- Scott Selwood played 169 games for the Cats and Eagles
Collingwood assistant coach Scott Selwood will step away from the game in 2026 after enduring a heartbreaking year in which he lost two of his brothers.
The Selwood family were rocked when twins Troy and Adam died within months of each other earlier this year, with both stars taking their own lives.
Collingwood rallied around Scott Selwood following the death of each brother.
Adam was a premiership player with West Coast, notching 187 games for the Eagles, while Troy played 75 games across six seasons for Brisbane.
Scott Selwood, whose 169-game AFL career ended in 2019, has spent the past six seasons as an assistant at Collingwood, but said the time was right to take some time away from the game.
The 35-year-old will spend time travelling and exploring other opportunities away from the game in 2026.
Scott Selwood (pictured) is stepping away from the AFL after moving into coaching once his 169-match career came to an end
Scott Selwood (second from right) listens on with his brother Joel (right) as Adam Selwood delivers a eulogy for their sibling Troy at his funeral in February
Adam (left) and Troy Selwood are pictured in 2022. Their deaths, just weeks apart, left the AFL world shocked to the core
‘Twelve years in the system as a player and six as a coach has been some of the best years of my life,’ Selwood said in a statement.
‘It has been a personally challenging year for me so the timing feels right to take some time for myself away from football.
‘I want to thank Collingwood for allowing me to coach the game I love.
‘To experience premiership success with the people who have become second family to me will always be a special memory.
‘There is so much to love about this club but I know what I’ll miss most is the people I’ve been fortunate to work with across the journey and the feeling I got walking across the MCG and hearing the chant of the great Magpie Army.’
Selwood paid special tribute to Collingwood coach Craig McRae for giving him an opportunity.
The former Eagles star paid tribute to Adam by running a marathon for charity in June.
Selwood had been planning to run in the Big Five Marathon in South Africa but was forced to pull out when Adam died.
Scott Selwood is pictured after running a marathon by himself to pay tribute to his brother Adam
Instead, he ran the 42.2km by himself around Melbourne’s Albert Park and raised money for Beanies 4 Brain Cancer.
‘You would have been forgiven if you weren’t up for it today brother,’ Geelong legend Joel Selwood posted to social media, praising his brother.
‘But instead you did it the hardest way possible — underprepared, freezing cold and ran alone against the clock.’
Before his death, Adam Selwood was meant to run a half-marathon to honour his brother Troy.
He hoped to raise $10,000 for WA charity zero2hero, which supports mental health leadership and suicide prevention.
A group of Adam’s friends – including West Coast teammates – finished what he started by running the race.
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