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After 119 games with the Adelaide Crows from 2005 to 2011, West Australian and former Swan Scott Stevens has retired at age 29, revealing his battle with post-concussion syndrome means he is unable to take the field again.
At 29, Scott is still a young man, and should of course put his health first. The dangers of AFL football are just too great for him, and retirement is, unfortunately, now the best option.
None of which makes saying goodbye to one of my favourite players any easier.
My memory of Stevens will always be as a dogged defender, who approached every contest with a seemingly reckless abandon.
So many times I’ve been on the outer watching the Crows defence battle some of the game’s modern giants like Hall, Fevola and Franklin when one of these great man mountains has launched full steam for a ball in flight, leaving their defender in their dust.
Stevo would pop up at the last second with that timely punch or saving mark, bringing the crowd to life.
His role was never glamorous; often the third or even fourth defender depending on the depth of that year’s squad, but it was always important.
His sure hands and footy smarts made him a mainstay on the fullback line, although at times his kicking out of the back fifty had our hearts in our mouths.
Stevo will not only be remembered as a tall defender, however.
As a pinch hitting forward, Stevo could at times shock opposition defenses, like in 2008 against Collingwood when he kicked six goals in a losing game.
He was also one of the few truly successful trades Adelaide has made in its history.
The great trades we’ve made, like McLeod from Freo and Jarman from Hawthorn will always be rightly regarded as some of our brightest moments.
But we have rarely been able to recycle players in quite the same way Sydney or St Kilda have over the years. Stevo is one of the few exceptions to this rule.
The great legacy Stevo will leave at the Crows is his approach, which in many ways optimizes the Adelaide culture.
Proud without ego, professional yet personable. It pleases me to read that he will stay on at the club in a coaching and development role, as it can only be hoped that these traits may rub off on some of our emerging stars.
Perhaps his legacy may be in a protégé – a young Daniel Tahlia, or Shaw, or even the already proven and loved Phil Davis, might in a few years be described in the same way by adoring Crows fans.
So farewell Stevo, the 19th man applauds you.
You are an example of how terms like ‘no-frills ’and ‘well-drilled’ should not be used as backhanded compliments, and stand as yet another example of how cruel sport can be.
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