Chris Mainwaring
Encyclopedia
Chris Douglas Mainwaring (born 27 December 1965, in Geraldton, Western Australia
; died 1 October 2007 in Nedlands
, Western Australia
) was an Australian rules football
er. He played for the West Coast Eagles
in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League
(VFL/AFL) and East Fremantle
in the West Australian Football League
(WAFL). He was also a television presenter and sports journalist with Seven News Perth.
n State of Origin
team and played in a Sharks premiership team.
He was a member of the West Coast Eagles' inaugural squad in 1987. He made his debut in round three that year, against Sydney
at Subiaco
and afterwards only missed one game for the season. and was named their best first year player. Mainwaring played for the Eagles on the wing and contributed greatly to their success, playing in both their 1992 and 1994 premierships. The image of him leaping with joy at the conclusion of the game, despite having a broken ankle, is one of the lasting images of the Eagles' first premiership. He played 201 games for the Eagles between 1987 and 1999, kicking 84 goals.
Mainwaring was an All-Australian
in 1991 and 1996 and has been named on the wing in the West Coast Eagles' Team of the Decade in 1996, Team20 in 2006 and East Fremantle's Team of the Century in 1997. Whilst he never won the Club Champion
award at the Eagles, he finished in the top 10 eight times, including placing third in both his debut and second years in the VFL and second in 1989, 1992 and 1996.
In 1997, he suffered a knee injury, which required a knee reconstruction and this put him out of action for the rest of that season. In 1998, while he was attempting to regain form, Mainwaring spent most of the season playing for the Sharks, before making his return to the West Coast side late that year. After another season in which he was in and out of the Eagles' side (and playing for East Fremantle), Mainwaring retired from AFL football.
He wore the Eagles' number 3 guernsey, a number which has only been worn by him and Chris Judd
during the Eagles' history. The club retired the number for the following three seasons, until it was revived by Eagles' draft pick Andrew Gaff
in 2011.
Mainwaring played another season for the Sharks in 2000, after which he retired.
After leaving football, Mainwaring took a job with Seven News. By 2007, he was reading the sport at the weekend, as well as reporting during the week. He also read the sport headlines during the news on Perth radio station Mix 94.5
from 5:30–9:00 am.
In 2005 he was a Reporter of the Seven news desk.
Since 2001 he was a member of the selection panel for the All-Australian team and the AFL Rising Star.
He was married to Rani and had two children.
. Police and ambulance had been called to his address earlier that night after a complaint about a man yelling in the street. After Mainwaring refused assistance from the ambulance crew, he was released to the care of a neighbour. About an hour later, emergency services were called back to the property after he had convulsions and collapsed. Mainwaring reportedly told paramedics during the first visit that he had taken ecstasy and cannabis. Former Eagles player Ben Cousins
spent time with Mainwaring on Sunday, 30 September 2007 and the coroner ruled that they had both been using cocaine. According to the WA State Coroner's report, Mainwaring had a seizure and died after overdosing on cocaine, rather than several different drugs as media reports originally claimed.
Mainwaring was to compete in a celebrity kick boxing event run by the World Kick Boxing Association at Challenge Stadium
on 4 October 2007 just for charity. He had also been invited by the AFL to hold one of the Eagles' premiership cups during the 2007 AFL Grand Final
pre-game entertainment, but he cancelled in the week prior to the game, instead staying in Perth.
Mainwaring's memorial service was held on 8 October 2007 at Christ Church Grammar School
, Claremont
. About 1,200 people attended the service including 300 who watched on a big screen outside the chapel. A memorial match was played between his old club and rivals Fremantle
in 2008, with the Eagles winning by 25 points. His two young children, along with the Matera trio also played in the match.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
; died 1 October 2007 in Nedlands
Nedlands, Western Australia
The City of Nedlands is a Local Government Area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about west of Perth's central business district...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) was an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er. He played for the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL/AFL) and East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFL). He was also a television presenter and sports journalist with Seven News Perth.
Football career
Mainwaring started his career with the Greenough Demons (Rovers) before being recruited by East Fremantle "The Sharks" in 1985. In his first season, he was a member of the Western AustraliaWestern Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n State of Origin
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
team and played in a Sharks premiership team.
He was a member of the West Coast Eagles' inaugural squad in 1987. He made his debut in round three that year, against Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
at Subiaco
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
and afterwards only missed one game for the season. and was named their best first year player. Mainwaring played for the Eagles on the wing and contributed greatly to their success, playing in both their 1992 and 1994 premierships. The image of him leaping with joy at the conclusion of the game, despite having a broken ankle, is one of the lasting images of the Eagles' first premiership. He played 201 games for the Eagles between 1987 and 1999, kicking 84 goals.
