194-game AFL veteran calls it quits

Brisbane Lions midfielder Jarryd Lyons will retire at the end of the season.

Lyons, 32, has made 102 AFL appearances since joining the Lions from the Gold Coast Suns ahead of the 2019 season.

However, he has only made three senior appearances this season, having spent most of the year in the club’s VFL team.

“My career was at a bit of a crossroads, and this club gave me a lifeline,” said Lyons, who has also had a stint with the Adelaide Crows in a career that has included 194 top-flight matches.

“It could have just been a fledgling 100-game career, but you turned it into something that I am incredibly proud of. I could go on forever about how good this club is.

“Lastly to the boys, there’s been hundreds of you come and go and lace up the boots with me and that’s what makes this journey all worthwhile.

“Going into work each day with you lads is what I will miss the most.

“This group has got what it takes and let’s make this last as long as we can and get to the end.”

Lions coach Chris Fagan hailed Lyons’ “footy brain”.

“He became one of the toughest guys to play against, one of the best stoppage players, one of the guys with the best hands and best footy brains,” Fagan said of the Sandringham Dragons product.

“He played his best footy when he came to this club because he had a super attitude and wanted to get the best out of himself.

“We are better off as a footy club to have had (Lyons) here for the last six or seven years and it’s no coincidence that when (he) arrived, we started our rise up the ladder.”