NEWS: Possible drug related footballer death

Chris Mainwaring, West Coast star, dies at 41
By staff writers
October 01, 2007 01:05pm

FORMER West Coast Eagles star and WA media personality Chris Mainwaring died suddenly overnight.

Mainwaring, 41, was taken to hospital by ambulance at midnight after collapsing at his home in the Perth suburb Cottesloe.

Ambulance officers had been called to the house less than an hour earlier, but Mainwaring refused assistance and the officers left him in the care of a neighbour, police have said. When paramedics returned, he was unconscious.

Mainwaring is survived by wife, Rani and two children.

The wingman played 201 games for the Eagles, making his debut in the club’s first game in the AFL in 1987 and retiring in 1999.

He won two premierships with West Coast, in 1992 and 1994 and was named an All-Australian in 1991 and 1996.

After his retirement, he joined Channel Seven in Perth as a sports reporter and weekend sports newsreader.

This year, Mainwaring joined other former AFL greats Gerard Healy, Kevin Bartlett, Rod Austin, Robert Walls and Mark Bickley on the all-Australian selection panel.

Reflecting recently on his success as a player, Mainwaring wrote: “Remembering back to my '92 and '94 premiership years with the Eagles, we always felt we would win, no matter what the circumstance.

“Even when we were down or sides were giving us a good run for our money, we always felt we were in control of the game.”

Club trouble

West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett refused to comment but said the club would release a statement later today.

The shock death follows a tumultuous season for the Eagles including drug scandals and the sudden loss of star skipper Chris Judd.

Judd recently quit to move back to family and friends in Melbourne.

Wayward champ Ben Cousins was banished from the team after confessing to substance abuse and spending time in an exclusive rehabilitation clinic in Malibu.

Fellow midfielder Daniel Kerr was fined $2000 in August after pleading guilty to a serious assault charge over a fracas at a Perth party.

He was also fined $10,000 by his club in February after pleading guilty to assaulting a taxi driver.

The Eagles issued Kerr with a suspended fine of $20,000 and warned he would be banned from senior games if he re-offended.

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Mystery surrounds ex-Eagle Mainwaring's death
Scott Spits and Dan Harrison | October 1, 2007 - 12:15PM

The AFL community is in shock after the death of former West Coast Eagles footballer Chris Mainwaring in Perth early today.

Mainwaring, 41, collapsed at his home in the beachside suburb of Cottesloe after midnight and was taken by ambulance to hospital.

West Australian police said they were initially called to a home in Haining Avenue, Cottesloe after receiving a complaint about Mainwaring yelling in the street at 11.25pm last night.

Police said Mainwaring was calm when they arrived and refused help from an ambulance crew. He was left in the care of a neighbour, and returned to his home without incident.

However, about an hour later, an ambulance was called again to the same address. This time they found Mainwaring unconscious, he was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.

Police said they would investigate the death and prepare a report for the coroner.

Former AFL footballer Brad Hardie, a close friend and colleague of Mainwaring's, today confirmed his death to Melbourne radio station 3AW.

A West Coast spokesman said the club would be releasing a statement shortly. Channel Seven in Perth, where Mainwaring worked in the sports department, will also soon be releasing a statement.

It has been a tumultous season for West Coast which won its third AFL flag in 2006.

Former captain Ben Cousins went to the United States for rehabiliation on the eve of the season after admitting he had a 'substance abuse' problem.

He later returned and played his first game of the season in Round 16 against the Sydney Swans at Subiaco.

Mainwaring, 41, played 201 matches for the Eagles between 1987 and 1999. He was a member of the club's premiership teams in 1992 and 1994.

Mainwaring began his career with the West Australian Football League club of East Fremantle in 1985, when he played in a premiership team in his first season.

He was a member of the Eagles' original 1987 side, playing on the wing. He was an All-Australian in 1991 and 1996.

Mainwaring joined other former AFL greats Gerard Healy, Kevin Bartlett, Rod Austin, Robert Walls and Mark Bickley on the selection panel for this year's all-Australian team.

Since retiring from playing Mainwaring has worked as a sports reporter and newsreader for Channel 7 and radio station Mix 94.5 in Perth.

Mainwaring is survived by his wife, Rani.

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the_ketaman said:

Either coke or ice, but ive got my bet on coke. I never watched this dude play because im not from perth, it sucks that so many of the healthier sporty type people are getting into drugs these days.

