The shocking and unimaginable death of Adam Selwood last week is the latest in a heartbreaking and growing list of tragedies to rock the 2006 West Coast Eagles side that was so dominant in its era.
The AFL community remains in mourning after the heartbreaking news that former Eagles premiership player Adam Selwood has died, just months after the tragic death of his identical twin brother, Troy.
Adam passed away on Saturday morning in Perth at the age of 41, with police confirming the death is not being treated as suspicious.
His wife Fiona, parents Maree and Bryce, and brothers Joel and Scott released a statement saying they were ‘devastated’ by the sudden loss.
Adam had spoken emotionally at Troy’s funeral in February, describing his twin as a ‘built-in best mate’. The brothers shared a deep bond, both on and off the field, with all four Selwood siblings forging AFL careers.
Adam played 187 games for West Coast and was a key part of their 2006 premiership side.
Adam Selwood was part of the 2006 West Coast Eagles side that won the AFL premiership
Since that memorable grand final win, a host of tragedies have struck the players involved, including Adam (pictured centre celebrating the victory)
Adam’s twin brother Troy (pictured, front), who played for Geelong and the Brisbane Lions, tragically died in February this year
He had recently been training for the HBF Run for a Reason, raising funds for mental health charity zero2hero in memory of Troy.
His death has rocked the football world, with tributes flowing from former teammates, coaches and AFL officials.
‘Adam was a man of enormous courage, spirit and leadership,’ AFLPA CEO Paul Marsh said.
Adam Selwood’s death has continued the off-field curse that has rocked the likes of several fellow West Coast Eagles premiership players including Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr.
The shocking deaths of the Selwood brothers comes after the tragic passing of former AFL star and 2006 flag-winner Adam Hunter last year.
Hunter, 43, was found unresponsive in a home at Bunbury, south of Perth, and could not be revived.
Police have since confirmed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia was discovered at the residence, according to the West Australian.
Cousins’ battles with substance abuse are well known – it took until 2020, following six stints in jail across 13 years and a period of homelessness, for the decorated midfielder to address his demons and get clean.
The tragic death of former AFL star Adam Hunter has continued the off-field curse that rocked the likes of fellow West Coast Eagles premiership players Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr
Ben Cousins won a premiership in 2006 (pictured) – but then was jailed six times in 13 years as he battled an ongoing drug addiction
Daniel Kerr (pictured after he was given a suspended jail sentence for threatening to set two people alight in 2015) was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia after years of mental health and drug issues
He is now finally on the right path, reading the news for Seven in Western Australia, and he also appeared on Dancing With The Stars.
Kerr’s fall from grace is equally sad.
The older brother of Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has also struggled with addiction, and was jailed for two years after setting fire to his parents’ home in 2021.
Kerr was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in November 2022 after years of mental health and drug issues.
He was given a suspended prison sentence in June last year over a shocking string of domestic violence offences.
In January 2014, Kerr burned his ex-partner’s clothes and cut her bed in half with a chainsaw.
On another occasion, Kerr punched the woman in the face while holding keys in his hand, leaving a large gash on her face. The court was told he then licked the blood off the keys.
In another incident, five months after the couple had a child, Kerr strangled his partner while she was holding their infant baby.
Hunter (pictured, centre with West Coast teammates in 2003) went down in Eagles folklore for kicking the winning goal in the 2006 AFL grand final
The tragic death of 2006 premiership hero Adam Hunter (pictured centre in 2016) came just a day after the passing of Geelong champion Joel Selwood’s footy star brother Troy
He also received a suspended sentence for dousing two people in petrol and threatening to set them on fire in 2015.
Chad Fletcher – who starred for the Eagles from 1999 to 2009 – almost died in 2006 after reportedly choking on his own vomit during an end-of-season footy trip to Las Vegas and had to be revived after he stopped breathing.
Fletcher denied any drugs were involved in the episode, which saw him collapse outside the MGM Grand casino after visiting a nightclub.
He also avoided a conviction after police caught him with cocaine in a nightclub in Sydney’s notorious Kings Cross in 2010.
Club legend Chris Mainwaring – a two-time Eagles premiership winner in 1992 and 1994 who remained closely tied to the team after his retirement in 1999 – passed away following a cocaine-related seizure in 2007.
He was visited by Cousins on the day of his death, with the troubled star later admitting the tragedy helped scare him straight.
