On the Monday after the Cats Premiership, Gerard Whateley on SEN mentioned that he had a chance encounter with a Cats fan, Robyn, in the local IGA when they were both buying up the newspapers to savour all the photos and articles from the Grand Final victory.
Robyn explained to Gerard that her son Ethan who was wheelchair-bound all his life passed away in May of this year, aged 14. She said that whenever they went to a Geelong family day, the club and, in particular, Joel Selwood would go out of his way to look after her and Ethan, making sure they were comfortable. Robyn said that Geelong didn't lose a game after Ethan passed away, and she believes in her heart that Geelong won the premiership for Ethan.
When we heard this story, we knew there and then that the AFL Fans Association would do something special for Robyn and her family to honour Ethan.
The AFL Fans Association obtained a Limited Edition Foil 2022 Cats Premiership Poster and with assistance from the Geelong Football Club, we arranged for Joel Selwood to sign the poster and pen this special message:
“Dear Robyn, We won it for Ethan, Go Cats.”
Our President Ron had the pleasure of presenting the framed Premiership poster to Robyn; needless to say, she was taken aback with emotion, surprise and delight.
Robyn wants Ethan’s name to remain alive and has asked us to publicise her story and this gift. With her permission, we have attached a photo of Robyn and Ron with the poster and a video of her expressing her thanks.
The AFL Fans Association would like to thank Gerard Whateley for sharing his encounter with Robyn and Geelong for arranging Joel Selwood to sign and penning such a heart-warming message.
Robyn and family are true blue and white Geelong fans, and on behalf of all fans, we wish them all the very best.