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Shock as Eagles high-flyer dies at 41
Alana Buckley-Carr and Paige Taylor | October 02, 2007

WEST Coast Eagles legend and Seven network sports presenter Chris Mainwaring was in personal turmoil and had reportedly taken the party drug ecstasy before he collapsed and died at his beachside home early yesterday morning.

Police and ambulance officers arrived at the 41-year-old's home in the upmarket Perth suburb of Cottesloe at 11.38pm on Sunday after complaints that a man was yelling in the street. They found a calm Mainwaring who refused their help.

They left him at his house with a neighbour, but less than an hour later, paramedics returned to the Haining Avenue home and found the father of two young children unconscious and convulsing.

He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital at 12.37am.

Police said last night they had not been asked to investigate a report that Mainwaring's close friend, troubled West Coast midfielder Ben Cousins, was among the last to see the dual premiership player. They said they had no intention of questioning Cousins.

The West Coast Eagles website said Mainwaring, who played in the 1992 and 1994 title-winning teams, died of a heart attack. The Nine network reported that Mainwaring had told paramedics on their first visit that he had taken cannabis and ecstasy earlier in the night, but was now "feeling okay".

Perth police would not comment on a cause of death until after an autopsy had been carried out, which is expected in the next 48 hours.

Mainwaring's wife, Rani, and their two children, Maddy, 8, and Zac, 6, were at the family farm in rural Toodyay, one hour's drive northeast of Perth, when he died.

His death comes 13 years to the day since Mainwaring's greatest sporting triumph: his pivotal role in the Eagles' 80-point demolition of Geelong in the 1994 AFL grand final.

It also tops off a horror 12 months for the embattled club, which has been embroiled in drug scandals involving their former captain Cousins, assault charges against star midfielder Daniel Kerr, a mysterious health scare that almost killed another midfielder, Chad Fletcher, in Las Vegas, and the loss of their skipper, Chris Judd, to Victoria.

Premier Alan Carpenter yesterday led a flood of tributes for Mainwaring. Close to tears, he said he would miss his "kind heart and generous spirit".

The Australian understands that Mainwaring had been having difficulties at work. He stumbled and slurred during his last sports broadcast for Seven on Saturday, September 22.

Mainwaring was a tough, free-roaming rover who was twice named an All-Australian. He played 201 games for the Eagles between 1987 and 1999. Mainwaring, Dean Kemp and Peter Matera were regarded as a magic midfield in the 1990s during West Coast's most dominant streak, helping the club to premierships in 1992 and 1994.

In recent years, he took on the role of an All-Australian and NAB Rising Star selector.

West Coast chairman Dalton Gooding said Ben Cousins was probably the only Eagle since Mainwaring to achieve such a degree of popularity.

"(Mainwaring) was extremely popular because he was a real character, always really chirpy and just got on well with the players," Mr Gooding said. "The fans loved him and he was really good with young kids. "I understand he was having a down period in his life but Chris was a guy who would always bounce back."

Asked if Mainwaring had been a good role model, Mr Gooding paused and replied: "Chris, during his career, had the odd behavioural issue but as a player, he was amazing the way he would come up for big games."

His larrikin streak had mass appeal and fans were more than ready to forgive him in 1993 when he received two drink-driving convictions and was fined $530 for possessing cannabis and hindering police during an off-season holiday in Surfers Paradise.

Close friend Adrian Barich told The West Australian newspaper at the time: "He's a great bloke, but he's a bit like a country lad caught in the fast lane."

Mr Gooding said Mainwaring had been determined to build a successful media career after retiring as a footballer, applying himself to elocution lessons.

"He came from pretty humble beginnings and he did very, very well for himself in life, and that's one reason why this is such a tragedy," Mr Gooding said.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou paid tribute to Mainwaring yesterday.

"He was due to be part of our grand final pre-match entertainment, holding one of the Eagles' premiership cups, but rang late last week to say he wouldn't be coming over for the grand final," Mr Demetriou said.

Veteran AFL commentator Dennis Cometti yesterday said he was deeply saddened by the death. "He was a terrific player and it's a very sad day," he said. "I always admired him, I always found him a terrific young fellow."

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Chris Mainwaring's tragic end followed weekend bender
Michael Warner
October 01, 2007 04:40pm

TROUBLED West Coast Eagle Ben Cousins was at the home of former teammate Chris Mainwaring just hours before Mainwaring collapsed and died early yesterday.

Sources have confirmed Cousins was with Mainwaring at his Perth home on Sunday.

The Brownlow medallist went to check on his mate, who was at the tail end of a weekend bender after his marriage breakdown.

