When Ballarat footballer Shaun Grigg made the decision in May to bring his 214-game AFL career to an end, it was a move many identified as selfless, as it allowed the Tigers to pick up an extra player in the mid-season draft.
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The Tigers moved to select Marlion Pickett from the WAFL to little fan-fare. The 27-year-old would join Richmond's VFL team, where he helped the Tigers to a premiership victory, securing himself Norm Goss Medal honours in the process.
Pickett would go on to make his AFL debut in Richmond's 89-point grand final thrashing of GWS, where he tallied 22 disposals, a goal and four Norn Smith Medal votes.
Following the victory, Grigg, who presented Pickett with his guernsey prior to the game, joked that the Tigers should have made the move years ago.
"They should have traded me in a couple of years ago for him," Grigg joked from the rooms.
"What an incredible game from Marlion - He's played in two premierships for us... who would've thought?"
Grigg opened up on his feelings behind his retirement and the player who was to be brought in as his replacement.
"The decision for me to retire was all about getting someone who could help us this year... if it was going to be a young developing player I probably would've been a bit stubborn and dug my heels in and tried to go on.
"But when the club told me it was someone who could really help us this year it was a pretty easy decision."
Grigg's injury-enforced retirement foiled his dreams of joining many of his teammates in becoming a two-time premiership player, but he still took great personal pride in the result.
"The Richmond footy club is so special... if you're not playing you still feel a part of it," he said.
"I'm probably lucky that I did experience 2017 in the latter part of my career and I just wanted to see the young boys who didn't play experience what I've experienced.
"I'll celebrate like I played, don't worry."
- With AAP
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