Carlton Blues player Mia Austin pays tribute to her cousin in AFLW elimination victory over West Coast
“At the beginning of last week my little cousin Benny sadly passed away in a cricket incident,” Austin told Seven.
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“My family is here. My uncle and cousins are here today. I was just thinking about him. I know he would be very happy if he were here. This is a little tribute to him.”
Blues coach Mathew Buck said in his post-match interview that what happened to the Austin family was a tragedy.
“As a whole playing group and the wider club we are circling around it as much as we can and providing the support we need and we are fortunate to have sufficient resources to be able to help,” he said. “This is an honor for Mia. She was a true professional from the beginning and has continued to train at a really high level.”
“He’s been out of the team for a few weeks but he’s been training well and today he seized the opportunity with both hands and captured the moment that I’m really proud to see.”
Ben’s life was cut short after he was accidentally hit in the neck with a full-on shot during training late last month.
Jessica Good hugs teammate Mia Austin (wearing number 22) after scoring an emotional goal against Carlton.Credit: AFL Pictures
Members of Ferntree Gully Cricket Club gathered for training at Wally Tew Reserve on Thursday. Young cricketer’s death last week.
Coach Josh Henry paid tribute to Ben and the team held a minute’s silence for the 17-year-old near the club net before training.
They put their arms around each other in a tribute to Ben; his initials spray-painted on the local oval and his hat number: 512.
with Roy Ward
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