Mainwaring's binge involved cannabis and ecstasy, Perth's Channel 9 reported last night.

He told the first paramedics who attended that despite taking the drugs he was OK, it was reported.

The Herald Sun believes Cousins left the house in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe before neighbours reported seeing Mainwaring screaming and yelling on the road about 11.30pm.

The two-time premiership player and All-Australian collapsed and died about an hour later.

He was 41.

The shock death of the former Eagle and Channel 7 sports presenter sparked an outpouring of emotion and tributes in the footy world.

Former teammate Karl Langdon said his mate had been fighting deep personal problems that were affecting both his work and life away from the media.

"He's had a couple of issues personally, away from public life, very private and personal issues," he said.

Police and ambulance officers were called to the house at 11.30pm on Sunday after neighbours reported hearing Mainwaring screaming.

Sources close to the late midfielder last night revealed he had indulged in a "large weekend" of partying.

Mainwaring refused medical help and was placed in the care of a neighbour.

But later he lost consciousness and the ambulance was again called. Mainwaring was taken to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

It emerged yesterday Mainwaring's employer, Channel 7 in Perth, had recently given him time off to deal with personal problems.

Mainwaring had been expected to attend Saturday's Grand Final as a guest of the AFL to take part in the pre-match entertainment, but cancelled at the last minute.

Sources said the relationship between Mainwaring and his wife, Rani, had been strained in recent weeks.

Rani and the couple's daughter Maddy, 8, and son Zac, 6, travelled to their home town of Geraldton, north of Perth, for the weekend.

Another source said Rani, a close friend of Ben Cousins' former girlfriend Samantha Druce, had grown tired of Mainwaring's close friendship with Cousins.

He said Rani had been putting pressure on Mainwaring to learn from Cousins' mistakes.

The pair had recently returned from a European vacation where they had attempted to patch up their problems.

Perth football identity Brad Hardie said there had been concerns about Mainwaring's well-being for two weeks.

In 1993, Mainwaring was arrested outside a Gold Coast nightclub for possession of cannabis.

He had earlier twice lost his licence for drink-driving.

Mainwaring's death ends a disastrous year for the West Coast Eagles, in which key players have been embroiled in off-field scandals.

Herald Sun

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Cousins rushed to friend
Sean Cowan and Ray Wilson
October 2, 2007

Troubled West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins rushed to the aid of a distressed Chris Mainwaring twice in the hours before the retired player died after allegedly taking ecstasy and cannabis.

Mainwaring, 41, who was thought to have been battling depression, was discovered by police and ambulance officers who were called to his Cottesloe home at 11.30 on Sunday night by neighbours concerned about a man yelling for help nearby.

But police said yesterday that Mainwaring refused help and was left in the care of a neighbour. An hour later, ambulance officers were called back to the house, where Mainwaring was found unconscious. He was taken to a Perth hospital and died a short time later.

It is believed that Mainwaring, a Channel Seven sports presenter in Perth, had told ambulance officers during the first visit that he had taken ecstasy and cannabis. Police and St John Ambulance refused to comment on the claim.

Cousins, who spent four weeks in drug rehabilitation in the US earlier this year, was asked by Mainwaring's wife, Rani, to talk to her husband because Mainwaring had helped him battle his drug problems. A Mainwaring family friend said that Cousins first went to the Mainwaring house on Sunday morning and was satisfied his former teammate was all right.

Mrs Mainwaring and the couple's children, Maddy, 8, and Zac, 6, were on holiday at a Toodyay farm, 100 kilometres east of Perth.

Later in the morning, Mainwaring sparred with former Australian Test batsman Justin Langer in preparation for a kickboxing bout on Thursday.

Cousins returned later that night after Mainwaring called complaining that he was hungry. It is understood he took Mainwaring some food and, after talking, left shortly before 10pm.

The family friend said Cousins had been concerned about Mainwaring up to a month ago and had organised some support.

Mainwaring cancelled his planned appearance at Saturday's grand final, where he was to have been part of the pre-match entertainment. In his 210 games for the Eagles, he played in two premierships.

Mainwaring's father, Hub, 73, said that his son had some "personal issues" but he did not want to talk about them. Speaking through tears at times, the Geraldton builder said his son had been devastated by a falling out with some Eagles players this year during the Cousins drug scandal.

"He (Chris Mainwaring) harboured Ben at his home for a few days," Mr Mainwaring said. "Oh, he certainly did (have a huge affection for Cousins). It got him into a bit of trouble in the end.

