THE MELBOURNE Football Club extends its deepest sympathies to Brad Green and his family, following the passing of the former captain’s wife, Anna.
A treasured member of the extended Melbourne family, Anna was a beautiful soul and will always be remembered for her warm and caring nature.
Co-captain Nathan Jones, who played with Green throughout the 2000s and shares a great friendship with both Brad and Anna, expressed his compassion.
“We’re just all devastated,” Jones told Melbourne Media.
“We’re feeling for Brad, his boys and the extended families on both sides – it’s absolutely tragic. Anna was such an incredible person, kind-hearted and full of love and care for everyone. A beautiful soul.
“There are no words to describe how I’m feeling."
With Melbourne having privately reached out to Green in the past week, Jones alluded to the deep bond shared among the red and blue.
“We speak about brotherhood, mateships and friendships for life and I’ve seen that absolutely first-hand in the last week,” he said.
“The number of boys who have got around ‘Greeny’ in the last week from all reaches of the footy club, past and present players and staff, I know how much Greeny has appreciated it. Everyone has been touched by Anna’s passing and want to support Greeny and his family as much as they can.
“I think what it does show is that when you’re a part of a footy club, you actually are brothers for life. We’re very lucky to have that bond and connection of playing footy together, and none more so than the last seven to 10 days has that been more prominent.”
In paying tribute to Anna, the Melbourne playing group will wear black armbands in this Saturday’s match against Adelaide at TIO Stadium.
Jones said the small but important gesture will be a further way of supporting his former teammate.
“I think all we can do is let Brad know that we’re here for him, and show him all the love and support we can,” Jones said.
“There is a deeper connection from all the boys that have played with him and the people that have worked with him at our great club, and I think the best thing we can do is to just show our support, even in a very small way.”
General Manager of Football Operations Josh Mahoney also extended his sympathies to the Green family.
“On behalf of the Melbourne Football Club, I express my deepest sympathies to Brad, Oliver and Wilba following this sudden tragedy,” he told Melbourne Media.
“Anna was a truly wonderful person and our thoughts are with her loved ones.
“In difficult times such as this, the strong connection of our past players and the support that is available throughout the football club is evident.”
