Return To AFL Football
He married Nerissa Vanderheyden on 14 December, just 63 days after the bombings. Throughout 2003, McCartney rehabilitated with the intention of regaining his place in the Kangaroos on merit. Following an early season thigh strain, McCartney eventually played seven games with the Kangaroos' then-VFL affiliate Port Melbourne before gaining senior selection.
On 6 June 2003, McCartney returned to the AFL. Playing for the Kangaroos against Richmond, McCartney was heavily bandaged, wore a long-sleeved top and had to wear protective gloves. McCartney wore the numbers "88" and "202" on his guernsey – 88 representing the number of Australians who died in the Bali bombing, and 202 the total number of deaths.
McCartney had the modest statistics of 3 kicks, 1 mark and 1 goal, 1 behind. He booted a goal early in the final quarter, but in a real fairytale, with the Kangaroos trailing by less than a goal late in the game, McCartney dished off the ball to Leigh Harding, who scored the goal which put the Kangaroos three points in front with seconds remaining.
In a real twist to the night, after the game McCartney announced his retirement from AFL football. The toll taken from the severe burns, coupled with his poor career form preceding the bombings, meant that it is doubtful he would have survived with the rigours of the sport. But it was a lovely note to go out on, with the memorable closing moments of the game and the sheer courage of McCartney's return making it one of the most inspirational sports-related stories.
The image of McCartney being chaired off the ground after the game is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport.
Read more about this topic: Jason Mc Cartney (footballer)
Famous quotes containing the words return to, return and/or football:
“To save the theatre, the theatre must be destroyed, the actors and actresses must all die of the plague. They poison the air, they make art impossible. It is not drama that they play, but pieces for the theatre. We should return to the Greeks, play in the open air: the drama dies of stalls and boxes and evening dress, and people who come to digest their dinner.”
—Eleonora Duse (1858–1924)
“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“In football they measure forty-yard sprints. Nobody runs forty yards in basketball. Maybe you run the ninety-four feet of the court; then you stop, not on a dime, but on Miss Liberty’s torch. In football you run over somebody’s face.”
—Donald Hall (b. 1928)