"He lost a bit of faith for the Eagles. He divulged a bit of information that leaked out and cost him dearly in terms of friendships . . . He confided in somebody with some news and that news ended up going on air on television and that's when all hell broke loose with the Eagles. It was just disappointing. He was so disappointed."

His wife, Leah, was on her way to Perth to see her son one last time, but Mr Mainwaring said he had not been strong enough to go.

"My eldest son came out to break the news that he's seen it on telly," he said. "I was sitting in my office and he came in the door and he was pale. He just said, 'Dad, Dad,' and I hadn't seen him in that state before, and he said, "I've just heard that Chris has passed away.' I was just stunned.

"It's just devastating when parents lose one of their kids . . . He did have a seizure but I'm not prepared to divulge anything other than that at this stage."

The emergency medicine spokesman for the Australian Medical Association, Dr David Mountain, said seizures were often the result of low sodium, caused by poor hydration, which could follow exercise and ecstasy use.

In 1993, Mainwaring pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana. He twice lost his licence for drink-driving.

Police from the major crime squad yesterday closed off part of the street in which Mainwaring lived. They will prepare a report for the coroner.

As a steady stream of fans and friends arrived to pay tribute to Mainwaring, neighbours said they had heard him wandering around his backyard on Sunday night. He sounded disoriented and confused and desperately called for help, but did not appear to be hurt, they said.

The bizarre behaviour was so out of character that many neighbours assumed a stranger had wandered into the yard. Nearby resident Katrina called police shortly after 11pm. She said she only realised it was Mainwaring when he began yelling for help.

"He was yelling, 'Help me, help me,' and it went on for a long time," she said.

"He sounded very disoriented, very distressed."

Another neighbour, Dorothy, said she clearly heard Mainwaring call out for someone named Stewie to help him. "His voice sounded very strong," she said.

"I thought he must have been drunk but his voice was very clear and he didn't sound drunk."

The West Coast Eagles issued a statement saying the club was devastated by the news.

"Chris was an outstanding club man," the statement said.

"Our football club is deep in mourning today. We have lost a champion. The club will offer every possible support to Chris' family."

At Eagles coach John Worsfold's home yesterday afternoon, former players gathered to remember the man they knew as "Mainy" at an informal wake.

Visitors arrived looking shocked and sombre.

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Death probe to quiz Cousins over Mainwaring
By Paige Taylor
October 03, 2007 01:00am

MAJOR Crime Squad detectives are expected to quiz troubled West Coast Eagle Ben Cousins about the last hours of Chris Mainwaring's life.

Cousins, whose substance abuse led him to a US rehabilitation clinic earlier this year, was at Mainwaring's Perth home twice on Sunday, hours before the former Eagle died after taking illicit drugs, West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett has confirmed.

Cousins was trying to help Mainwaring, he added.

The Brownlow medallist returned to be with Mainwaring's relatives and other mourners at the house shortly before 4pm yesterday and stayed for about an hour, commenting as he left that he had nothing to say "at this stage".

Mainwaring fell unconscious, had seizures and died at about 12.30am on Monday after apparently taking illicit drugs.

Nisbett's confirmation that Cousins was with Mainwaring less than three hours before he died means detectives investigating the former midfielder's sudden death will now seek to interview the 27-year-old.

Cousins is not suspected of drug-taking and Channel Nine reported last night that the star midfielder passed a routine drug test on Monday.

The Major Crime Squad is preparing a report for the coroner and wants information from anyone who saw or heard Mainwaring on Sunday night when he had a seizure and died, including paramedics, neighbours and Cousins.

Nisbett said Mainwaring had helped convince Cousins he needed to go to rehabilitation and Cousins had been trying to return the favour by taking care of Mainwaring as he went through recent personal problems. "We spoke to Ben yesterday," Nisbett said. "He was absolutely devastated because he had been with Chris the day before and had assisted him, had brought him some food in the evening and left him and thought he was fine at about 10 o'clock on Sunday.

"There's been a lot of rumour and innuendo about Ben since the footy has finished and he's in great shape. He's been doing everything that we've asked of him. And he'll hopefully continue to do that."

The West Coast Eagles had become concerned about Mainwaring - who played 201 games for the club across 13 years and played in the grand final-winning teams of 1992 and 1994.

Mainwaring's marriage was reportedly in trouble and he was on leave from his job as a weekend sports presenter with the Seven Network after stumbling and slurring during his last broadcast on September 22.

