AFL reject's stunning road to being MCG hero

Alex Carey erstwhile aspired to play an AFL expansive last astatine the MCG, but it's cricket wherever helium has yet recovered occurrence connected the hallowed turf.

Carey, 31, was erstwhile an AFL prospect, drafted to the GWS Giants successful his aboriginal 20s.

He captained the squad up of its introduction into the 2012 contention but was dropped from the database earlier making it to the top.

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Instead, Carey sought to reinvent himself. He returned to cricket, different athletics he'd played astatine a young age, plying his commercialized arsenic a wicketkeeper-batter.

The 2 sports couldn't beryllium further apart, possibly the lone similarity being that of the grounds upon which games are played.

Tim Paine's autumn from grace yet opened the doorway for Carey, who successful 2021 made his Test debut. Now, successful conscionable his 13th match, the South Australian is simply a centurion.

Alex Carey rubber-stamped an unthinkable emergence from AFL rejection to cricket stardom successful the Boxing Day Test. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

For his wife, Eloise Carey, it's been an affectional rollercoaster, labelling the infinitesimal astatine the MCG connected Wednesday "unreal".

"It's been a huge, immense time and it's conscionable truly breathtaking for everyone, for the full family," Eloise said.

"It's 1 of those things you benignant of ne'er expect to happen. You anticipation it's going to happen. 

"It's been a immense day.

"Still a spot nervous, arsenic you tin astir apt tell. Emotions are high.

"I met him erstwhile helium was unemployed, oregon moving for a fiscal readying firm.

"He wasn't doing immoderate sport. He was location excessively overmuch and present it's gone the different way; he's ever gone.

"To beryllium honest, I thought it was a bully thought due to the fact that it's a batch safer than football. I was ever ne'er truly connected committee with AFL due to the fact that they each get injured truthful often.

"I thought, 'Well, cricket is safe, truthful springiness that a go'. Maybe not excessively harmless aft this week fixed the injuries (to Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green), the mediocre boys."

It was a monumental time for Carey, who ended a nine-year drought for Australian wicketkeeper-batsmen successful Test cricket.

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Brad Haddin was the past to people a century, successful 2013, his 4th successful a storied vocation that included 66 matches.

Carey's woman struggled to incorporate herself arsenic she recounted the day's achievement.

"He's worked truthful hard," she said, holding backmost tears.

"There's been truthful galore radical involved. His parents would person loved to beryllium present today. My household has been truthful supportive. 

"It takes a batch for idiosyncratic to get to this constituent successful their career. There's a batch of radical down the scenes. 

"He's ever been the archetypal idiosyncratic astatine grooming and the past idiosyncratic to leave. He works hard. 

"He's truthful deserving of this. Very proud. You can't ideate your hubby making a period successful the Boxing Day Test."

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