Former AFL forward Andrew Krakouer has died aged 42 of a suspected heart attack in Perth.
The West Australian was the son of Jim Krakouer and nephew of Phil Krakouer, the brothers who entertained North Melbourne fans with skilful play in the 1980s.
Andrew followed in their footsteps, and found success in the AFL at Richmond.
After being drafted in 2000 with the 41st selection, the Minang and Inggarda man played 102 games for the Tigers and kicked 102 goals.
He was delisted in 2007 after being charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in a dispute between Indigenous families.
After serving time in prison, he starred in the 2010 WAFL grand final for Swan Districts and returned to the AFL with Collingwood in 2011, and kicked 50 goals in 35 games including three in the 2011 grand final loss to Geelong.
A knee injury and uneven form saw him play just 12 games in the two seasons before his delisting in 2013 in a period the club recognised it had failed to appropriately manage incidents of racism.
After a short stint back in the WAFL for West Perth in 2014, Krakouer worked as a mentor and broadcaster in retirement.
Matthew Richardson paid tribute to his former teammate with a post on X.
“Rest in peace Andrew Krakouer. A beautiful man who was loved by all his teammates. Always greeted you with a hug and a smile. Love to Jimmy and Andrew’s daughters and all his family. Very sad day,” he said.
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said on SEN it was “tragic stuff” and he was “so young”.
“Gee he went through a bit in his life, Krak, he probably had the worst of it and the best of it, he showed real grit to fight back and do what he did in his career,” he said.
“He was troubled at times, but what a brilliant footballer, a really calm, quiet teammate who was respectful and went about his business.”
