AFL grand final: Shaun McManus unveiled as Fremantle Dockers’ premiership cup presenter

Shaun McManus will be Fremantle’s premiership cup presenter, with the Dockers icon bestowed the honour should the club salute on grand final day.

The 228-gamer was asked to take on the role by Freo chief executive Simon Garlick on Monday morning.

McManus was an inaugural Docker and captained the side across 2000 and 2001. The 50-year-old is renowned as one of the club’s favourite sons, and will now be a part of the celebrations alongside Justin Longmuir and Alex Pearce on the grand final stage if the club is victorious on Saturday.

McManus had been considered among the front-runners for the role, alongside the likes of Nat Fyfe and David Mundy. Fellow former skipper Peter Bell did the cup-presenting honours for the Fremantle in their previous grand final appearance in 2013.

Garlick said McManus “perfectly sums up what a Fremantle person is”.

“He had a remarkable career as a Fremantle player, but beyond that he has been a champion of this club since our humble beginnings back in 1995,” Garlick said.

“Those early foundation years weren’t easy, and as a 19-year-old he came in showed great qualities which resulted him being named captain at just 24.

“The courage he showed on field speaks for itself, but ever since retiring he’s been a passionate and positive influence, someone who purely lives and breathes Freo.

“If we are good enough to get the job done on Saturday, it will be a great moment to see Shaun present the cup to Alex (Pearce), and his old teammate Justin (Longmuir).”

McManus’ call-up comes a quarter of a century on from his involvement in arguably the most courageous act in Dockers history.

The midfielder went back with the flight of the ball in the first western derby of 2001, crashing into West Coast’s David Wirrpanda in the south-eastern pocket at Subiaco Oval. After spending time on the turf recovering, McManus got up and slotted the goal with what Dennis Cometti described as a “magnificent kick”.

McManus took on a player development coaching role at the Dockers after retiring in 2008, with his playing career finishing on a high note with an emotional derby win over the Eagles.