Wayne Carey reveals the big step he took to overcome his mental demons – and how it helped him deal with his vision for Welcome to Country

AFL champion Wayne Carey shocked controversial football identity Sam Newman by revealing the big change he made in his life to stop being upset about things like Welcome to Country.

Newman has been a vocal opponent of the Indigenous ceremony held before major football games of all codes for years and has called on fans to boo Welcome to Country ahead of the 2023 AFL Grand Final.

And he didn’t hesitate to criticize Welcome to Country on his podcast ‘Are You Serious?’ when former North Melbourne and Adelaide champion Carey appeared as a special guest.

The podcast started innocently enough, with the couple joking about their mutual dislike of players by shaking hands and cracking jokes on the field before and after matches.

“This might be old-fashioned, but I think if you’ve just lost a final or a big game that cost you a final, you shouldn’t be making jokes at people after the game,” Carey said.

“You should probably let it hurt a little before taking them out to dinner.”

Without warning, this triggered another anti-Welcome to Newman rant.

AFL personality Sam Newman is a long-time opponent of Welcome to Country

Newman urged football fans to boo Uncle Colin Hunter ahead of 2023 AFL Grand Final

Carey spoke on Newman’s podcast about the big step he took to improve his life and his outlook on things like Welcome to Country

‘If the AFL could stop baiting everyone at the start of games, saying there’s them and there’s us, welcome to the field and you’re lucky to be here, damn aren’t we fantastic and it’s fantastic that you’re here but don’t worry too hasty,” Newman fumed.

‘If they could stop all this nonsense before the game that we could all play under the same race of people, that would be fantastic. But this seems to get bigger and bigger.

‘You see, I have a feeling that people are starting to get sick and tired of this nonsense that goes on.

‘Because we are just one people and we want to embrace everyone in the country, no matter where you are or what you look like.

‘The AFL should be ashamed of itself. They talk about it a lot.

AFL star Wayne Carey has been involved in several controversies throughout his career, including a 2002 affair with a teammate’s wife, which led to him leaving the North Melbourne Football Club.

Carey had a controversial end to his time with the North Melbourne Kangaroos and has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons many times since.

He also faced legal issues, including assault charges and incidents involving drug possession, which affected his public image.

But instead of joining Newman in getting angry about Welcome to Country, Carey — who previously said she may have Native American heritage — shocked the host and her listeners with a revelation.

“I know you’re very passionate about this Sam, and I’ve heard your comments about it,” Carey said.

“I work a little with a lady, and have been doing so for a while.

‘People might be surprised by this, but I continually work on myself.

‘I speak to a lady called Tess, Tess Mallett is her name and she is a life coach. I’m not a psychologist, but I think there is psychology involved.

‘It’s about working on yourself. And you know what? Things like, for example, For You, Welcome to Country and stuff.

‘For me, I think this should be done for everything, everywhere, always? Probably not.

‘But does it bother me? No, it doesn’t matter.

‘There’s really nothing in the world – and again, this is only because I’ve done work in this area – that makes me really upset.

‘Whether it’s an individual or something like Welcome to Country, whatever it is, I just allow people to have their own emotions about it.

— I don’t judge you for your opinion on this, but I don’t let things upset me.

Newman was a controversial panel member on Channel Nine’s Footy Show before it was axed and he moved into podcasts

However, this did little to put out the fire for Newman, who continued his rant about the Indian ceremony.

“It annoys the hell out of me, man, I tell you,” Newman responded.

— Because it is artificial virtuosity. There is no need to apologize for being here and for who we are. We want to stay together.

“The problem for me is that every time this happens, it just shows that we are divided and I don’t know why we keep doing this. But I absolutely accept what you said.

A measured Carey continued, saying it wasn’t worth spending energy to get upset about things you can’t control — like Welcome to Country.

“It’s all about working on yourself…not worrying about things you have no control over,” he said.

‘Clearly Sam, you have no control over the AFL or anyone else who wants to make Welcome to Country.

‘Whether it’s Virgin Airlines, Qantas, AFL or rugby or wherever, you have no control over it, so don’t let emotion boil over in you because of it.’

Carey is trying to improve and doesn’t want to be upset about things she can’t control

“I would just object, I would say, Wayne,” interrupted Newman.

‘That I have a little control over it. Maybe if enough people say this is unnecessary we will respect everyone who is here, could you stop bullying us about why we are here and why we should be here and why we should be here?

‘I think if enough people say now, please, this isn’t anti-racism, it’s anti-racism on the other side, I believe.

‘We simply don’t need to be intimidated by the country we live in. We live here, we can all move on.’

Carey asked Newman to stop allowing other people’s actions to impact him so emotionally.

“What we are, and this is one of the things Tess talks about, is we are very critical people,” Carey said.

“We were raised to judge. Whether it’s how someone walks into a room, whether they’re shy, how they’re dressed, how they look, how they act, we judge in a second.

‘Someone passes you on Beaconsfield Parade and smiles at you, you pass by and are happy for the next hour because they smiled at you.

‘If they don’t smile at you, then you are depressed.

‘We allow people to make us feel this way and yet we judge in milliseconds and this determines our mood or how we should feel about ourselves.

‘These are some of the things I’ve been working on for a while now, so I don’t walk into a room anymore, Sam, and I assume you’ve been that way for a long time, but I don’t care what people think anymore. .. I’m getting better at not giving a fuck.