It was eight years ago that hundreds of thousands of people from across the rim of the Indian Ocean, some Australians and one of them our very dear Troy Broadbridge, lost their lives as a result of earthquakes and the tsunami that followed.

This Boxing Day is again a day on which we reflect and remember Troy and all the victims of this tragedy.

Your tributes are invited tonight, tomorrow and in fact, at any time.

Troy Broadbridge: No. 20

Born: 5 October 1980

Recruited from Port Adelaide Magpies (SANFL)

Died: 26 December 2004, Thailand

Playing Career:

Debut Round 8, May 20, 2001, Melbourne vs. Essendon, at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Team: Melbourne (2001-2004)

40 games, 2 goals

Melbourne Most Improved Player 2001

Sandringham Premiership Team 2000 & 2004

I watched Troy developing, & saw a green but incredibly honest footballer in a game that was the older fashioned style of that day.

He was growing & improving, & I always felt he was the real deal.

He had some breakout sort of games, & stood up in some intimidating circumstances before he was taken tragically, O/S...

We lost a terrific fella IMO, & a yet to be great of the club.

Thoughts to Trisha & the Broadbridge Family.

An honest footballer and ripping bloke. My thoughts to the friends and family of Troy and all others who lost loved ones on that day.

Go you big red fire engine.

Deepest sympathies

Jason

It was eight years ago that hundreds of thousands of people from across the rim of the Indian Ocean, some Australians and one of them our very dear Troy Broadbridge, lost their lives as a result of earthquakes and the tsunami that followed.

This Boxing Day is again a day on which we reflect and remember Troy and all the victims of this tragedy.

Your tributes are invited tonight, tomorrow and in fact, at any time.

Troy Broadbridge: No. 20

Born: 5 October 1980

Recruited from Port Adelaide Magpies (SANFL)

Died: 26 December 2004, Thailand

Playing Career:

Debut Round 8, May 20, 2001, Melbourne vs. Essendon, at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Team: Melbourne (2001-2004)

40 games, 2 goals

Melbourne Most Improved Player 2001

Sandringham Premiership Team 2000 & 2004

I thought we had the makings of a top line key position backman.

An unassuming fellow on the way up.

Terribly sad to lose a youngster in such circumstances.

I will never forget the emotion surrounding round 1 2005.

RIP Troy.

Broady had taken significant strides forward in his last season, only to have a promising career tragically and abruptly taken away. Life can be horribly unfair sometimes, but the fond memories live on.

Broady is still with us. I have been to Thailand many times.

I wore a footy jumper there earlier this year in his honour for one night.

God it was hot. But worth it.

R.I.P. Troy.

I, too, pause to remember. A young man cut down in his prime, with everything to live for. Simply tragic.

R.I.P. Troy!

The thing about him was that he was a genuine bloke who, unlike some sportsmen, never got a big head and was always happy to chat with supporters. I remember leaving the Box Hill ground with him after a Sandringham game (he was recovering from a knee injury) and we spoke for 10 minutes about his recovery and the future prospects for the Demons.

We lost a good one eight years ago today.

RIP Troy 8 years ago the world lost such a loyal human being taken in such tragic circumstances in such a wonderful period of his life.

Never met him but sounded like a really nice guy. My memory of him is that he was turning into a really accountable HBF and i really began to like him.

I first met Troy whilst he was serving behind the bar at the Bentleigh Club.

It was just prior to an Essendon Melbourne Game.

Daniher & Sheeds were the mainstays of the day.

But IMO the 5 min. of conversation I had with Troy still lingers.

He was an honest unassuming young man and very polite.

I caught up with him on a couple of other occasions at Post match sessions.

He was improving with each game he played, until he broke his leg in an accident on the HBF.

I hoped he would get over it and turn in a ripper year.

Then 2004 Boxing came.

RIP Troy

Best wishes to all your family and friends who will be missing you today.

It was a terrible day and I will never forget the funeral, so sad and I felt so sorry for Trish who had lost a lot more than the rest of us.

RIP Troy.

I met him a few times at sponsors' functions.

He was probably the most modest, approachable,likeable Melbourne player I 've ever met.

Let's not forget he'd been a star junior athlete in S A and the son of a star SANFL player , before concentrating on footy. Some would get a swollen head, especially since his footy was coming on in leaps and bounds. But not Troy. He remained a top bloke.

I have to admit, I had a private cry when I heard of his fate. But for a while I held hope he may have survived , but was just lost. Since then I've seen footage of the power of destructiuon of Tsunamis, and realise how little chance he must have had. How did Trish survive?

I watched Troy developing, & saw a green but incredibly honest footballer in a game that was the older fashioned style of that day.

He was growing & improving, & I always felt he was the real deal.

He had some breakout sort of games, & stood up in some intimidating circumstances before he was taken tragically, O/S...

We lost a terrific fella IMO, & a yet to be great of the club.

Thoughts to Trisha & the Broadbridge Family.

Agree. Spoke to him at length once at the Bentleigh club before he started getting a regular game and he was a lovely boy and so keen to do well at the club.

Time does not make this any less sad, taken way too soon.

Hope the club keeps his memory alive and all the best to Trish and his family and friends.

Always a Dee, gone but not forgotten.