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There are grave fears for football great Tony Modra, who was involved in a serious truck crash south of Adelaide on Thursday.
At about 5.15pm local time, police and emergency services responded to reports that a truck had crashed into a tree on Range Road, Back Valley, about 10 kilometres west of Victor Harbor.
Modra, who works as a cattle farmer on his property at Waitpinga, was the sole occupant of the cattle truck involved.
The 57-year-old was airlifted to Flinders Medical Centre and treated for serious injuries.
Modra, renowned for his high-flying marks and as one of the most popular players of the 1990s, played 165 AFL games, kicking 588 goals. He played 118 of those with Adelaide, booting 440 goals – second-most in club history behind Taylor Walker – before booting 148 goals in just 47 games for Fremantle.
His impact on the Dockers was such that he was also named at full-forward in their “25 since ’95” team in 2019 – celebrating their first 25 years in the national competition.
Nicknamed “Godra”, Modra enjoyed a breakout 1993 when he booted 129 goals and was described as “bigger than Elvis” as arguably the most recognisable, popular personality in South Australia. Gary Ablett won the Coleman Medal that year, followed by Modra and Jason Dunstall.
Modra was twice named All-Australian, won the mark of the year crown three times, and kicked goal of the year in 1995.
He won the Coleman Medal in 1997 but cruelly tore his ACL in a preliminary final, forcing him to miss the Crows’ first premiership the following week.
Modra returned in 1998 but was dropped after the qualifying final against Melbourne. The Crows went on to win back-to-back flags.
He was awarded life membership at the Crows in 2008 and remained a friendly, familiar face at Adelaide Oval as a regular at Crows home games in his role as club ambassador.
Modra was selected in 2021 as full-forward in the Crows’ “Best 22 of 30 Years” side.
On Thursday night, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas described him as “an SA icon who has never forgotten where he came from”.
Malinauskas took to social media to say the former South Australian State of Origin star is “down to earth and just a really good bloke”.
“Tony and his family are in our thoughts tonight, and we all hope he’ll be OK,” he said.
The top-of-the-ladder Dockers defeated the Cats by nine points in a thriller on Thursday night. After the clash, coach Justin Longmuir – a former Fremantle teammate of Modra – was asked about him.
“It’s pretty fresh for me, like it is for everyone,” Longmuir said in his post-match press conference.
“Obviously, [he’s a] big part of the Freo family, and all I can say is I wish him and his family well.
“Hopefully, he can pull through. I’m thinking of him – we’re all thinking of him.”
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