Mainwaring was an All-Australian
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
in 1991 and 1996 and has been named on the wing in the West Coast Eagles' Team of the Decade in 1996, Team20 in 2006 and East Fremantle's Team of the Century in 1997. Whilst he never won the Club Champion
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
award at the Eagles, he finished in the top 10 eight times, including placing third in both his debut and second years in the VFL and second in 1989, 1992 and 1996.
In 1997, he suffered a knee injury, which required a knee reconstruction and this put him out of action for the rest of that season. In 1998, while he was attempting to regain form, Mainwaring spent most of the season playing for the Sharks, before making his return to the West Coast side late that year. After another season in which he was in and out of the Eagles' side (and playing for East Fremantle), Mainwaring retired from AFL football.
He wore the Eagles' number 3 guernsey, a number which has only been worn by him and Chris Judd
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
during the Eagles' history. The club retired the number for the following three seasons, until it was revived by Eagles' draft pick Andrew Gaff
Andrew Gaff
Andrew Gaff is an Australian rules footballer, drafted with the fourth selection in the 2010 AFL Draft by the West Coast Eagles....
in 2011.
Mainwaring played another season for the Sharks in 2000, after which he retired.
After leaving football, Mainwaring took a job with Seven News. By 2007, he was reading the sport at the weekend, as well as reporting during the week. He also read the sport headlines during the news on Perth radio station Mix 94.5
Mix 94.5
MIX 94.5 is a commercial music radio station owned by Austereo in Perth, Western Australia.The station originally began as 6KY, beginning broadcasting on 23 October 1941 and would eventually end up at the frequency 1206 kHz. On 1 June 1991, 6KY became one of two Perth radio stations to convert...
from 5:30–9:00 am.
In 2005 he was a Reporter of the Seven news desk.
Since 2001 he was a member of the selection panel for the All-Australian team and the AFL Rising Star.
He was married to Rani and had two children.
Death
Mainwaring died in the early hours of 1 October 2007 after being rushed to Sir Charles Gairdner HospitalSir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is one of Australia's leading teaching hospitals, and is located in Nedlands, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia...
. Police and ambulance had been called to his address earlier that night after a complaint about a man yelling in the street. After Mainwaring refused assistance from the ambulance crew, he was released to the care of a neighbour. About an hour later, emergency services were called back to the property after he had convulsions and collapsed. Mainwaring reportedly told paramedics during the first visit that he had taken ecstasy and cannabis. Former Eagles player Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League ....
spent time with Mainwaring on Sunday, 30 September 2007 and the coroner ruled that they had both been using cocaine. According to the WA State Coroner's report, Mainwaring had a seizure and died after overdosing on cocaine, rather than several different drugs as media reports originally claimed.
Mainwaring was to compete in a celebrity kick boxing event run by the World Kick Boxing Association at Challenge Stadium
Challenge Stadium
Challenge Stadium is a sports complex in the suburb of Mount Claremont, west of Perth, Western Australia, Australia. It was opened in 1986 and is home to the Western Australian Institute of Sport. The main indoor arena holds 4,500 people...
on 4 October 2007 just for charity. He had also been invited by the AFL to hold one of the Eagles' premiership cups during the 2007 AFL Grand Final
2007 AFL Grand Final
The 2007 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Port Adelaide Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 2007. It was the 111th annual Grand Final of the VFL/AFL, staged to determine the...
pre-game entertainment, but he cancelled in the week prior to the game, instead staying in Perth.
Mainwaring's memorial service was held on 8 October 2007 at Christ Church Grammar School
Christ Church Grammar School
Christ Church Grammar School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Pre-Primary to Year 12. Located in Perth, Western Australia, the school overlooks the Swan River at Freshwater Bay in Claremont....
, Claremont
Claremont, Western Australia
Claremont is a western suburb of Perth, Western Australia on the north bank of the Swan River.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Noongar people used the area as a source of water, for fishing and for catching waterfowl. In 1830, John Butler, a settler, set up an inn at Freshwater Bay to...
. About 1,200 people attended the service including 300 who watched on a big screen outside the chapel. A memorial match was played between his old club and rivals Fremantle
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
in 2008, with the Eagles winning by 25 points. His two young children, along with the Matera trio also played in the match.