Premiership hero gives up huge payday in retirement

3 years ago 364

Bulldogs premiership skipper Easton Wood has proven erstwhile again that helium is the eventual clubman by giving up a immense payday connected a guaranteed declaration to discontinue instead.

The 32-year-old defender was contracted for the 2022 season, but is retiring due to the fact that helium does not privation to fto his teammates down adjacent year, with his assemblage battered aft playing successful 188 bruising games since his debut backmost successful 2009.

"No substance however overmuch I was getting paid adjacent year, if I felt similar I was conscionable rocking up to get a wage cheque, knowing that 'jeez astatine immoderate infinitesimal if I pinged a drawstring oregon I got dropped that I could conscionable propulsion the pin' and permission the nine precocious and dry, I'd consciousness sick astir that," Wood told The Age.

"I don't deliberation I'd beryllium capable to ever reconcile that, nary substance however overmuch was coming backmost the different way."

Wood managed 15 games successful 2021 and was successful Luke Beveridge's expansive last side, but admitted helium archetypal considered status aft suffering a hamstring wounded against Port Adelaide successful Round 9, his 3rd hamstring wounded of the season.

"You cognize however there's the explanation of insanity of doing the aforesaid happening doubly and expect a antithetic response? I was thinking, is that wherever I'm astatine and person I already crossed over? What's going to change? That benignant of incidental rocked maine a small bit,"
he said.

"I thought that was my assemblage saying it wasn't benignant of up to the demands of AFL." Wood said.

"You benignant of catastrophise consecutive aft the lawsuit and you benignant of person to bottommost retired earlier you tin travel backmost up. I was confronting that thought of, 'am I done?' And past aft a fewer days, and you fto the emotions settee a spot you go, 'no I'm not, it's Round Nine, it's lone a grade-one.'

"[But] erstwhile that thought was planted successful my caput it was benignant of hard to debar reasoning astir it.

"The large happening was I benignant of made a woody with myself that I'll bash everything I tin to get backmost and if it goes again past that mightiness beryllium it. But if it doesn't I'll effort to eke retired arsenic overmuch [as I can]."

Drafted with the 43rd prime successful the 2007 draft, Wood retires having played a pivotal relation successful a infinitesimal Bulldogs fans volition ne'er hide 5 seasons agone erstwhile helium stepped successful for the injured Bob Murphy to pb the broadside to a drought-breaking premiership

The high-flying defender finishes having made 1 All-Australian quality and won 1 nine champion and fairest, with some coming successful 2015.

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