74 The Australian Women’s Weekly|JUNE 2018
“The irst time I met Dave, through a
mutual friend, to be honest, I thought he
was a bit of a tosser. A couple of years
later, in 2013, I saw a documentary
about him in India, and I thought, this
is a very different Dave Warner. We
married in April 2015 and that decision,
despite some shockers I’ve made over
the years, will remain one of my best.
“My father was always a provider,
our protector, and Dave and my dad are
similar. My parents were with us when
it went down in South Africa, they
stood proudly at my side throughout
the Sonny Bill ordeal and have been
there for us through the miscarriage.
I inally received a weak apology from
Cricket South Africa – I realised they’re
the ones to feel ashamed, not me.
“I’d like to extend that apology to
Sonny Bill. He’s a husband and father,
so imagine how his wife would feel –
and his kids. It’s been 11 years since that
happened, it’s time to put it to rest and
get on with things that matter,” she says.
Back home and the Warners remain
true to their word – they’ve copped the
punishment and are utilising their time
on the bench to relect on the past and
look ahead for what might be next.
“When it irst happened, there was
this terrible fear of the unknown. Dave
has lost all his sponsorship deals but
I’m conident that, as time heals, he
will earn back the respect of everyone
...There’s been more criticism that the
WAGS [wives and girlfriends] should
not be allowed to tour in future. I don’t
agree. I think Dave plays best and is at
his best on and off the ield when his
family is around. This was just a very
ugly tour and you’d hope a one-off.
“He’s been doing a lot of soul-
searching during this period, before hedecides what’s next. He just returned
from a life-changing trip up in Arnhem
Land, where he worked with locals
on community projects ... just Dave
the top bloke.
“He loves being home and the girls
adore their time with him. We’re living
with my parents while we build our new
home. We want our girls to have a
childhood like mine, with nippers and
beach in a good, solid, working-class
neighbourhood with locals who continue
to be welcoming and kind to us. They
know their daddy has been naughty.
They also know, when you do something
wrong, you accept the punishment.”
Dave Warner is currently serving
a 12-month ban for his role in the
ball-tampering scandal. After weighing
up his options, he decided not to
challenge the ban and according to a
former teammate, his ierce loyalty
likely put a stop to that.
“He didn’t appeal for fear he might
implicate some of his mates who were
involved but not named,” the teammate
explains. “There’s a strong feeling in the
cricket world that the entire team and
head coach and coaching staff were in
on it. Dave would never ‘dob’ on his
mates – that’s just who he is.”
There’s no telling whether Dave
Warner will ever play test cricket for
Australia again but Candice has a
hunch he will be back.
“There’s a burning desire to wear that
baggy green again. To earn back the
respect of the Australian public is top of
his game plan. Dave loves coach Justin
Langer and believes he’s the man to
sweep out the debris and inject new
conidence into the team. Dave will
want to be a part of that transformation.
“This could be one of the great
blessings in disguise – what’s happened
to us. With his girls at his side, I know
he can do anything. I was asked
recently if I love cricket. I answered,
‘no, I don’t, but I love Dave’.”AWWTheWeeklyhas made a donation on
Candice’s behalf to the Dolly Everett
Foundation, Dolly’s Dream. “I was
touched by Dolly’s story,” says
Candice, “and felt saddened for
her family. I know irst-hand how
devastating bullying can be.”“He’s been
doing a lot of
soul-searching
during this
period.”
Exclusive