Former Port Adelaide forward Daniel Stewart dies at 37
Former Port Adelaide forward Daniel Stewart has died at the age of 37, the ABC reported. Port Adelaide Football Club said it was deeply saddened by his sudden passing.
Stewart played 36 games and kicked 31 goals for the Power between 2010 and 2013. Port Adelaide drafted him in the 2009 rookie draft, a smaller selection pool for players not yet on a club's senior list. He was promoted to the senior list at the end of that season.
He came to the club from North Adelaide in the SANFL, the state league in South Australia. Earlier he had played for Eastern Ranges and Labrador. The forward line was where he worked, and his best known day came in the final round of 2010. He kicked four goals against Richmond at Docklands, and Port Adelaide won by 10 points.
Stewart's career did not run smoothly to the end. Three months after Port Adelaide dropped him, he was suicidal, he told The Age in 2016, when he spoke publicly about his depression. He was open about that struggle in the years after football, and his honesty about it was a gift to others who were struggling in silence.
The club has said it will honour him at its first home game of the 2027 season at Adelaide Oval. Players will wear black armbands, the traditional mark of mourning worn on the sleeve.
Stewart's family, friends and former teammates are grieving, and the football community is leaning on one another. If you are struggling, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any time, or contact a local health service.
