Brad Green has retired with a warning to his young Melbourne teammates – the AFL isn’t for everyone.
The 31-year-old was chaired from the MCG on Sunday after Adelaide flexed their muscles ahead of the finals with a 69-point belting of the hapless Demons.
Green opted to make this home game his last, rather than go to Perth for next weekend’s season-ending match against Fremantle.
He kicked two first-term goals, but then missed two sitters in the second quarter and was unable to add to his tally.
The Demons will finish in the bottom four again and Green said post-match that they were yet to properly learn some nasty lessons about a brutal league.
“The footy club has a lot of work to do and Neeldy (coach Mark Neeld) and his coaches are on the right path,” Green said.
“The players, I have no doubt they’re in for a hard pre-season, that’s where it’s all going to start for them.
“It’s not for everybody and it takes hard work.
“For those players who think it’s an easy game, they’re kidding themselves.
“There’s a lot of talent, but talent only takes you so far.”
Green’s 254 games leaves him sixth on the all-time Melbourne games list and he kicked 350 goals.
He played in their losing 2000 grand final side, won the club best and fairest award two years ago and captained the Demons last season.
Neeld called him a legend of the club.
“I’m actually not too bad – it’s a sad day, you never think as a footballer this day will come,” Green said.
“You always think you can play on or should play on … to play your last game at the MCG and bow out like that is a little bit disappointing.
“You don’t want to go out when you can’t give anything – hopefully I gave a little bit of something tonight.”