AFL retirements 2023: All the players who will hang up the boots this year
Footballers can’t play forever, no matter how much their supporters want them to.
Retirements are an unavoidable part of football, whether it’s a great of the game calling it quits or an injury causing a player to end his career early.
Lance Franklin, Trent Cotchin, and Luke Shuey have already retired this year, with more club favourites and AFL superstars expected to follow.
Here are all the players who have called time on their careers in 2023:
Adelaide
| Fischer McAsey (22)
Games: 10 |
| Paul Seedsman (31)
Games: 132 Collingwood (49) Goals: 66 Honours: Anzac Medal (2015) |
Brisbane
| Marcus Adams (30)
Games: 73 Brisbane (46) Western Bulldogs (27) Goals: 5 |
| Daniel Rich (33)
Games: 275 Goals: 116 Honours: AFLPA Best First Year Player (2009) |
Carlton
| Ed Curnow (33)
Games: 221 Goals: 53 Honours: Carlton Best and Fairest runner-up (2019) |
| Lachie Plowman (29)
Games: 145 Carlton (125) GWS (20) Goals: 2 |
Collingwood
N/A
Essendon
| Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (30)
Games: 132* Goals: 157 Honours: Essendon leading goalkicker (2020) |
| Andrew Phillips (32)
Games: 81 GWS (14) Goals: 28 |
Fremantle
N/A
Geelong
| Jonathon Ceglar (32)
Games: 110 Hawthorn (101) Goals: 43 |
| Isaac Smith (34)
Games: 277 Hawthorn (165) Geelong (67) Goals: 204 Honours: 4x Premiership Player (2013–2015, 2022) |
Gold Coast
| Connor Blakely (27)
Games: 78 (Fremantle) Goals: 3 |
| Charlie Constable (24)
Games: 16 Geelong (12) Gold Coast (4) Goals: 6 |
Greater Western Sydney
| Phil Davis (32)
Games: 192 GWS (174) Goals: 7 Honours: GWS Co-Captain (2012–2019) |
| Daniel Lloyd (31)
Games: 96 Goals: 71 |
Hawthorn
| Max Lynch (24)
Games: 11 Goals: 4 |
Melbourne
| Luke Dunstan (28)
Games: 121 St Kilda (116) Melbourne (5) Goals: 46 Honours: Ian Stewart Medal (2021) |
| Michael Hibberd (33)
Games: 197 Melbourne (113) Goals: 14 Honours: All-Australian (2017) |
North Melbourne
| Ben Cunnington (31) Games: 238 Goals: 98 Honours: 2x North Melbourne Best and Fairest (2014, 2019) |
| Aaron Hall (32)
Games: 161 Gold Coast (103) Goals: 94 |
| Daniel Howe (28)
Games: 107 Hawthorn (96) North Melbourne (11) Goals: 24 |
| Jack Ziebell (32)
Games: 280 Goals: 183 Honours: North Melbourne Captain (2017–2022) |
Port Adelaide
| Tom Jonas (32)
Games: 216* Goals: 2 Honours: Port Adelaide Captain (2019–2022) |
Richmond
| Jason Castagna (27)
Games: 134 Goals: 127 Honours: 3x Premiership Player (2017, 2019, 2020) |
| Trent Cotchin (33)
Games: 306 Goals: 141 Honours: Brownlow Medal (2012) |
| Jack Riewoldt (34)
Games: 347 Goals: 787 Honours: 3x All-Australian (2010, 2015, 2018) |
| Robbie Tarrant (34)
Games: 194 North Melbourne (174) Goals: 44 Honours: North Melbourne Best and Fairest (2016) |
St Kilda
N/A
Sydney
| Lance Franklin (36)
Games: 354 Hawthorn (182) Goals: 1066 Honours: 2× AFL premiership player (2008, 2013) |
| Tom Hickey (32)
Games: 150* Gold Coast (12) Goals: 45 |
| Paddy McCartin (27)
Games: 63 Goals: 35 Honours: No.1 Pick AFL National Draft (2014) |
West Coast
| Shannon Hurn (35)
Games: 333 Goals: 50 Honours: 2x All-Australian (2018, 2019[vc]) |
| Nic Naitanui (33)
Games: 213 Goals: 112 Honours: 3x All-Australian (2017, 2020–2021) |
| Luke Shuey (33)
Games: 248 Goals: 142 Honours: West Coast Captain (2020–2023) |
Western Bulldogs
| Josh Bruce (31)
Games: 163 GWS (14) Goals: 234 Honours: St Kilda leading goalkicker (2015) |
