The Collingwood Football Club wishes to announce that Tarkyn Lockyer and Paul Medhurst have both retired from AFL football.

Click here to send your messages of appreciation to both players.

Lockyer, originally recruited from WAFL club East Fremantle, will go down as one of the game’s great success stories of the rookie-list system. He came onto the Magpies’ rookie list in 1997 and was elevated onto the senior list one year later before making his debut in round eight, 1999.

The 30-year-old played 227 games for the Magpies, and finished top five in the best-and-fairest four times (2000 - 2nd, 2001 - 5th, 2002 - 4th, 2007 - 3rd). He was able to admirably overcome having large parts of 2003 and 2004 ruined by serious knee and foot injuries, and went onto play a remarkable 136 consecutive games from round 10, 2004, through to four, 2010.

He appeared in 11 games in 2010 and was named as an emergency for the club’s last three finals, including the preliminary final, the grand final, and the grand final replay.

Medhurst, 28, played 168 games and booted 274 goals in a nine-season career that began in 2002 at Fremantle and continued at Collingwood when he was traded to the Magpies at the end of 2006.

He was originally drafted with the 56th overall pick from WAFL club Claremont in 2001, and came to Collingwood along with the eighth overall pick (Ben Reid) in exchange for Chris Tarrant.

After 99 games with the Dockers, Medhurst played 69 games and booted 108 goals in four season with the Magpies. His best season was 2008, when he earned All Australian selection, finished second in the Copeland Trophy voting, and won the Gordon Coventry Trophy for being the Magpies’ leading goal kicker with 50 goals.

Medhurst also won the ANZAC Medal for his outstanding six-goal haul in the big ANZAC Day win over Essendon in 2008.

He played the first seven matches of the 2010 season, but managed only three games thereafter, despite dominating in the VFL. 

“Both Tarkyn and Paul have been outstanding AFL players and can be enormously proud of their achievements,” said Collingwood general manager of football Geoff Walsh.

“Tarkyn will be remembered as a 200-game player who gave his all for the Magpies, and was one of the most professional and committed players to pull on the black and white guernsey. Paul put his immense talent on display for our club and at his best was one of the most dangerous forwards in the game.

“We wish both players the absolute best in their future endeavours,” Walsh added.

Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell praised both players.

“Both Tarkyn and Paul have been outstanding players for our football club and were both big reasons behind why we were able to achieve our recent success,” said Maxwell.

CLICK HERE for the Tarkyn Lockyer profile on collingwoodfc.com.au.

CLICK HERE for the Paul Medhurst profile on collingwoodfc.com.au.