AFL legend Tony Modra has recorded his first public voice message a week after a truck crash nearly killed him, thanking Crows and Port Adelaide supporters, praising first responders and hospitals, and urging fans to drive safely ahead of Saturday night’s Show
Tony Modra’s first words since a horror truck crash came not from a hospital bed update, but through a recorded voice message meant for football fans.
Just a week after a freak accident nearly claimed his life, the 57-year-old AFL legend spoke ahead of Saturday night’s Showdown between his beloved Adelaide Crows and arch rivals Port Adelaide.
Modra suffered severe facial injuries when a tree branch smashed through the windscreen of his cattle truck in an accident near his property south of Adelaide on June 18. He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and has since undergone multiple surgeries.
Still recovering in hospital, Modra recorded a message for the crowd and for everyone watching from home. “G’day everybody, I’m really looking forward to watching tonight’s Showdown,” he said. “I’ve heard I’ve had a lot of support. not just Crows fans but Port fans as well. so I’d just like to thank everybody.”.
He added: “Hope everyone has a great night tonight, looking forward to the friendly banter and the two teams putting on a great show for Australia.”
Before signing off, Modra made sure the moment carried a simple reminder beyond football: “Enjoy the game and make sure you drive home safe.”
The recording was shared by former Crows teammate Mark Ricciuto, who was commentating for Fox Footy.
Ricciuto told viewers that Modra is on the mend. “He doesn’t sound quite the same at the moment but he is in good spirits,” he said. “He just wanted to make sure I reinforce how happy he was that Sarah and Anthony, the two first responders, got there on the scene and saved his life.”
Ricciuto also relayed Modra’s gratitude to the medical teams. “He also wanted to have a big shoutout to all the people at the Victor Harbor hospital and Flinders Private Hospital,” Ricciuto said, adding that Modra believes the care he’s received has been outstanding.
Modra, Ricciuto said, was struck by the level of teamwork on the ground. “He said they’ve been absolutely brilliant. He said he thought he knew teamwork – until he’d seen how the doctors and nurses and staff down at the hospitals have looked after him, so a massive shoutout to them.”
With his wife Erica and two kids, Hayley and Luke, around him, Ricciuto said Modra is “in good hands,” and he summed it up with pride: “So good on you Mods.”
During the week, Ricciuto had recorded the message after catching up with Modra in hospital. He said Modra still carried his humour even as his injuries kept him from sounding like himself. “He didn’t look the same. he didn’t sound the same. but he had the same sense of humour. ” Ricciuto said on Fox Sports.
In a cheeky reference to one of his playing moments. Ricciuto said Modra referenced the former Crows skipper’s brutal hit on West Coast Eagles’ Dean Kemp in 1996. “I can’t describe with the same words how much he said it hurt but what he did say was now I know what Dean Kemp felt like after you knocked him (out). ” Ricciuto said.
Modra’s AFL career included playing 165 games and kicking 558 goals. He was a two-time All Australian and took Mark of the Year three times.
As the Showdown approaches, Modra’s message lands with the unmistakable tone of someone counting his blessings—thanking supporters across club lines, praising the people who responded, and urging fans to get home safely.
Tony Modra Adelaide Crows Port Adelaide Showdown truck crash cattle truck facial injuries Mark Ricciuto Victor Harbor hospital Flinders Private Hospital AFL