Andrew Krakouer: Remembered as ‘loyal, grounded and unshakeable’ | USAEMALL.com

Former Collingwood teammate Héritier Lumumba has remembered Andrew Krakouer as an “incredible human being” who was “loyal, grounded and unshakeable”.

“You felt it the moment you got into his space,” Lumumba said at a funeral service for Krakouer on Tuesday at Swan Districts Football Club.

“I remember when we first became teammates. I remember thinking, ‘man this brother is special’. He had an aura about him. A powerful aura.

“He moved with a certain swag, Kraks did. He was smooth, he was slick, he was calm under pressure.

“He moved like he just had rhythm all the time, he always was always on beat, he was graceful and had the ability to move clean under pressure, but it also showed up in how he navigated life as well.

“He was loyal to his people and just wanted to do the best and get the most out of himself in life, whether it was in the media, whether in the community, he was a man that met every challenge head on.

“We all know the legendary bloodline that Krakouer came from and you know the brilliance that the family has given to the football world, inspiring so many is something that Andrew carried forward from his uncle and his dad.

The service, conducted by pastor Greg Kelly, was attended by hundreds of mourners, who heard tributes from the former Richmond, Collingwood and Swan Districts midfielder’s friends, family and work colleagues.

The son of former North Melbourne, St Kilda and Claremont great Jim Krakouer and nephew of VFL and WAFL star Phil, Andrew died late last month at age 42.

Krakouer debuted for Richmond in 2001 and was one of only two Indigenous players in the Tigers team in the first Dreamtime at the ’G in 2005. He played 102 games for the Tigers before he was delisted at the end of 2007.

He returned to Perth to play for Swan Districts., before his life took a downward spiral. In June 2008, Krakouer was found guilty of assault with intent to cause bodily harm and was sentenced to four years in jail.

Released on parole the following year, he rejoined Swan Districts in 2010 and produced one of the most remarkable individual seasons ever played in the WAFL.

A Nyoongar and Yamatji man, Krakouer played a starring role for the team that season, winning a suite of awards and starring in Swan Districts’ one-point grand final win over Claremont.

His Swan Districts coach Brian Dawson said there were “simply not enough superlatives to describe his 2010 season or his grand final display” which statistician Champion Data rated a 290. Anything rated over 100 is rated as an exceptional game.

“He won just about all there was to win in 2010. He played in the State team, he won the Sandover Medal with 44 votes, eight clear of the runner-up, he won the Swan Medal for the cub fairest and best,” Dawson said.

“He won the club award for best player in the finals, he won the Simpson Medal in the grand final with the maximum 15 votes, and a premiership medal to top it off, where he absolutely dominated the game, with 41 possessions, four goals and most importantly the winning goal with 28 seconds left to play.

“His grand final display ranks as probably the finest and most impactful individual game ever played in the WAFL.”

Dawson described Krakouer as a “magic” player, who “retained this great humility sharing the glory and ensuring it wasn’t always about him, yet he was so much more than a footballer.

“(His) impact was so profound that we can never forget him,” he said.

Krakouer was drafted by Collingwood on that back of that performance and played another 35 AFL games, including the losing 2011 AFL grand final and winning mark of the year that season, before he retired in 2013.

In retirement, Krakouer became a motivational speaker, worked on the Marngrook and Yokayi Footy Shows.

Yokayi co-host Megan Waters described Krakouer’s story as “remarkable.”

“The reality of moving forward in a world that Andy no longer physically exists in is one of the most gut-wrenching things I have ever faced.” Waters told mourners.

“The way he moved through the world made people feel seen as it was important for him to do what he could uplift our community and lead by example.

“I am so grateful to have learned from him, who I become moving forward and the values that I carry will be a testament to the mark that he’s left.”

Andrew Krakouer is survived by four daughters and his partner, Barbara Garlett.