Collingwood key defender Jordan Roughead has today called time on his career.
The 31-year-old informed teammates at training this morning that the round five match of the Pies’ 2022 campaign was his last.
“Coming into this season I knew that it was likely to be my last. I’ve had an on-going shoulder issue for the last few years and knew at some point I would have to make a decision,” Roughead said.
“The last month or so I have spent some time thinking about when I would make the call. This is not a decision I am making because I want to but a decision I am making for my long-term health and my family as well.”
Roughead has played 201 games across his 14-year career. He has played 63 games for Collingwood.
Roughead created a name for himself with the Bulldogs and was a part of the 2016 premiership side carrying the ruck for much of the campaign that famously broke one of the longest premiership droughts in the game’s history.
In October 2018 the defender was traded to Collingwood and continued to refine his craft as a key defender for the club. Roughead finished top ten in the E. W. Copeland Trophy vote count in 2019 and 2021.
The highs came with lows, this year Roughead was unlucky on the injury front – the defender underwent arthroscopic surgery to his right shoulder in February before requiring surgery to his finger after injuring it in round five. These woes have kept him to one game this year.
Away from the game, Roughead has been an instrumental figure across the club’s community programs, an assistant coach for the club’s AFLW side, and is also a key spokesperson of the AFL Players for Climate Action. He was nominated twice for the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award in 2017 and 2021 for his focus areas of LGBTIQA+ community, climate action, youth homelessness and women’s sport. His efforts encompassed a similar forethought and enthusiasm that he put towards his footy.
Although he will no longer pull on the black and white jumper, Roughead will continue to support the group for the remainder of the season.
“Playing footy gave me the ability to contribute to something that was greater than just me and what I was ever going to be able to accomplish on my own. I have never been the fittest, strongest, or best kick. I found a way to squeeze all the juice out of my lemon and be a part of something bigger than myself,” Roughead said.
“At the start of the year we spoke about how we were going to honour this football jumper. I spoke about how I’m going to support everyone in this room, and I was going to commit to that for the year. It is not going to stop now, and I will be here until the end of the year in some capacity.”
Collingwood GM of Football, Graham Wright, thanked Roughead for his contribution to the club over the past four seasons.
“‘Roughy’ leaves the football program with everyone wishing him all the very best. He has been an integral part of our club, on and off the field,” Wright said.
“Roughy gave all he had, and we can’t ask for more from any player.
“Although he’s not going to play, he’s not lost to the program. Roughy will work across a number of areas in the football department for the remainder of the year.”
