Scotland broke the news of his retirement as Darley's Ballarat Football League premiership celebration began to get into full swing.

"My playing days are over."

The 37-year-old could not have wished for a better way to end his playing career -  leading the club where he started as a junior to its second BFL senior flag.

Darley reinforced its supremacy over arch-rival Bacchus Marsh with a 50-point at Mars Stadium on Saturday.

Scotland fulfilled a long-time ambition by returning to the Devils this year.

Drafted by Collingwood via the Western Jets in 1998, he went on to play 268 AFL games – 53 with the Magpies and 215 with Carlton before retiring in 2014.

Scotland then spent two years at Doncaster in the Eastern Football League, helping guide it to a premiership in 2015.

He jumped at the opportunity to finally return to Darley this season.

Scotland was initially uncertain whether he would play, but once he made the call went on to enjoy a season which not only saw him as arguably the Devils’ most valuable player, but one of the best in the competition.

He reinforced this status with a fourth in the BFL best and fairest, the Henderson Medal.

Even though Darley had the match in its keeping early in the last quarter, Scotland said it was until the final siren that he began to savour what he and the Devils had achieved.

He said he had still been barking out instructions right to the end, such was his on-field nature.

Scotland, who was awarded AFL Victoria best player medal,  appropriately provided one of the individual highlights of the day with his second goal from tight on the boundary at the scoreboard end.

Scotland will be joined in retirement by long-time Darley defender Drew Edwards.

Edwards, 33, said it was the perfect way to go out as a player.

It is not the first time Edwards has called its quits, but he says there will be no comebacks this time.

Edwards retired at the end of 2014 and took on the role of senior runner for what would the season in which Darley took out its first BFL premiership.

Seeing that was enough to persuade to give it one last shot in 2016.

Edwards did break into the senior side this season until almost the halfway mark and was then in and out.

Even though he played three of the last four home and away games and the first two finals, Edwards admitted that being nervous after the second semi-final win about holding his place for the grand final.

He said he lost lot of sleep thinking about until being told by Scotland on Tuesday of grand final week that he would be playing.

For Edwards, the demons of playing in the 2008 grand final loss can at last be put to rest.