Richmond defender Dylan Grimes has called time on his illustrious career, playing 234 games and winning three premierships across 15 years.
Grimes - who was initially overlooked in the 2009 National Draft - will finish his time at Punt Road as a club captain, Jack Dyer medallist, All-Australian and two-time winner of the Francis Bourke Award.
The Northern Knights product has been a stalwart for the Tigers in defence, being a beacon of determination and perseverance as the club returned to premiership relevancy from 2017 onwards.
โThe Club had plenty of reasons to throw in the towel with me over many years with surgeries, form slumps or whatever (else)," Grimes said.
โThere is a part of me that has had a chip on my shoulder for my entire career to try and repay the debt I felt like I owed the Club.
โAlmost everything good in my life, I have because of here, so thank you.โ
Despite closing the page on this chapter of his life, Grimes is excited by what the future will hold.
โTo be a great Club you need to have great people, and this place is blessed with some of the best that there is,โ Grimes added.
โI will miss the thrill of the contest, and I will miss the incredible feeling of playing in front of the best fans in the worldโฆ But I leave with no regrets and just a sense of pride for everything we have achieved together.โ
Richmond Chief Executive Officer Brendon Gale said Grimes would go down as one of the club's all-time greats.
โDylan arrived at the Club via the Pre-Season Draft, and straight away, you could tell that he was going to be a player that got everything out of himself, which 15 years later has certainly come to fruition,โ Gale said.
โHis importance to our team and Club across a long period has been profound, and his contribution to our era of success has been outstanding.
โIn a role that does not always receive the plaudits, Dylan exemplified, and he was respected and admired across the league as a top-line quality player.
โDylan had a wonderful career and is one of our most decorated players, but his legacy at the Club as a great teammate will be the most lasting.
โOn behalf of everyone at Richmond, we cannot thank Dylan enough for what he did for our Club. He was a heart and soul footballer and will forever be a Richmond Man.โ
Grimes will join his triple premiership teammate Dustin Martin at the MCG this Saturday to celebrate their remarkable careers together with the Tiger Army.
