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Two-time Brownlow medallist Chris Judd called time on his celebrated AFL career with the same poise and grace that was his trademark on the field.
A candid Judd spoke eloquently at a packed press conference at Princes Park on Tuesday and admitted he knew almost certainly that his playing days were over as soon as he crashed to the MCG turf clutching his left knee on Saturday.
Judd, 31, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the first quarter of the Blues’ clash with Adelaide following a marking contest with Crows midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.
“I thought 99 per cent once I’d hurt myself that it was an ACL and not for a second did I think I was going to play another game of footy once that news was confirmed,” Judd said.
“I couldn’t say it was an easy decision to just walk away from something that has been my life’s passion.
“I knew the end was coming, so in that sense it hasn’t been a huge surprise but it’s just the suddenness of it that has caught me a little off guard.”
Judd spoke for around 25 minutes with his family watching on, along with his manager Paul Connors, former president Stephen Kernahan, captain Marc Murphy and current president Mark LoGiudice amongst those also in attendance.
Judd contemplated retirement at the end of the 2014 season but having failed to play in a win and suffering a career-ending knee injury this year, he said on reflection he had made the wrong choice to continue.
“Clearly it was the wrong decision to go on,” he said.
“I know some people get tempted in times like this to try and spin everything positively. As it turned out it was the wrong decision, but it was very much made for the right reasons.
“I think if I’d made the wrong decision for the wrong reasons then I’d regret that but my motives were pure and the decision-making process was sound.
“As it turned out it hasn’t been a great year but I’ll certainly be left with no ‘what ifs’.”
Judd said Carlton’s rehab manager, Mark Homewood, had taken over from assistant coach Rob Wiley as the most important influence in the second half of his career.
“He’s put my body back together as best he could,” Judd said.
“I certainly wouldn’t have played as many games for this football club if it wasn’t for him.”
Judd thanked a host of important people and his voice cracked with emotion when he recalled his departure from the MCG on the back of the mini ambulance and the ovation he received from the large contingent of Crows supporters on hand.
“To the Adelaide fans on Saturday – it was a really trying time for me as a person, not as a footballer, (and) just to be shown that level of respect as I was carried off meant a lot,” he said.
“I didn’t get carried out on a chariot but on a medivac – that’s how it ended.
“You don’t get to write your ending, but it’s been an incredibly fortunate journey.
“It’s not a magical ending, but still a very special 14 years.”
Judd will undergo a knee reconstruction in the coming weeks and will take his time to decide what the future holds for him, although he said that was more likely to involve going into business and almost certainly not a football or media role.
The departure of Judd will make life much harder for second-from-bottom Carlton in what was already shaping as a very difficult 2015 campaign.
But it will give interim coach John Barker more scope to pump games into young midfielders such as Nick Graham and Blaine Boekhorst as the Blues face the prospect of a major rebuild.
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