Richmond's stunning act for Essendon's Michael Hurley: 'Never seen that'

Essendon’s Michael Hurley provided a brief moment of positivity amidst an otherwise shambolic week for the Bombers, kicking a memorable goal in the closing stages of his last AFL game.

As speculation about the future of Essendon coach Ben Rutten continued to run rife in the lead up to the clash with Richmond, Hurley’s return from a two-year injury hiatus provided a welcome distraction in the form of a rare good news story for the Bombers.

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The 32-year-old added to the occasion by announcing he would retire from the AFL after the contest.

Unfortunately, the Bombers could not send him out winner, suffering a 141-75 thrashing at the hands of the Tigers.

However, Hurley’s final kick of his 194-game career proved to be a bright spot, prompting touching celebrations with his Essendon teammates and the club’s fans.

Making the moment even more special, was the response from the opposing team, with a number of Richmond players also making the effort to congratulate Hurley on the goal and a storied career.

Speaking after the contest, Hurley admitted to being moved by the response from those on ground and the MCG crowd.

“I actually got a little bit emotional, to be honest,” Hurley said.

“My teammates came over and that was pretty special, but that show of respect from ‘Cotch’ (Trent Cotchin) and ‘Dimma’ (Damien Hardwick) and the Richmond boys was something I’ll remember forever.

“It’s pretty special for those guys to have that thought midgame and allow me to celebrate that goal and to thank the fans.”

AFL great Jonathan Brown praises beautiful moment

Fox Footy pundit Jonathan Brown said the moment was like nothing he’d ever witnessed during his time in the sport.

“It was emotional scenes, obviously his family there who have been through the journey with him and the struggles with him, so you’d expect his teammates to get around him,” Brown said.

“To see the opposition players come down as well just shows the amount of respect he does have in the footy community.

“They were scenes that we haven’t seen before. We’ve seen teams run out through the banner together before games, but that is so sensational.

“It just shows how tight the footy community is that they get around a brother in need. I just think it’s one of the enduring memories of the 2022 season.”

Hurley said he was grateful just to have the opportunity to finish his career on his own terms, after spending more than 700 days on the sidelines due to a staph infection that occurred after hip surgery in 2020.

“It’s been incredible really. Really thankful, not many players get the opportunity to retire in the first place and then to do it on my own terms was lovely,” Hurley said.

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to thank all my family and friends, to get back out there one last time was fantastic.

“Over the last couple of the years, to be honest I didn’t really think I’d get the opportunity to run back out there and play footy again. With the support of family and friends, the club and teammates, it happened again and I’m really thankful it did.”

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