Troy Broadbridge

Troy Broadbridge (5 October 1980 – 26 December 2004) was an Australian rules footballer with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Troy Broadbridge
Personal information
Full name Troy Broadbridge
Date of birth (1980-10-05)5 October 1980
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date of death 26 December 2004(2004-12-26) (aged 24)
Place of death Phi Phi Islands, Thailand
Original team(s) Port Adelaide (SANFL)
Height 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 90 kg (198 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2001–2004 Melbourne 40 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2004.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

AFL career

Melbourne career (2001–2004)

Broadbridge began his career as a defender with South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Port Adelaide, the team his father Wayne played for, and was drafted by the Melbourne Football Club at the beginning of the 2001 AFL season. He won the club's Most Improved Player award in 2001, and became a regular in the side, playing a total of 40 games over his three seasons.

Broadbridge's first and last AFL games were both against Essendon – he made his debut in Round 8, 2001, in the teams' first meeting since the 2000 Grand Final, while his last league game was also against Essendon, in the 2004 elimination final, coincidentally the last finals match that Essendon has won as of 2023. On both occasions, Melbourne lost.[1] His final game of football at any level was in the 2004 premiership team of Melbourne's VFL-affiliate, Sandringham.[2]

Marriage and death

Broadbridge married Trisha Silvers on 18 December 2004. On 26 December, while spending their honeymoon in the Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, he drowned after being swept out to sea by the tsunami that followed the Indian Ocean earthquake, but Silvers survived. His father located his body in a Thai morgue on 3 January 2005.[3]

Legacy

Trisha wrote a book about the events, Beyond The Wave, and was named as the 2006 Young Australian of the Year for her volunteer work for various charities, including building a school on Phi Phi named in Troy Broadbridge's honour.[4]

In Melbourne's first match of the 2005 season, played against Essendon, the Demons all wore black armbands with number 20 sported on them in memory of Broadbridge. The Demons won that game and dedicated the win to him and his widow, Trisha. Broadbridge's number 20 guernsey was retired for the following two seasons (2005–2006), and it was revived in 2007 by new player Colin Garland.

Since 2007, the Troy Broadbridge Memorial Trophy has been awarded to any Melbourne-listed player that accumulates the most votes for the club's VFL affiliate.[5]

Melbourne captain Max Gawn paid tribute to Broadbridge, among other deceased club identities, in a post-match interview upon the club winning the 2021 AFL Grand Final.[6]

References
  1. Lyon, Karen (10 March 2005). "Critics see red over tribute to Broadbridge". The Age. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  2. Rebecca Williams (19 September 2005). "Zebras double up". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. p. 60.
  3. "AFL player's body found in Thailand". ABC News. 3 January 2005. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. A Future Beyond the Tsunami The Age, 29 October 2005
  5. Other awards : Demonwiki - The history of the Melbourne Football Club
  6. Riordan, Joey (26 September 2021). "Footy fans go wild over Max Gawn's heartfelt post-game tribute". Seven News. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
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