Former Fremantle midfielder Harley Balic tragically dies at age 25
Former Fremantle Dockers player Harley Balic has died aged 25, with police saying the circumstances of his death were not being treated as suspicious.
Balic passed away on Sunday morning in Victoria, just days after celebrating his 25th birthday, the Herald Sun reported.
Balic, a highly touted junior player, played four games with the Dockers before being traded to Melbourne ahead of the 2018 season but had retired from the sport before the end of that year, saying his ‘heart’s not in it’.
Tragic: AFL star Harley Balic has died aged 25 – four years after announcing his retirement from the sport
In 2020 he spoke of his mental struggles since retiring from the sport prematurely.
‘The way I left football, unfinished, left me lost in the world,’ he told Leader newspapers.
‘That brought on depressing episodes and things like that. Getting to the highest level, which you’d dedicated your whole life to, and then all of a sudden being a nobody, I found that pretty challenging.’
Balic played junior football at Mordialloc-Braeside before joining the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup.
In 2014, he made the All Australian Under 18 team at the AIS AFL Academy.
Devastating: Balic passed away on Sunday morning in Victoria, just days after celebrating his 25th birthday
He made his debut for Fremantle in the 2017 season before moving to the Melbourne Demons the following year.
In August 2018, Balic announced his retirement from the sport.
Following the devastating news of his death, Collingwood AFLW co-captain Steph Chiocci shared a tribute on Twitter.
Career: Balic played junior football at Mordialloc-Braeside before joining the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup. In 2014, he made the All Australian Under 18 team at the AIS AFL Academy
‘Saddened to hear of the passing of Harley Balic. A former Parkdale SC student and one of the most talented junior footballers I had the pleasure of witnessing. So athletic and agile and could run all day. Rest easy, Harley,’ she wrote.
Another fan said: ‘Very upsetting news indeed. He was a delightful young man.’
‘Former Fremantle player that’s so sad,’ a third said.
Retirement: In August 2018, Balic announced his retirement from the sport
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