard Kyle Banks has told the Nine Network’s A Current Affair he saw Carey attacking his girlfriend Kate Neilson while working at the exclusive W Hotel in New York City in October 2006.

Banks said he saw Carey break a bottle of French champagne over his own head.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=383979

In December 2006 girlfriend Kate Neilson allegedly reported Carey to police for domestic violence, allegeding he had punched her in the face.^[10] Neilson and Carey subsequently denied this report.

On 27 January 2008 Carey was arrested after reports of a disturbance at his Port Melbourne apartment. Police had to subdue Carey with capsicum spray and he was seen hand-cuffed after allegedly assaulting the officers.^[11]

Two days later, it was revealed that Carey had been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and his then girlfriend Kate Neilson in Miami, Florida on 27 October 2007, after he allegedly struck Neilsen in the face and neck with a wine glass.^[12] Miami Police Lieutenant Bill Schwartz reported:

When officers went and spoke to him, he immediately was belligerent, starting striking out at the officers, in fact, kicked one of the officers in the face with his foot, elbowed another one in the side of the face. They had to wrestle him down and handcuff him. When he was in the police car, he used his head as a battering ram and tried to smash a hole between the front compartment of the police car and the prisoner compartment.^[13]:

To stop Carey harming himself and damaging the car, the officers put him into a leather hobble restraint around his hands and legs.^[13] Carey is to appear in a Florida court on these charges in February 2008, and faces up to fifteen years in jail and $30,000 USD fines. Additionally Carey was fired from commentary jobs at 3AW and the Nine Network following the coverage of the two arrests.^[14]

• List of Australian rules football incidents

• The Searching Kangaroo - Unofficial Fan Forum and sponsors of Joel Perry in Season 2006
• Video - Wayne Carey the King