Nisbett dismissed 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell's claim yesterday that Mainwaring's death was "a wake-up call" for West Coast. "We recognised late last year the problems we had within our club with the current group of players and I think Chris's situation is obviously an entirely different thing," Nisbett said.

Mainwaring's death caps a horror year for the club, which has been embroiled in drug scandals involving former captain Cousins, assault charges against star midfielder Daniel Kerr, a mysterious health scare that almost killed midfielder Chad Fletcher in Las Vegas, and the loss of skipper Chris Judd to Victoria.

Nisbett said the club was aware Cousins's rehabilitation was not over. "I assume he'll go back to Malibu and spend some time there (in rehabilitation)."

Mainwaring's mother Leah made the trip from Geraldton, 400km north of Perth, to see his body on Monday.

"He was just loved, for his personality, his achievements in football, what he did for the town," she said yesterday.

"He loved crowds and the crowd loved him. I'm sure his funeral will be proof of that. We miss him immensely and we are absolutely devastated at this loss."

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Drugs use in sport is out of control
By Ray Chesterton
October 03, 2007 07:24am

AN autopsy report today will link the death of former West Coast Eagles AFL star Chris Mainwaring to recreational drug abuse.

But in a few days Mainwaring's death will fall into the oblivion reserved for fading news stories. It will have been a momentary but highly public blip - until the next death.

That's what happened when rugby league Test star Peter Jackson died of a drug overdose in 1997.

And if not for a policeman in London, it might be rugby league's greatest player Andrew Johns and not Mainwaring in the news.

The constable found an ecstasy tablet in Johns' pocket which began the public unraveling of the Test star's drug problems.

Instead of Mainwaring running through streets near his Perth home yelling and screaming as he battled demons unleashed by a weekend binge on ecstasy and alcohol, it might have been Johns.

Johns has now vowed to abandon drugs and continue medication to counter his depression.

Elite football in Australia - rugby league, rugby union and AFL - is awash with a drug problem that authorities are struggling to counteract.

Just look at the images in front of you: a sea of well-known sporting heroes turned drug abusers. For so long some people have argued we don't need to test for so-called recreational drugs. Yet here again, with Mainwaring, we are faced with the harsh reality of a problem too long ignored.

A sporting player-manager said yesterday on condition of anonymity that player use of recreational drugs was rife.

"Footballers have easy access to recreational drugs because people want to be their friends," he said. "They give them drugs."

Reform measures by authorities are ineffective. The AFL allows players three drug offences before public discipline. It is seen as soft.

There is more support for NRL policy of a player being named for a second offence after the first breach was kept secret.

There is even more support for the comprehensive diligence of the Brisbane Broncos, who conduct a minimum 300 drug tests a year on their teams.

"The players agree they can be tested 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year," says CEO Bruno Cullen. "But I think alcohol is a greater curse than drugs. Most offences by players, including being tempted to use drugs, can be traced to alcohol."

Three clubs - believed to be Souths, Gold Coast and the Cowboys - are now looking at duplicating the Broncos' hard-line drugs policy. Sport cannot change society but it can protect its own territory provided it has the courage.The Broncos' solution is draconian but it works - that is what matters.

Former Kangaroo Greg Alexander says the Broncos idea has merit.

"A player would have to decide if having a big night out is worth ending his career," he said.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that policy."

NRL boss David Gallop says his code's policy demands clubs do a minimum 70 tests a year for recreation drugs.

"Testing of federal police is no more onerous than ours, and they carry weapons," he said.

A flaw in the NRL system pinpoints the problems clubs face in disciplining star players.

The NRL keeps a player's first positive drug test secret but it publicly names anyone caught twice and imposes a 12-week suspension.

It is possible to serve a 12-week suspension and still return to first grade the same year, opening the way for a possible third offence.

There is also a perception that clubs are reluctant to upset key players - particularly one playing well despite his known drug use.

Johns admitted his pursuit of drugs and alcohol was so ferocious and so public it was an open secret in his home city of Newcastle.

Yet not once did Johns test positive to drugs.

It's now a decade since fun-loving Jackson was found dead of an overdose in a lonely motel. It was the first significant death from drugs in rugby league.

The horrific details of his addiction and battle with depression caused an avalanche of questions about how it happened.

Surely someone had known? Surely something could have been done? Help should have been provided.

A decade later, the same blame game was replayed about Johns.

"The first duty of care belongs to the club," said another player-manager.

"But I know one manager who checked a client into rehab and picked him up a week later. The player had been in first grade a lot but drugs took it all away."