A decade later, one-time Eagles rookie Ben Sharp was jailed for nine years for his role in an armed robbery in Sunbury, north-west of Melbourne.
Sharp later claimed senior players at West Coast pressured him to take cocaine from 2004 onwards as a way of ‘fitting in’ to the playing group.
Daniel Chick (pictured after the 2006 grand final) outlined the drugs culture at the club in a bombshell interview – and went on to be convicted of meth possession
He later struggled to cope with an ice addiction, which resulted in his stint behind bars.
Daniel Chick – who provided the assist for Hunter’s crucial fourth quarter goal in the 2006 grand final during his 103 games for West Coast – has also had plenty of brushes with the law.
They include being fined $500 when police found meth after discovering him sleeping in his car, and being fined $900 for possessing meth and drug paraphernalia in 2019.
Chick was also fined $7000 for importing steroids from Thailand in 2010.
In 2016, Chick opened up about the drug culture in the team during the flag-winning 2006 season in a bombshell interview.
Chick claimed players were abusing drugs that were provided through the club – including Xanax, Stilnox, Sudafed and Valium – to get high.
He claimed that he, Kerr and Cousins took huge doses of the asthma drug prednisone, which can have serious side effects.
‘At those levels it’s the same as being a full-on meth addict,’ Chick said.
Ben Cousins is pictured with ex-Eagles coach John Worsfold after the team won the 2006 grand final. Two years later an AFL report detailed shocking drug-taking at the club
There was years of allegations that West Coast officials repeatedly covered up the wild behaviour of their footy stars.
In 2017, it was revealed the AFL previously conducted a secret report dubbed the Gillard investigation in 2008 – and the findings were shocking.
The 87-page report by retired Victorian Supreme Court judge William Gillard stated that cocaine, speed, ice, ecstasy and marijuana were abused by Eagles players – and club bosses turned a blind eye to the illicit drug use.
In 2001, coaches were warned by WA Police about players dabbling in recreational drugs, and in another incident, the report claimed a prescription form stolen from a club doctor was used by Kerr to buy 50 Valium pills.
Gillard suggested in his report the Valium pills could assist teammates to ‘prolong a high.’
The report was also scathing of then coach John Worsfold and Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett.
Outside of drugs and mental health related issues, several other Eagles from that side have fallen on hard times since then as well.
Former West Coast Eagles player David Wirrpanda pleaded guilty to breaching a family violence restraining order twice and was fined $700 with a spent conviction in 2024.
The breaches involved interacting with the protected woman via social media and text messages, actions the magistrate described as on the ‘lower end’ of the scale.
Wirrpanda, who played 227 AFL games and is now involved in charity and business work, expressed embarrassment over the incident.
Premiership winner David Wirrpanda recently faced court where he pleaded guilty to two breaches o a family violence restraining order
Champion defender Darren Glass quit as West Coast’s list manager after just one full season in 2021.
However, not every star from the 2006 side has travelled down a rocky path since retirement.
Premiership defender Brett Jones organised the American matches in the T20 World Cup in 2024, including the blockbuster between India and Pakistan.
Fellow defender Beau Waters is now chief operating officer at WA-based property group Hawaiian.
Norm Smith Medal-winning former Eagle Andrew Embley is best known his infamous fight with then teammate Daniel Chick in the 2007 off-season.
Since his retirement in 2013, he has been involved with the media with Channel Seven and radio station 6PR. He has also coached at the Claremont Football Club and is now an assistant coach for West Coast’s AFLW team.
Ashley Hansen is a senior assistant coach at Carlton. Tyson Stenglein is the co-founder and managing director of a multi-disciplinary creative studio.
Quinten Lynch has been keeping quiet as an account manager for an insurance firm.
Dean Cox has arguably found the most success in retirement, currently coaching the Sydney Swans at AFL level.
Chris Judd has been focused on investment, but took a major hit last year after a mining company he had backed went into administration.
Three of Drew Banfield’s children, Bailey, Charlie and Harper, are playing for the Claremont Football Club in the WAFL Colts competition. Charlie and Harper are father-son picks for the West Coast Eagles, and Charlie is eligible for the AFL draft in 2025
Sam Butler married Australian netball star Nat Medhurst and is busy living the family life.
The Selwood family has asked for privacy as they grieve after another unimaginable loss.
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