Luke Ward only met Danny Frawley a couple of times, but the impression the former St Kilda captain and Richmond coach left on him will last forever.
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Mr Ward was so shaken when he heard the news of Frawley's death in a car crash on Monday, he asked his carer Mason Rhodes if they could have a kick on the Bungaree Oval as a tribute.
"I play for the disability football club and last year we played Reclink in Melbourne and Danny Frawley gave us all our medals," he said.
"It's really hard to see a legend go like that, my condolences to the family and the footy club here, but I just want to say he's the best man I've ever met in footy."
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Mr Ward said he had followed the details throughout the day when the accident was first reported.
"When my friend mentioned to me it was Danny, I was like, 'no way, it can't be', it's just so sad," he told The Courier.
"I had to come out here today with Mason, just to have a kick of the footy on the ground he grew up on in honour of him.
"It's really special to be out here where this stand is, I thought it was a dream, I woke up this morning and thought 'it can't have happened'.
"Footy means a lot to me, I look up to all the AFL players, especially Danny."
Mr Rhodes said it was hard to reason that such a figure who had brought so much life was no longer with us.
"When you do have such a large personality, it's a shock to everyone," he said.
"Luke and I had a good chat on the way out here about life.
"It does make you take a step back and reflect a lot about your own life and what you can do to help and support others."
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