Veteran Saint Sean Dempster has today officially announced his retirement, wrapping up his 222 game career.
Dempster has decided he is no longer willing to risk further injury.
After being drafted to Sydney under the father-son rule in 2002, Sean played five years with the Swans including their 2005 premiership.
Once traded to St Kilda, Sean went on to play 168 games in the red, white and black. He was selected in the All Australian team in 2012 and polled third in the Saint’s prestigious Trevor Barker Award four times (2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015).
The Saints life member said he felt the time was right to hang up the boots and is looking forward to the next stage of his life.
“I’ve loved my time playing AFL and I recognise how lucky I’ve been to play professionally for the past fifteen years,” Dempster said.
“I received a head knock in our first JLT game against Port Adelaide and it made me reassess things.
“I’ve had a few knocks in my time and it got to a point where I needed to ask myself if risking it further was the right decision.
“I’ve got a young family now and it’s time for me to move on to life after football.
“I’ve been privileged to play for two excellent clubs and have loved every minute.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is to contribute to something great and for the past fifteen years, my something great has been football.
“I’m grateful to both clubs (Sydney and St Kilda), for letting me do that for such a long time.
“I would like to thank all the fans for their support over the years and all the players, coaches and staff that I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
St Kilda Senior Coach Alan Richardson paid tribute to Dempster’s service to the club, saying he can walk away proud of the career he has had.
“Sean has been a fearless and selfless defender for our club for a long time now,” Richardson said.
“He has been an excellent example of what a committed footballer looks like.
“His dedication to his craft and his leadership through action is something I know will leave a lasting impact on our club and all at the club sincerely thank him for that and wish him well.”
Sean Dempster statistics
Drafted: 2002 third round father-son selection to Sydney (Number 34 overall) & 2007 trade by Sydney for pick number 26
Debut: Round 3 2005
Matches: 222
Goals: 21
Finals: 14
Grand finals: 5
All-Australian: 2012
St Kilda Life Membership: 2015
