For Troy Berry – Jarrod Berry’s Dad and number 1 fan – support has never been about the wins or premiership medals. It has always been about the work that happens along the way – and staying true to who you are.
That story starts in Horsham in western Victoria, where life for the Berry family revolved around long drives and backyard footy games. For Jarrod and his two brothers, it was a childhood shaped by routine and an unwritten family rule: if the boys wanted to have a crack, Troy and his late wife Jedda would do their best to make sure they could.
Troy took on the role of the family organiser, taxi driver, and steady support in the background. Together, he and Jedda never set out to raise an AFL star. They simply wanted to raise kind, grounded and resilient young men who knew how to work hard and look after the people around them.
Today, Jarrod plays for the Brisbane Lions. When Troy watches his son take the field, his pride is rooted in knowing that, through every move and milestone, Jarrod has never lost sight of who he is and where he came from. And it all began in a humble backyard.
The backyard footy stadium
Some of Troy’s earliest memories of Jarrod playing footy are in their childhood backyard. “That’s where it all started,” he says. In Horsham, afternoons blurred into evenings as three brothers argued over scores, negotiated rules and always pushed for just one more kick.
The field was improvised – a sandpit for one goalpost, old railway sleepers set in concrete for the other, and a big streetlight for when it turned dark. In the middle of it all was Troy – umpire, peacekeeper and occasional rule-bender. “That was under very strict instructions,” he laughs. “I made some dubious calls over the years.”
Bending the rules wasn’t about changing the outcome – it was about saving dinner. “We would make sure that the game ended as a draw,” Troy says, “so that when we went in for tea, they would actually eat their tea and not be in their rooms crying or fighting each other.”
Jarrod remembers it the same way. “You couldn’t have it any other way, otherwise, it would’ve been chaos.” Every game came down to the last kick. There were no easy wins in that backyard. Just effort, consistency and learning how to stay in the game when things weren’t going your way.
Mum and Dad’s sporting influence
Troy and Jedda never narrowed the boys into one lane. They kept their options open and backed whatever the boys stuck to – whether that was swimming, tennis, golf or football. “[We] provided them with the opportunity to do whatever they wanted,” Troy says.
Despite their natural ability, the technical foundations came largely from their Mum. Jedda was a physical education (PE) teacher and passionate sportsperson. “She could teach them the finer aspects,” Troy says. But Jarrod credits his Dad for his cross-country training – and the mental toughness that came with it. “That was very much about endurance,” Troy says, “and being able to work through the pain barrier.”
Jarrod still carries that mindset. “Half the battle is just having a go,” he says. “If you have a go, you’re halfway there.” In some ways it became the family’s operating system: try things, commit fully and learn quickly.
Three brothers, no mercy
With three competitive boys under one roof, nothing was ever taken easy. “I think we caused the old fellow to go grey pretty quick,” Jarrod laughs.
Sport was the family calendar. Basketball in Mildura, athletics in Melbourne, and swimming in Bendigo. Every weekend meant another car trip. “I guess we had to travel those miles to learn what we loved,” Jarrod says. “It certainly wasn’t unnoticed... the sacrifices that our parents made for us to give us the best opportunity to fulfil our dreams.”
Often, Troy and Jedda would head in completely opposite directions. “There were numerous times where I would have two boys in a car going west, and my late wife would have another boy going east,” Troy recalls. Five-hour round trips were normal, and weekends disappeared into highways and sports grounds.
Moving to Ballarat
When Jarrod entered his final two years of school, he moved to a boarding school in Ballarat. “The boarding school itself was pursuing or wanting Jarrod the year before,” Troy remembers. “But we felt with the timing... it was important that Jarrod spent that year with us as a family.”
The boys had recently lost their Mum. “Jarrod was mature enough to realise that the importance of family came before his pursuit of becoming an AFL footballer,” Troy says.
Eventually the move became necessary. “You’ve got to be close to where the action is,” Troy admits. Ballarat placed him closer to elite AFL pathways – and forced him to grow up fast. “All the responsibility shifted from my shoulders onto his shoulders, and he had to manage to get himself to games,” Troy says. “He’d need to be there hours before it to be able to prep up and be ready.”
Jarrod found new mentors in Ballarat. “Brooke Brown and Phil Partington were probably the two biggest mentors,” he says. “They looked after me.” And just like his parents, they reinforced the same standards. “You’re a good person first and foremost, and the rest just is left in the dust after that,” Jarrod says.
Carrying Mum’s legacy
There’s a photo from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) that means a lot to Troy. It’s of Jarrod and his younger brother Thomas on the field supporting Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). It represents their Mum and the community that carried them. “It’s the least we could do,” Jarrod says proudly. “To be a voice and an ambassador for such a great cause that we got so much benefit out of when we were going through everything with Mum.”
Troy remembers their first introduction to BCNA. “They put their arms around us in a very difficult time,” he says. “They’ve continued to be part of our life to this very day.”
He explains what BCNA did for their family, offering the kind of support you don’t realise you’ll need until you’re in it. “Their main role is to make patients suffering from breast cancer aware of all of the resources that are around them,” Troy says. “They are the one stop shop for any question... and there was never a dumb question.”
For Jarrod, giving back became a way to honour his Mum. “We do something to remember Mum every five years,” he says. “One year was a head shave... and the other year we did a marathon in Horsham.” It’s how he stays connected to her lessons – and her influence.
The blur of draft night
Draft night in Sydney felt surreal. “At that stage I hadn’t done an awful lot of travelling,” Troy admits. “I was a little bit out of my comfort zone.”
Jarrod was in the first round, and they were confident he would be drafted. Still, when it happened, it landed like a shock. “The happiness on Jarrod’s face,” Troy says quietly. “That’s something that I have right here in my heart.”
Jarrod remembers the shock – and then the relief of realising one of his best mates, Hugh McCluggage, had been drafted to the Brisbane Lions too. “Moving across the country is one thing,” he says. “But then being able to do it with one of your good mates makes it so much easier.”
A father’s pride
Ask Troy about his proudest moment and he doesn’t point to trophies. “There’s not one moment,” he says. “Each time Jarrod runs out onto the field, I see what adversity he’s had to overcome... and for me, that’s the proudest moment – win, draw or lose.”
Still, some memories linger – and Troy doesn’t hide that. “The moment that I probably yelled and screamed and carried on... was the year that Jarrod kicked the goal in the grand final,” he recalls. “The second that [football] left the boot, there was no question.” He knew exactly where it was headed.
Jarrod remembers it differently. “I just had this calming sense,” he says. “It was like Mum was there with me.”
Even then, Jarrod doesn’t frame success around a single kick. “What’s so special about that moment is the whole back story,” he says. “[It] sort of comes from the resilience rather than the actual kick itself.” For Troy, that’s the point. His pride has always been about the person Jarrod is and the way he carries himself.
Why Troy is Jarrod Berry’s number 1 fan
When asked why Jarrod nominated him as his number 1 fan, Troy doesn’t hesitate. “My love and support for Jarrod is unconditional... I will walk over broken glass to be able to show him that love... that support.”
Jarrod agrees. “Actions speak louder than words... when I’ve needed him there or I haven’t, he’s always been there." Through thick and thin, Troy has supported Jarrod to fail, to grow and to dream. For Jarrod, it’s one of the reasons he’s standing where he is today.
