Sports dad of the year-David Warner

In a year when he was crowned Allan Border Medallist as Australia’s premier player across all formats and was elevated to the national captaincy, albeit on an interim basis, David Warner has earned recognition for a far more personal and enduring achievement.

The work that he does as father for his and wife Candice’s two daughters, Ivy Mae and Indi Rae, that has earned him the title of 2016 Philips Sports Dad of the Year.

And Warner, who led his team to ODI Series win over Sri Lanka with consecutive victories in Dambulla last week, conceded that the influence of his wife (a former professional ironwoman) and the responsibilities of fatherhood have moulded him into a less volatile, more settled character and cricketer.

“I think that comes more with having bad days and not being in form,” Warner said of the sharper perspective he’s gained on life and cricket since becoming a parent in 2014.

“Recently I haven’t been scoring as many runs as I would have liked but I come home and I get to FaceTime my children or be with my children and my wife (when they travel with the team), and it’s fantastic.

“You look back five, six, seven years and you almost say, ‘Could I have had kids earlier to settle me down’ or ‘Was that the thing that settled me down’, and we just don’t know that.

“Fatherhood has helped me a lot with my game, and off the field it gives me something always to have as a responsibility.

“I’ve always dreamed of having kids and I thoroughly enjoy having children and I think my wife has been a key factor of me being a little bit more tame and humble as I’ve got older.

“I think she got me into a great routine coming from her sporting background of being an ironwoman, which takes a lot of discipline and strength and courage to do that (sport).

“And upon yourself to get up in the early hours of the morning to start training is a credit to her, and I think that’s exactly what modelled me into probably being the person I am today.

“And with the added bonus of having children, I think the responsibility has come a long was as well with that, and I really enjoy that.”

Warner secured the most votes in the award’s internet poll and was revealed as the winner on Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports today.

He earned the nod ahead of other nominees Socceroos star Tim Cahill, Tour de France stage-winning cyclist Simon Gerrans, Olympian Jamie Dwyer, V8 Supercar driver Garth Tander and footballers Jarrad McVeigh, Matthew Pavlich and Brent Harvey (AFL) as well as Corey Parker and James Maloney (NRL).