DARREN MONCRIEFF
Thursday 8 September, 2011
IT'S the time of football's 'tap on the shoulder', either from management or the body that can't go around for another gruelling pre-season.
Already, three Aboriginal footballers have either retired or have been delisted.
(Sometimes, due purely for administration purposes, some players are delisted before being relisted, almost always on a club's rookie list.)
Veteran defender Roger Hayden (pictured) retired last week. His follows the mid-season retirement of Hawthorn 2008 premiership player, and more recently Essendon forward, Mark Williams.
Hayden has called time on his celebrated career after sustaining another foot injury requiring surgery.
After playing all but one game in 2011, Hayden could manage just three this season.
The 30-year-old, who made his debut in round 15, 2002, has had an unlucky run of injuries in his 128-game AFL career, which included a broken leg, a punctured lung and hamstring injuries.
Hayden's former Dockers team-mate, Joel Houghton, the No.36 selection in the 2009 national draft, was delisted yesterday but the potential key-position prospect could be one of those 'relistees'.
Gold Coast rookie Roland Ah Chee, from the Northern Territory, was one of several players delisted by the Suns yesterday.
2011 retirees and delistees
(updated with each new announcement):
Roland Ah Chee (Gold Coast) delisted
Roger Hayden (Fremantle) retired
Joel Houghton (Fremantle) delisted
Mark Williams (Essendon) retired
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 08/09/2011 13:19