The AFL dream ended in tears at 20. A decade later, he was lifting the World Test Championship. Alex Carey's journey to becoming one of Australian cricket's most trusted performers is one of the sporting world’s great second-act stories.

A talented junior who played both codes at a high level, Alex took a chance on AFL and moved to Sydney as one of the GWS Giants' foundation players - only to be let go with barely 24 hours' notice. Back in Adelaide, he drifted through a football pre-season and a stint in finance before a quiet conversation with the South Australian Cricket Association gave him one more shot. He almost didn't take it. He nearly quit that too.

But he didn’t and what came next … is all part of Alex’s incredible story.

In this episode, Luke Darcy and Alex Carey hit:
Growing up in a sporting household and the father who shaped his values
The AFL dream, and the brutal moment it was taken away
How two delistings and a finance job led him back to cricket… and eventually to Test cricket
The 2023 Ashes 'spirit of the game' incident at Lord's: online threats, mental battles, and what he'd do differently
Working with performance psychologist Ben Crowe, and the value of having someone outside the system
Fatherhood, sacrifice, and how he and wife Eloise make it all work

Learn. Lead. Collaborate.

Start your leadership journey today. Head here to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a discovery call today.

Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU here.

The AFL dream ended in tears at 20. A decade later, he was lifting the World Test Championship. Alex Carey's journey to becoming one of Australian cricket's most trusted performers is one of the sporting world&rsquo;s great second-act stories.
A talented junior who played both codes at a high level, Alex took a chance on AFL and moved to Sydney as one of the GWS Giants' foundation players - only to be let go with barely 24 hours' notice. Back in Adelaide, he drifted through a football pre-season and a stint in finance before a quiet conversation with the South Australian Cricket Association gave him one more shot. He almost didn't take it. He nearly quit that too.
But he didn&rsquo;t and what came next &hellip; is all part of Alex&rsquo;s incredible story.
In this episode, Luke Darcy and Alex Carey hit:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Growing up in a sporting household and the father who shaped his values</li>
<li aria-level="1">The AFL dream, and the brutal moment it was taken away</li>
<li aria-level="1">How two delistings and a finance job led him back to cricket&hellip; and eventually to Test cricket</li>
<li aria-level="1">The 2023 Ashes 'spirit of the game' incident at Lord's: online threats, mental battles, and what he'd do differently</li>
<li aria-level="1">Working with performance psychologist Ben Crowe, and the value of having someone outside the system</li>
<li aria-level="1">Fatherhood, sacrifice, and how he and wife Eloise make it all work</li>
</ul>
Learn. Lead. Collaborate.
Start your leadership journey today. Head <a href="https://www.aledacollective.com/program/leadconnect">here</a> to find out more about our signature, cross industry collaboration program, Aleda Connect. Curated and facilitated by experts, running for 8 fortnightly sessions, Aleda Connect is the learning experience of a life-time. Book a <a href="https://calendly.com/matt-1756/30min">discovery call today.</a>
Empowering Leaders is proudly partnered with Victoria University. Find more information about studying at VU <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yzcchzea">here</a>.

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.

Empowering Leaders

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it’s sports, art, social venture, business or education. We’ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.

In this series, Luke Darcy is joined by iconic leaders to unpack learnings and life lessons from these game changers in their chosen field, whether it&rsquo;s sports, art, social venture, business or education. We&rsquo;ll break down the fundamentals of the new style of leadership, such as collaboration, integrity and innovation, through the stories of these iconic leaders.