AFL champion Wayne Carey has shocked controversial footy identity Sam Newman by revealing the big change he made in his life to stop getting upset over things like Welcome to Country.
Newman has been a vocal opponent of the Indigenous ceremony held before major footy matches of all codes for years and called for fans to boo the Welcome to Country before the 2023 AFL Grand Final.
And he didn’t hold back in slamming Welcome to Country on his podcast ‘Are You Serious?’ when former North Melbourne and Adelaide champion Carey came on as a special guest.
The podcast started innocently enough, with the couple joking about their mutual dislike for players shaking hands and sharing jokes on the field before and after matches.
‘That might be old school, but I think if you’ve just lost a final or a big game that cost you a final, you shouldn’t be having jokes with people after the game, Carey said.
‘You should probably let it hurt a little bit before you take them out to dinner.’
Without warning, that triggered another anti-Welcome to Country rant from Newman.
AFL personality Sam Newman has been a long-term opponent of Welcome to Country
Newman called for footy fans to boo Uncle Colin Hunter before the 2023 AFL Grand Final
Carey spoke on Newman’s podcast about the big step he had taken to improve his life and his outlook on things like Welcome to Country
‘If the AFL could just stop race baiting everyone at the start of games by saying there’s them and there’s us, welcome to the ground and you’re lucky to be here, gee aren’t we terrific and it’s fantastic that you’re here but don’t get too far ahead of yourself,’ Newman fumed.
‘If they could just stop all that nonsense before the game we could all play under the one race of people, that would be fantastic. But that just seems to get bigger and bigger.
‘Mind you, I’ve got a feeling that people are starting to get sick and tired of this nonsense that goes on.
‘Because we are just one people and we want to embrace everyone that is in the country no matter where you are or what you look like.
‘The AFL should be ashamed of themselves. They go on and on and on about it.’
AFL star Wayne Carey has been involved in several controversies throughout his career, including a 2002 affair with a teammate’s wife, which led to his departure from the North Melbourne Football Club.
Carey had a controversial end to his time at the North Melbourne Kangaroos and has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons many times since
He has also faced legal issues, including assault charges and incidents involving drug possession, which have affected his public image.
But instead of joining Newman in getting angry about Welcome to Country, Carey – who previously said he may have Indigenous heritage – shocked the host and his listeners with a revelation instead.
‘I know that you’re very passionate about this Sam, and I’ve listened to your commentary around it,’ Carey said.
‘I do a little bit of work with a lady, and I have done for some time now.
‘People, they might be surprised by this, but I continually work on myself.
‘I speak to a lady by the name of Tess, Tess Mallett is her name and she is a life coach. Not a psychologist, but there is psychology involved I guess.
‘It’s about working on yourself. And you know what? Things like, for instance for yourself it is Welcome to Country and other things.
‘For me, do I think it should be done for everything, everywhere, every time? Probably not.
‘But does it bother me? No it doesn’t.
‘There’s nothing really in the world – and again this is just purely because I’ve done work on myself in this area – that I get really upset with.
‘Whether it be an individual or something like Welcome to Country, whatever it may be, I just allow people to have their own emotions about it.
‘I don’t judge you for your view on it, but I don’t let things upset me.’
Newman was a controversial member of the panel of Channel Nine’s Footy Show before it was axed and he moved into podcasts
That did little to douse Newman’s fire, though, who continued his rant about the Indigenous ceremony.
‘It annoys the s*** out of me mate, I tell ya,’ Newman replied.
‘Because it’s contrived virtuosity. There’s no need to apologise for being here and who we are. We want to get on together.
‘The thing about it to me is that every time it happens it just shows you that we’re divided and I don’t know why we keep doing it. But I absolutely take on board what you said.’
A measured Carey continued, saying it was not worth the energy to get upset over things you cannot control – like Welcome to Country.
‘It’s all about working on yourself … not worrying about things that you have no control over,’ he said.
‘Clearly Sam you have no control over the AFL or anyone else for that matter wanting to do Welcome to Country.
‘Whether it be Virgin Airlines, Qantas, the AFL or rugby or wherever it may be, you don’t have control over it so therefore don’t let the emotion spill out in you over that.’
Carey is trying to better himself and doesn’t want to get upset over things he cannot control
‘I would just contest, I would contend, Wayne,’ Newman interupted.
‘That I have a small amount of control over it. Maybe if enough people say this is unnecessary, we respect everyone that’s here, could you stop browbeating us about why we’re here and why should we be here and should we be here at all.
‘I think if enough people say now please, this is not anti-racism, this is anti-racism on the other side I believe.
‘We just don’t need to be browbeaten as to the country we live in. We live here, could we all get on.’
Carey urged Newman to stop letting other people’s actions impact him so emotionally.
‘What we are, and this is one of the things that Tess talks about, is we are very judgemental people,’ Carey said.
‘We’re brought up to be judgemental. Whether it be how somebody walks into a room, whether they’re timid, what they’re dressed in, what they look like, how they act, we judge within a second.
‘Someone walks past you on Beaconsfield Parade and they smile at you, you walk past and you’re happy for the next hour because they smiled at you.
‘If they don’t smile at you, then you’re down in the dumps.
‘We allow people to make us feel like that and yet we judge within milliseconds and that determines our mood or how we should feel about ourselves.
‘That’s some of the stuff I’ve been working on for quite some time, so I no longer walk into a room Sam, and I assume you have been like this for a long time, but I no longer care about what people think … I’m getting better at not giving a stuff.’
