Emotional former Socceroos captain Tony Henderson has used the funeral of his once team-mate Ian Gray to lash out at the "rubbish" written about the footballer since his suspicious death.
Gray, 46, was found in the lounge room of his Elizabeth Bay apartment, in Sydney's east, on February 15.
Sherryn Davis, 22, was arrested in Kings Cross last week and charged with the soccer star's manslaughter, supplying him with heroin and stealing his property, including a laptop, camera and clothing.
Police say the cause of Gray's death has not yet been established, though court papers allege he died after Davis supplied him with heroin.
"I'm angry about what I've been reading in the papers. I'm sick of the rubbish that gets written about this guy," Henderson, speaking without notes, told the funeral.
"All I know is, that's Ian Gray. I'm not interested in anything else anyone's got to say.
"That's the bottom line. He's gone and the hole will never be filled."
Hundreds of mourners, including other former Socceroos Mark Bosnich, Robbie Slater and Steve Corica, attended the ceremony at Sydney's Salvation Army Church on Wednesday.
Those at the funeral heard how Gray, known by his nickname "Iggy", trained extremely hard during and after his professional career.
He had a strong work ethic installed in him by his father, who was the driving force in his professional life, Gray's sister Yvonne said.
"I know he would have been amazed and humbled by the number of people that have come today," she said.
She recounted a yarn in which Gray asked his father for a puppy.
He replied that he could have it if he became captain and top scorer of the NSW football team, which he promptly did.
Gray's parents were presented with the cap he earned on debut for Australia.
There was also an emotional pictorial tribute, accompanied by the song You'll Never Walk Alone, the anthem associated with English football club Liverpool FC.
Former National Soccer League player Andy Harper, now a Fox Sports presenter, told the funeral that Gray also had a wicked sense of humour and was a father figure to those who knew him, particularly through football.
"He was never asked to do any of this, he just did it," Harper said.
"In a world beset by selfishness he was selfless. To him the team was everything.
"We all loved playing with you, playing for you. Our captain, be still, at rest."
Bosnich said Gray was more than just a great player.
"It's a very sad day. All I can say is he was not only a wonderful player but also a wonderful man," Bosnich told AAP after the funeral.
Slater said it is a sad day for football.
"Someone like Ian Gray, you don't replace. The thing that stood out from his service was the number of kids here. He's left a legacy."
Sydney FC player Steve Corica, who recently announced his retirement from the game, also attended the funeral.
A tearful Corica was too upset to comment.
Gray played 35 matches for the Socceroos over nine years.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Football Federation Australia (FFA) Hall of Fame - Award of Distinction, after beginning his career with the Manly Vale and Western Suburbs clubs.
He went on to win three National Soccer League titles with Marconi.
An experienced defender or midfielder, he started a 12-year national representative career in 1981, and was chosen for the senior Australian side in their 1986 World Cup campaign.
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