Mixed signals about the role of players in society and the dilemma clubs face if a star tests positive cloud the situation.

Most players love the limelight and the commercial opportunities on offer but argue they are not role models.

Brisbane's Bruno Cullen disagrees.

"From the moment players sign their first autograph they are role models," he says.

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Ben Cousins rushes to Chris Mainwaring's family
Michael Warner, Damian Barrett and Peter Mickelburough
October 03, 2007 12:00am

TROUBLED Eagle Ben Cousins volunteered for a drug test hours after the death of best mate Chris Mainwaring.

Sources said Cousins presented himself to club officials shortly after Mainwaring collapsed and died of a suspected drug overdose about 1am on Monday.

The Brownlow medallist, who has been battling his own substance addiction, had visited Mainwaring's home twice in the hours before his death, but left about 90 minutes before neighbours heard Mainwaring yelling for help.

"Ben is devastated by this. But he'll get the all-clear. He's had the drug tests," a source told the Herald Sun yesterday.

The results of an autopsy and toxicology tests could be known as early as today. However it has been widely reported that Mainwaring had been using cannabis and ecstasy.

Sources close to Mainwaring said yesterday they feared he may have taken a cocktail of sedatives to counteract the effects of other drugs. A source said that though not a heavy user, Mainwaring had always dabbled in illicit drugs.

He had also been taking anti-depressants, the source said.

However friend and ex-Test cricketer Brendan Julian said Mainwaring hadn't touched drugs during a recent European holiday the two families had taken.

"In the seven weeks we were away, he never touched drugs at all and I was with him 24 hours a day," Julian said.

"What I see is totally out of character. That's why it's such a big shock, because I have known him for so long."

But associates said Mainwaring was a "social" drug user who liked to "party hard".

Julian denied the Mainwarings took the trip to patch up their marriage, saying it had been planned for over a year.

But friends said Mainwaring had been down for a number of weeks over marriage problems.

Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett said,

"Chris had some underlying problems that everyone was trying to help him with."

Cousins visited Rani Mainwaring at 4.20pm yesterday, leaving just over an hour later.

She arrived at her Cottesloe home two hours earlier with children, Maddy, 8, and Zac, 6, her parents and many family and friends.

An associate said Mainwaring's friendship with Cousins had created problems; Cousins's ex-girlfriend, who left him over his drug-taking, stayed friends with Rani Mainwaring.

Mainwaring shielded Cousins from media and persuaded him to go into rehabilitation. "The Cousins affair took its toll on Chris. It put a lot of pressure on his family," the source said.

Neale Fong, the Eagles chaplain, said the family was "pretty shook up" and deeply saddened. "They want to express thanks to everyone for their sympathy and best wishes."

Mr Fong, who married the pair 10 years ago, denied their marriage had collapsed.

"They were a great couple and that's how people should remember them," he said.

The club will pay tribute to Mainwaring at its awards on Friday night. There were plans to retire his No. 3 jumper, also worn by departing Chris Judd.

The Eagles board met last night to discuss a possible public memorial service.

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Mainwaring death a tragic end to AFL season - editorial
Editorial
October 03, 2007 12:00am

BY any standards the 2007 AFL season was outstanding, attracting record crowds and producing a fairytale finish and popular premier.

But the season has been bookended by two events which have cast a pall. Both raise the spectre of illicit drugs.

At the season's start, Brownlow Medallist Ben Cousins was suspended by his club, the West Coast Eagles, because of conduct arising from "private and personal problems".

In the weeks that followed, Cousins' absence from the football field and his attempts at rehabilitation dominated media reports.

It was the sort of start to a season the AFL could have done without and ensured that the illicit drug debate never really subsided despite the great football that ensued.

Now the 2007 season has a final, tragic chapter following the sudden and unexpected death of Cousins' close friend and former team mate, Chris Mainwaring at 41.

Mainwaring, who leaves a wife and two young children, was a foundation player with the Eagles. Though injury forced retirement in 1999 he remained closely connected with AFL football.

He was repeatedly seen at the Eagles' rooms and part of his continuing contribution to the game was as a selector for the All-Australian team.

Early reports suggest he died on Monday after using illegal drugs. Ben Cousins was at the house comforting Mainwaring only hours before he died.

The tragedy is another unfortunate reminder of the hold illicit drugs appear to have on some sections of the football world.

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Cousins visited Rani Mainwaring at 4.20pm yesterday, leaving just over an hour later.

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