Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy has, in a bizarre admission while on air, described himself as an “out and out fuckstick”. Shocked listeners heard the outburst last night on a drive time sports programme he co-hosts on 3AW with Tony Shaw.
During a regular talkback segment Healy interrupted a caller with a series of attacks he seemed to be aiming squarely at himself. The brutal self-criticism appeared to have “little or no segue” as Shaw put it.
Several seconds of dead air immediately followed the outburst before Shaw attempted to throw to an advertisement. But only moments later Healy was audible. Whimpering at the next ill timed opportunity into his microphone.
“There was no telling what was going on” Shaw recalled. “At first I thought it was a gag and tried to run with it. But how do you run with something that sounds like a sound bite from Bad Lieutenant?”
Momentarily regaining his composure Healy then went on to say he lived out his glory days as a receiver and was a “sham” of a footballer and a “detestable human.”
An extract from the show’s transcript found in circulation over the internet is further evidence of the damning 10 minute show put on by Healy.
Shaw: What are you getting at Gerard?
Healy: Everyone knew I was useless at Melbourne. Barrassi pointed that out. Then the Brownlow… I thought I’d made something of myself, you know?
Shaw: The Brownlow’s an amazing achievement, isn’t it?
Healy: Is it Tony? Is it really? Half my career was spent on the end of one of Diesel’s fuckin’ handballs! Back then they didn’t have the stat for hardball gets. Lucky for me! But the charade is over boys. I can no longer hide.
Healy, who played the majority of his career at Sydney during the glamour years of Dr. Bernie Ecclestone and Warwick Capper, managed just two finals series in that time. Often named in the middle with dual Brownlow medallist Greg Williams and rover Stevie Wright, Healy was widely considered a crucial member of that formidable onball division by expert commentators such as Drew Morphett who once post-synchronised commentary for a Brett Allison mark taken in a game that the TV network had refused to cover at the time. The North Melbourne forward was later awarded mark of the year with Morphett screaming alongside seemingly month’s old footage.
A colleague of Morphett’s at the time and wishes to remain anonymous described Healy as a skilful player, adding “especially after Sydney’s opposition had already been crushed.”
Such an assessment now might sound agreeable to Healy. The self-loathing that continued further confounded an increasingly bemused Shaw.
“Quite often Browning or Bayes would avoid kicking the ball to me when I was all alone in the middle just They’d bomb it long to Tony Morwood when he was even outnumbered three on one” Healy said gasping between sobs. “They never did it against the bad teams, only the good. And now I know why.”
Healy, who played 216 games with Melbourne and Sydney for over a decade, in retirement replaced Ted Whitten as Victorian chairman of selectors while providing special comments for Channel 7. He recalled being hurt by rumours that some of the better players feigned injury to avoid wearing the Big V because it had been cheapened. According to Healy, Gary Ablett Snr had just recently, and in strict confidence, confirmed that the rumour was true.
“It was a farce that whole State of Origin selection” Healy told a stunned Shaw. “I mean we even picked you one year Tony.”
It is not known what triggered Healy’s antics on the radio.
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