SPEECH INSPIRED WORDS OF LOVE
THE father of a young footballer killed in a hit-run at Alexandra says a stirring speech from Neale Daniher inspired him to strike up a heartfelt conversation with his son just hours before his death.
Michael Purcell, who now lives in Mount Duneed, said it was Daniher’s recent message to Melbourne Football Club that prompted the chat following his son’s powerhouse performance during a match on Saturday.
Jordan Purcell, 20, died early the next morning after he was struck by a vehicle believed to have been driven by one of his teammates.
“Our final conversation is something I will never forget,” Mr Purcell said. “Jordy played reserves and he’d had a good game, he was all over the field.
“I had the best 10 minutes with him afterwards.
“I took the opportunity to have a conversation. We talked about a few things. I hugged him and told him I loved him.
“I just didn’t know he’d be dead three hours later.”
Mr Purcell said he felt for the driver, and there could be “nothing productive” to come from anger. He said his son was passionate about his local footy, cricket and his mates, was not without his flaws but appeared to be on the right path.
“He was a spirited young man and in recent months had started to understand the importance of boundaries,” he said.
Major collision investigators were still in Alexandra yesterday piecing together the circumstances leading up to the incident. Mr Purcell was found by paramedics lying on the road on Hall St with lifethreatening injuries.
They worked to save him but he died on the way to hospital about 12.15am.
The alleged driver of the car — a 23-year-old man believed to be one of his teammates — was interviewed by police on Sunday and released pending further inquiries.
Police have not yet ruled out if alcohol or drugs were a factor.
Yesterday, local resident Ernie Hunt, 80, revealed his heartbreak at unknowingly leaving the young footballer to die on the roadside. Mr Hunt said he heard a vehicle and a “thump” from inside his house but decided not to investigate.
“I think of that poor boy laying there and that maybe if I had have gone outside I could have called an ambulance,” Mr Hunt said.
“I didn’t even know him but to see those flowers today and know that I could have helped.
“It’s upsetting.”