Former AFL great, ex Adelaide Crows and Fremantle Dockers player critically injured in cattle truck crash in South Australia
There are serious fears for football star Tony Modra after he was involved in a serious truck crash south of Adelaide on Thursday.
At around 5.15pm local time, police and emergency services responded to reports that a truck had crashed into a tree on Range Road, Back Valley, approximately 10 kilometers west of Victor Harbour.
Modra, who worked as a cattle farmer on his property in Waitpinga, was the sole occupant of the cattle truck involved.
The 57-year-old man was airlifted to Flinders Medical Center and treated for serious injuries.
Known for his high grades and being one of the most popular players of the 1990s, Modra played in 165 AFL matches and kicked 588 goals. He played 118 of these for Adelaide and scored 440 goals, the second most in the club’s history behind Taylor Walker. Fremantle, on the other hand, scored 148 goals in just 47 matches.
His impact on the Dockers was so great that in 2019 he was named as a full forward in the “25 since 95” team celebrating its first 25 years in the national competition.
Nicknamed “Godra”, Modra broke through in 1993, scoring 129 goals, and has been described as “bigger than Elvis”, arguably South Australia’s most well-known, popular personality. That year Gary Ablett won the Coleman Medal, followed by Modra and Jason Dunstall.
Modra was twice named All-Australian, won the year crown three times and scored goal of the year in 1995.
He won the Coleman Medal in 1997 but brutally tore his cruciate ligaments in the preliminary final and was forced to miss the Crows’ first premiership the following week.
Modra returned in 1998 but was dropped after the preliminary final against Melbourne. The Crows continued to win back-to-back flags.
He was awarded life membership with the Crows in 2008 and has remained a friendly, familiar face as a regular at Crows home matches at Adelaide Oval in his role as club ambassador.
Modra was named as a forward in the Crows’ “Best 22 in 30 Years” team in 2021.
On Thursday night, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas described him as “an SA icon who never forgot where he came from”.
Malinauskas said on social media that the former South Australia State star was “down to earth and a really nice guy”.
“Tony and his family are in our thoughts tonight and we all hope he is OK,” she said.
The Dockers, at the top of the ladder, beat the Cats by nine points in a thriller on Thursday night. Following the clash, coach Justin Longmuir, Modra’s former Fremantle teammate, was asked about him.
“It’s pretty fresh for me, as it is for everyone else,” Longmuir said in his post-match press conference.
“Clearly, [he’s a] Freo is a big part of his family and all I can say is I wish him and his family well.
“Hopefully he can get through this. I’m thinking about him, we’re all thinking about him.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
