Elliot Yeo, the star of the West Coast Eagles, was shocked to learn of his father’s passing this week. Fans of the AFL are wishing him well. The Eagles confirmed the tragic news regarding Craig Yeo in a statement on Tuesday night.
“The West Coast Eagles send their heartfelt condolences to Elliot Yeo and his family following the passing of his father, Craig, on Monday night,” the organization stated. “The club will provide support to Elliot during this difficult time and requests that his family’s privacy is respected.”
According to reports, Craig Yeo was battling illness before he died. The Yeo family run the Broken Hill Hotel in Victoria Park in Perth, and Craig received a posthumous award at the Australian Hotels Associations awards at Crown Towers on Monday night.
Elliot’s brother Corey accepted the award on his father’s behalf, which recognised his contribution to the hospitality industry. The devastating news comes after Elliot and fiancee Tess Goodbody announced last month they’re expecting their first child.
Elliot Yeo’s happy news before devastating family development
It also comes after Elliot re-signed with the Eagles last week on a new three-year deal. It means he’ll be staying at West Coast for the rest of his AFL career after resisting the lure of free agency.
Yeo was due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and had been heavily courted by a number of rival clubs. North Melbourne, Geelong and Adelaide were all reportedly among the clubs trying to lure the veteran midfielder, but he decided to stay put.
West Coast were only offering Yeo a two-year deal in the initial stages of negotiations – given his run of injuries in recent seasons. But the 30-year-old has been more durable this year, and West Coast eventually upped their offer to sign the 2018 premiership star until 2027.
“It’s only fitting,” Yeo said of playing his entire career at the Eagles. “I feel like I’m part of the walls here now and to be able to finish an Eagle, it’s a wonderful feeling. I’m looking forward to helping the younger generation coming through now and starting to build towards something that I can leave for them as well.”
Yeo and Harley Reid have developed a solid midfield relationship, which has greatly contributed to West Coast’s better play this year. The 30-year-old, who had osteitis pubis and soft tissue problems that limited him to just 37 games from 2020 to 2023, has already played in 11 games this season.
He had a minor groin injury that kept him out of action for two weeks, but has managed to stay on the field much more than previous years. He travelled to Qatar for a specialist medical review in the off-season, which led to a new plan being implemented around his training, game preparation and management.
He is averaging 23.1 disposals this season, recording career highs for contested possessions (13.4) and clearances (7.6). He is also averaging career-best numbers for ground-ball gets, score involvements, score launches and goal assists.
