AFL fans paid tribute to Hawthorn star Jarryd Roughead on Friday night with a standing ovation in the second minute of the second quarter on an emotional evening at the MCG.
Roughead joined his teammates at the ground for the clash with Sydney just days after his cancer diagnosis.
The symbolic gesture from both sets of fans was a tribute to the four-time premiership champion, who wears No.2, following news earlier in the week that the melanoma he had removed last year had returned.
The club did not encourage the show of support, instead setting up a message board on their website, with Roughead keen to adopt a ‘no-fuss’ approach and retain a sense of normality as he underwent treatment.
Images of a smiling Roughead arriving at the Hawks’ change rooms before the game quickly spread on social media. He sat in on the team meeting before taking up a position in Alastair Clarkson’s coach’s box as the match began.
The Hawks’ cheer squad avoided any mention of the much-loved player on the pre-game banner, but the Swans sent a message of support – “We are right behind you, Roughy” on theirs.
Roughead missed two games last year when he had a melanoma removed from his lower lip.
He has been ruled out for the rest of this season after a recent scan had shown cancer had spread to other parts of his body.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Easily past one million.
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
Fox ratings last night were 349k. Good Sydney and Melbourne FTA numbers and very good fox ratings.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Very good crowd at the G last night of 61,552. FTA ratings: Fri TV #AFL #AFLHawksSwans Seven 541k (Mel 435k Ade 106k) 7mate 193k (Syd 71k Bri 27k Per 95k) Total FTA = 734k Fox ratings should be sufficient to push the final figure above 1 mill (not counting regionals).
Cat
Roar Guru
Also largely built on player movement. One of the benefits not considered by many when free agency was mooted.
AR
Guest
These two clubs have established a fantastic modern rivalry - that is, one built from thrilling finals encounters and based on genuine respect for the other. It's unlike the old days, where rivalries were often defined by biffo. These are two very well-run clubs, with strong cultures, strong leadership and sustained onfield performance. Long may it continue.
Michael Huston
Guest
Think the entire thing was handled absolutely wonderfully, and the most credit for that should be given to Hawthorn's fans and the club, as well as the AFL media. Wasn't over-board, and felt like every sign of respect was really more focused on following Roughead's wishes that the spotlight not be on him. I also thought props to the commentary team, who managed to avoid delving too much into how the context of the game actually effected the game. Because yes, we all knew it effected the Hawks performance to a degree, but I was pleasantly surprised they steered away from the topic and focused more so on the actual performance of the Hawks and the Swans, which as a Swans supporter was something I didn't expect. Hope Roughead recovers and returns. Seeing him on the TV tonight just reminded me how much of a staple he's become to our sport, and not just because of his talent, but more so because of his character.