Callan Ward has added to his legend after what shapes as a career-ending knee injury as GWS roared back to beat Richmond by three points in a dramatic AFL clash.
Ward was in tears after a likely ACL tear in the first quarter on Saturday at Engie Stadium, but then recovered to address his teammates on crutches at three-quarter time.
The Giants duly kicked the only five goals of the final quarter and won 12.8 (80) to 10.17 (77) to stay in the top eight.
“That’s just a reflection of who he is. He puts the team ahead of himself and he’s done that for 17 years,” Giants coach Adam Kingsley said of Ward talking to the team at the last change.
“He saw the need to try and get his troops moving and he stepped in.”
Ward signed on for another season this year, hoping to win an elusive premiership, and is living apart from his family, who have moved to Melbourne.
Early indications are that the 35-year-old has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.
“It feels like a bad one, an ACL. Initially I was probably in shock, but now I’m all right. There’s a lot worse going on than me hurting my knee,” Ward told Fox Footy at three-quarter time.
Kingsley had no doubt Ward’s injury was a factor when Richmond jumped GWS in the first term.
“It sucked the life out of our players, without question,” Kingsley said.
“So managing that, as well as a pretty strong Richmond team, playing really good footy, proved too much.”
But equally, Kingsley said Ward was just the person to inspire the Giants when they were 28 points down at the last break.
“I just thought Wardy’s the heart and soul of our footy club – we weren’t playing like Wardy, plain and simple, and I wanted us to,” Kingsley said.
“None better to ask for it than Wardy, so he stepped in and spoke about what he wanted.
“It worked, Coach Ward.”
The veteran limped off in the first quarter and soon the Tigers started a deluge of goals that threatened to shut out the match.
But in the end the visitors were undone by inaccuracy in front of goal.
The Giants were behind from 10 minutes in the first term until 25 minutes into the last, when Callum Brown kicked his third goal.
Speaking on Fox Footy after the match, former great David King was left in awe of Ward’s leadership in a moment of personal tragedy, describing his three-quarter time speech as ‘inspirational’.
“I’ve never seen this before,” King said.
“I’ve never seen a player be able to seperate his own personal trauma, to go to the huddle like that at three-quarter time and get it done.
“That’s inspirational.”
There were emotional scenes in the first term when Ward needed help from trainers to limp from the field, with teammate Lachie Whitfield hugging him before he was helped to the rooms.
The veteran’s right leg had pivoted as he tried to tackle Hugo Ralphsmith, and he collapsed in agony.
Ward was one of the Giants’ first co-captains when they joined the AFL in 2012. He has played 327 games – 60 for the Western Bulldogs and 267 for GWS.
An ACL tear in his left knee ruined Ward’s 2019 season, meaning he missed their only grand final so far, which they lost to the Tigers.
