North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson broke down in tears on Sunday while paying tribute to Bondi stabbing victim Ashlee Good after it was revealed she is the daughter of club great Kerry Good. The Kangaroos confirmed on Sunday morning that Ashlee is the daughter of Kerry Good, who played 74 games for North Melbourne and previously served on the board.
“It’s shocking for our club and in particular for the family,” Clarkson said in an interview with Fox Footy before North Melbourne’s clash with Geelong on Sunday afternoon. “Kerry’s been a significant part of our club for a long time.”
Clarkson fought back tears and became emotional as he spoke about the fact Ashlee’s nine-month-old daughter, who is still in hospital, has lost her mum. “It’s just so sad. That beautiful girl … she’s not going to have a mum,” he continued. “Breaks our hearts.”
The veteran AFL coach said the tragedy should be a wake-up call for the country. “Even more, it’s just humanity. This is happening in our country,” he added. “We’re going to get the same excuse. Drugs and alcohol. We’ve got to do something about it. There’s got to be a time where it just stops.
“The strange part about it is you get to the next day these boys get to do what they love and that’s been denied to Ashlee and five other families. Now we have a game of footy that we have to play. Our hearts are pretty low today.”
North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood said on Sunday: “Like all Australians, we were horrified to see the awful details coming out of Sydney on Saturday. To learn later that Ashlee and her daughter were victims in this tragedy really brings something like this close to home.
“Our thoughts and condolences go to all those impacted by the awful events, especially to Ashlee’s partner Daniel Flanagan, Kerry and Dian, Ashlee’s mother Denise, and Ashlee’s extended family and friends. Kerry and his family are incredibly important people in our club’s history and we offer them our love and support through what is an unimaginably difficult time.”
