Adelaide captain Jordan Dawson has been ruled out of this weekend’s clash with St Kilda, after the death of his brother Jaryd Dawson during the week.
A body was found on Wednesday in the search for the brother of the Adelaide Crows captain and the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A search had been taking place after Jaryd Dawson went missing. Jordan skipped training due to personal reasons on Wednesday.
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Jordan Dawson leads Adelaide onto the field. AFL Photos via Getty Images
The Crows have listed Jordan as out due to ‘personal reasons’, as part of four changes for the St Kilda game.
The club released a statement on Thursday night saying they were “deeply saddened” by the situation and expressed their heartfelt condolences.
“Jordan is a much‑loved and respected leader, and the club will be guided by him and his family as we provide the appropriate care and support,” the statement read.
The Sydney Swans, where Dawson started his AFL career, also offered their support via social media.
“We extend our love and thoughts to Jordan and Millie and the Dawson family,” it read.
Adelaide veteran Reilly O’Brien meanwhile said the club is certainly feeling the weight of the loss.
“It’s horrible. It’s heartbreaking for Jordan and the whole family,” the ruckman told FIVEAA radio in Adelaide on Thursday.
“It’s one of those things that is hard to process. We’re just doing all we can to wrap our arms around him and his family. It’s an incredibly tragic time.
“We’ll do whatever we can to support him when he gets back and also support guys around the club and make sure we’re supporting everyone because it can be really triggering.”
Jaryd’s wife, Jessica Carter Dawson, took to Instagram on Thursday to post a heartbreaking tribute to her deceased husband, accompanied by a photo of him and their baby.
Jaryd Dawson (right) pictured with then pregnant wife Jessica Carter Dawson. Instagram
“The last photo I took of my two boys, just two days prior. I was feeling so incredibly rich in life. Now my heart is shattered into a million pieces. Huddy and I will love you and miss you forever and ever and ever,” she posted.
Jessica had earlier on Wednesday posted a plea for assistance in finding Jaryd.
Speaking on Thursday, former Adelaide captain Mark Bickley, who captained the Crows to their 1997 and 1998 premierships, said he was “desperately sad” for the family, adding the club’s match against St Kilda this weekend is now completely secondary.
“Jordan Dawson, you just don’t see any way he will play (this week) and shouldn’t be playing,” Bickley told SEN in South Australia.
“We’re desperately sad for what he’s going through. That will be a challenge for the whole side.
“When you are as close as you get as a footy team, to see something like this happen and the impact that it has on an individual and their family, that makes it really hard to say ‘OK boys, let’s get fired up about playing a game’.
“Literally, the perspective part of this sort of says, this game is important, but is it really important when we see what our best mate is going through? It diminishes it a little bit.
“It’s a real mental challenge to get yourself up after such a tragic event in Jordan’s life. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle those emotions.”
Jaryd Dawson (circled), brother of Crows skipper Jordan Dawson. Instagram
The tragic story developed on Wednesday.
After news initially spread that Jaryd Dawson was missing, police that afternoon confirmed that the search had concluded.
“Police are preparing a report for the coroner following the sudden death of a man in the state’s south-east,” an SA Police statement said.
“There are no suspicious circumstances.
“We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time.”
Jaryd lived in the remote town of Robe, on the coast of South Australia, about three-and-a-half hours south of Adelaide.
Jaryd and Jessica were married in October 2024 and welcomed a baby boy last September.
The Dawsons grew up in Robe and played football together at school.
Jaryd was also a handy footballer and he won two best and fairest awards for the Robe Roosters.
Jaryd Dawson. Supplied
Former West Coast coach Adam Simpson said Adelaide, and coach Matthew Nicks, will have a tricky few days ahead of them as they attempt to prepare for the Saints on Saturday night.
“Grief is a part of life and it doesn’t matter if you’re the captain or a staff member, it affects everyone a little bit differently,” Simpson told SEN on Thursday.
“One of the messages we spoke about is that it’s OK to feel how you feel.
“The player and his family, that’s one thing, how you connect as a football club is different every time because there’s different relationships you have and different support mechanisms that some players really need and some players just need time away.
“Quite often that’s not the coach, it’s more your CEO and your footy manager about ‘what do we need to do to look after this guy’.
“The coach’s responsibility is getting through today and tomorrow knowing there’s a game on the weekend, but we’re all feeling a little bit different today. We’ve got training, do we even train, let’s not be too prescriptive about what we want to get out of training, let’s just go out and have a kick and clear our minds a little bit.
“That would be what Matthew Nicks is thinking and then you’ve got to start preparing for the game as well.
“I think it’s always been pretty good at clubs, dealing with grief. The club does rally. You all feel the pain.
“Our thoughts go out to the Dawson family. There’s no right way to handle it. Just deal with it how you think best (as a club).”
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon offered his condolences to the family in his press conference on Thursday.
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