Author(s): Adam McNicol

Biography & Memoir

Brendan Fevola was 17 years old when he was drafted by the Carlton Football Club. Less than a year later, he played his first senior game in front of more than 50,000 people. Despite the Blues' slide down the ladder and Fev's difficult relationship with one of his first coaches, Wayne Brittain, his extraordinary goal-kicking skills and the mentorship of later coach Denis Pagan saw him become one of the best full-forwards in AFL history and winner of two Coleman Medals. Off-field controversies overshadowed Fev's on-field brilliance and saw him traded to the Brisbane Football Club for the 2010 season before being sacked by the Lions in February 2011. Life continued to unravel with his gambling addiction leading to mounting debts, marriage breakdown, depression and thoughts of suicide. This is a personal and ultimately positive story of Fev's life in football, the ups and downs both onfield and off, and his hopes for the future. It includes an inside look at life at the Blues and the Lions as a player, as well as intimate insights into Brendan's experience of family, gambling and depression.