Eaglehawk and St Kilda star Jarryn Geary has called time on his AFL journey following a re-injury of his troublesome shoulder that has plagued him throughout his career.
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In his first game back in seven weeks from a broken arm, Geary injured the shoulder, which he had surgery on during the 2021 AFL season only minutes into the Hawks match with Kyneton in round 16.
Knowing full well it would likely be the last time he would ever be able to pull on an Eaglehawk jersey, Geary incredibly played out the match and added two goals for good measure.
"I knew it was going to be my last time out on the ground, so I stayed out there and tried to enjoy it as much as possible," Geary said.
"It's disappointing to finish this way, but I'm delighted I came back and played at Eaglehawk because its brought some enjoyment back into footy for me."
After playing his junior footy with the Hawks, Geary was selected by the Saints in the 2006 rookie draft at pick 58.
He played 207 games for the club and captained them between 2017-2021.
Following his AFL retirement in 2022, Geary was lured back to his home side in a playing and assistant coaching role.
Geary ended up playing eight games this season, which is more than some expected, according to Hawks head coach Travis Matheson.
"It was going to be a fairytale if he got through the year and tasted some success," Matheson said.
"At the start of the season, there was no assurances he would play at all, so we've been fortunate to have him on the park and in a coaching capacity."
Jarryn's brother Kallen also returned to the Hawks in the off-season after winning three premierships with Strathfieldsaye.
Having the chance to play with his little brother after such a long time is a memory Geary will hold dear.
"I'm grateful to have gotten the opportunity to play with Kallen again as we haven't done it since under 12s which was his first year of footy as a nine-year-old," Geary said.
"Then you've also got the plus of playing in front of the Eaglehawk faithful again, which I loved doing growing up, so it's been a highly enjoyable year."
The year isn't over yet for Geary, who has a big job assisting Matheson in the Hawks September charge.
The Borough needs to beat top-of-the-table Sandhurst at the QEO this week to confirm a double chance otherwise, an elimination final date likely with South Bendigo awaits.
"I'll sit on the sidelines and keep chipping away to help Matho (Matheson) plan and beat Sandhurst this week," Geary said.
"We've had to wait until the final game of the year to play on the QEO, which comes at a good time considering we want to be playing there over the next few weeks as well."
Matheson said that while we won't be seeing any more of his exploits on the field, Geary will still play a big part in the Hawks finals campaign.
"He's still going to play a significant role going forward with his knowledge and experience," he said.
"When he pulls the boys in during a break, you can hear a pin drop as he's got that much respect amongst the group."
While no plans are set in stone for the now-retired star, Geary hinted, we could see him holding up a whiteboard into the future.
"I'm not sure what football looks like for me moving forward, as its all happened pretty quickly, but I've loved helping out this year, and it's something that continues to interest me."
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