As young men come to an AFL club, and cement their careers, they often become part of the club’s ‘family’, intertwined with its identity and story.

So it was for Brad Green, a young Tasmanian who burst onto the scene in 2000, part of the excitement of a wonderful time. He grew into one of the great characters wearing red and blue, serving as captain, winning the Club’s Best and Fairest in 2010, and playing over 200 games.

While achieving this, Green reconnected with and married a fellow Tasmanian – Anna Lodge – who in turn became part of the Melbourne Football Club family. A ‘bright and beautiful’ friend to so many at the club, as well as throughout the football community, Anna became a lifestyle blogger, before starting her own fashion business.

Two sons – Oliver and Wilba – brought even more to the Green story. Two young boys, decked out in their father’s red and blue – little Demons in the best sense of the description.

The Greens, then, were always a valued part of the MFC family, even after Brad’s retirement, and as he took on the role of Committee member with the club’s Past and Present Players’ and Officials’ Association.

The news of Anna’s unexpected death on 27 May has shocked everyone who knew her. We are missing her as a member of the red and blue family, and for Brad, as the lovely and loved heart of his family.

We will always remember Anna. We will always be there – the MFC family – for Brad and his boys.

A funeral service to celebrate the life of Anna Green was held in the MCC Members Dining Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, 6 June 2019.