Source : ABC NEWS
Collingwood great Steele Sidebottom has officially told Magpies teammates he will be retiring at season’s end.
The dual Magpies premiership hero’s announcement on Thursday comes just hours after Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia also called it quits.
Debuting in 2009, Sidebottom has played 373 AFL games — the second most in Collingwood’s storied history, only behind Scott Pendlebury.
A member of the Magpies’ 2010 premiership side as a 19-year-old, Sidebottom then kicked a famous goal late in the 2023 grand final to help seal the club’s next flag 13 years later.
Sidebottom (left) and Scott Pendlebury (right) have played the most matches together as teammates in VFL/AFL history. (Getty Images: Quinn Rooney)
With Collingwood guaranteed to be in the wildcard round of the finals, at least, Sidebottom will be hoping for a fairytale farewell.
The versatile midfielder won Collingwood’s Copeland Trophy in 2017 and 2018, also earning All-Australian honours once.
“As a young kid from ‘Tally’ [Tallygaroopna], I could never imagine I’d finish my AFL career with over 370 games, two premierships and 18 years of memories,” Sidebottom said.
“When I look back on my time at Collingwood, I’ll remember the people.
“So many teammates, coaches, staff and volunteers have invested their time and energy into helping me along the way.”
Sidebottom might not be the only senior Collingwood player to retire this year, with Pendlebury also weighing up his future after breaking the VFL/AFL games record in May.
The Magpies have the oldest list in the AFL and are attempting to stay in premiership contention with a group in transition.
At Richmond, Prestia has joined premiership teammate Nathan Broad in ending his career.
After starting his career with Gold Coast, Prestia enjoyed instant success after making the switch to the Tigers in 2017.
Prestia won three premierships in his first four seasons with Richmond after joining at the end of 2016. (Getty Images: Mackenzie Sweetnam)
The midfielder played in three premierships (2017, 2019, 2020) in his first four seasons at Richmond.
Despite being riddled by injury in 2020 and restricted to just five games during the pandemic season, Prestia returned to play an important role in all four of the Tigers’ finals.
“I felt like a Richmond man from the very beginning,” Prestia said.
“My decision to come to Richmond was not to prove what I could do, but to be a part of a club that I saw potential for greatness, and didn’t we prove that right?”
Prestia and Broad will be given a farewell in front of the Richmond army this Saturday when the Tigers host St Kilda at the MCG.
AAP
