McGuire's tribute: How Pies recruited Krakouer after jail stint

Former Collingwood boss Eddie McGuire has paid tribute to Andrew Krakouer after he died suddenly at the age of 42.

The former Richmond and Collingwood forward suffered a suspected heart attack while gardening at his mother's house in Perth at the weekend and, despite best efforts, could not be revived.

McGuire was central to Krakouer’s second stint in the AFL which began 18 months after he was released from prison.

Krakouer was handed a 32-month sentence after being found guilty of assault causing grievous bodily harm for a bar fight on Christmas Eve in 2006.

He was released on parole in August 2009 and remained determined to rebuild his footy career.

It was Krakouer’s incredible determination to turn his life around that McGuire and many others in the AFL world have praised since his sudden passing.

“He was actually playing football in jail when we got the mail that he was actually playing really good football,” McGuire told 7News.

“And Andrew once told me that he lay on the top bunk in the cell, looking at the ceiling six inches above him, thinking, ‘what am I doing here? I should be at the MCG’.

“He then came out and won a premiership with Swan Districts and we were able to recruit him and 12 months later (in 2011), he’s playing a Grand Final at the MCG and showed again just what football was to Andrew Krakouer, but also what a great contributor he was to football.”

Krakouer played 102 games and kicked 102 goals for the Tigers between 2001 and 2007 before adding a further 35 games and 50 goals to his name for the Pies from 2011-2013.

Speaking to The Project, McGuire said Krakouer had just arrived back in WA when tragedy struck.

“He had just gone back to Perth,” he said.

“It's my understanding that he was gardening in his mother's front garden when he had a heart attack and couldn't be revived. Our hearts are breaking.”