Sore point broke reflective Glass

Darren Glass at his retirement press conference. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Corp Australia

DARREN Glass knew he would never play footy again when he watched an Eagles' morning training session from the other side of the fence.

"Seeing the boys train, already I felt on the outside of the group, so it hit home a bit then more than anything," the former Eagles' captain said just days after his shock retirement.

Glass, 33, says he may have been able to play a handful of games through to the end of his 15th season but he had started some outings in pain.

He made a personal assessment that some of his playing efforts were not good enough after 270 games including the 2006 premiership.

Glass says he played on this year to join leadership forces with first-time senior coach Adam Simpson.

"No, not any regret. It is more with hindsight I can say I played a year too long," Glass said.

"At the end of last year I had been carrying an ankle complaint in the back half of the season and if I booked in for surgery as I did, I thought that I would be able to contribute well enough for this year.

"I finished the season playing OK footy at the end of last year.

"So all of the decision making processes I am happy with. So I am not regretting going into this year at all.

"But the way the year has panned out, I re-aggravated the ankle and ... an old hip injury.

"I went into this year knowing that I wouldn't be able to play every game and that at some stages I'd get sore and need a rest.

"But I felt my form dropping off as well and that in the second half of this year, that I would taper off.

"I really felt that another player would be able to step in and give as much if not more than I could in the back half of the year."

Glass was virtually not training at all between games over the opening three months of the season as West Coast stumbled through a horror run of seven losses in eight weeks after winning its opening three games.

"It was the recovery between games which becomes the issue as you get older," he said.

"I was really not training at all. I had ankle complaints, hip complaints and I could have played one week and then get to Thursday and chat to Simmo and tell him that I was really struggling to get up for the next game.

"I'd have a week off and go into the next game (and) I still wouldn't be feeling great.

"So that's when I knew I was in a bit of trouble and I had a chat to Simmo and it got to the point when I thought it was best for me and for the team to step aside."

Glass started the first season of a new era under Simpson knowing it would be his last year but time caught up ahead of schedule.

"It got to the point where I couldn't get rid of the soreness before the next game," he said.

"That happened at different times last year when I had a couple of rests, but this year it was happening obviously more frequently.

"It's not easy being sore all week and trying to do a little bit of training and weights, but you do get used to it as you get a bit older."

Glass rejected any notion of an emotional send-off appearance at home, saying a half-time lap of honour in last week's thrilling win over the Gold Coast was enough.

"To be honest, the way it played out I got to lead the boys out one last time and I got to walk a lap of honour with my kids which was phenomenal and I thought the crowd was amazing," Glass said.

"So I felt like I got more than what I could have asked for. I felt an obligation that once it was over in my head, it's time for someone else to play.

"For me it was over. It was time to step aside and the way it turned out as a day with the boys playing really well, winning the game and getting the sort of send-off that I did.

"It couldn't have been any better for me personally."

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