West Coast premiership captain Shannon Hurn is set to retire at the end of the season after a stellar career spanning 18 seasons.
The Eagles made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, confirming that the 35-year-old would call it quits after the round 24 home game against Adelaide.
Hurn was drafted 13th overall in the 2005 draft and captained the Eagles between 2015 and 2019, and was at the helm when the Eagles beat Collingwood to claim the 2018 flag.
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He retires as West Coast’s games record holder and a two-time All-Australian.
“I love playing the game and I know I’m really going to miss it,” Hurn said in a club statement. “But I also know the time is right. People have told me that I would know when this moment arrived and it’s here.
“Unfortunately, you can’t go on forever and it’s time for me to step away.
“It has been a great honour to play for this football club over the last 18 years and I have loved it since the day I arrived. There are life-long friendships and memories that have been created here and I will always be grateful for that.
“There are too many individuals to acknowledge, but I will get to as many of them as possible to thank them personally for the role they have played in my journey.
“Obviously all of my teammates, my two senior coaches – John Worsfold and Adam Simpson – as well as CEO Trevor Nisbett have all been significant. Naturally, my family has always been wonderfully supportive.
“I feel very lucky to have played for as long as I have, always wanting to contribute to the team, but ultimately the game does catch up with you – especially at 35.”
Simpson said the Eagles would miss Hurn’s leadership in the coming years.
”The first thing you want from your leaders is to play well,” Simpson said in the Eagles statement. “And there weren’t many times in his career when ‘Bunga’ didn’t do that.
“He is one of only three premiership captains in the history of the club and that honour is not gifted to anyone. He is just such an honest and humble person and it has been a privilege to have been involved in the second half of his career.
“We will definitely miss him and I know our members and fans will cherish what he has done for our club. They will get the chance to express their appreciation over the last couple of home games.”
Hurn was described as “an outstanding ambassador” for the club by Nisbett.
“He has been a model of consistency and to do that over such a long period is quite extraordinary. Just as he plays in a matter-of-fact manner, that is pretty much who he is off the field,” he said.
“He is such a stand-up character and is respected universally, not just throughout our club but across the competition.”
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