Reported by Luke Scott
VETERAN Tasmanian footballer Trent Bartlett will run on to the ground for the final time tomorrow, after yesterday announcing his retirement.
Bartlett will play his final game for the Tasmanian side in the representative match against Queensland at Aurora Stadium.
After 81 AFL games, and four years with the Tasmanian Devils' VFL side, Bartlett said he had not made the decision to hang up his boots lightly.
"It's been something that's been in the back of my mind probably for a couple of years, and particularly over the past month," the 31-year-old said.
"I thought, what better way to finish up than to get a game for Tasmania and bow out then?"
Originally from Deloraine, Bartlett was drafted to the Brisbane Bears at the end of the 1993 AFL season at number 45.
He played 22 games with the club over three years and another 17 for the Lions after the merger with Fitzroy.
In 2000 he was picked up by the Western Bulldogs, and went on to play a further 42 matches, before returning to Tasmania to play with the Devils in 2003.
Yesterday, Bartlett said he was satisfied with his achievements in the game. "I'm very proud that I spent nine years as a professional footballer, and proud of what I've contributed to all the sides I've played with - which has been quite a few over the time," he said.
Asked to list his proudest moment in football, Bartlett said his first AFL game was hard to top. However, he said playing AFL and VFL finals were also memorable moments.
"I don't have any regrets," he said of his career. "I have made mistakes and I'd probably do things differently if I had the opportunity again, but that's life and that's footy. But no regrets, just a lot of mistakes, like most people make."
Bartlett said that his football retirement would allow him to spend more time with his wife, and he was looking forward to the future.
"I'll be working, making a living I suppose," he said. "But I'm looking forward ... to doing some normal things, and having some weekends free during the winter months."
