Considerations. . .

I was discussing reactions to Matthew Lloyd's retirement announcement with a companion, especially a short letter published in The Age (I think) proposing jail time for Lloyd since he'd now escaped his four-match suspension over the Sewell collision in Round 22, and I realised that the Sewell incident and the ramifications of it must have been a considerable part of Lloyd's decision-making process.

It cannot have been an easy decision to retire with the knowledge that some part of the football world would consider he was running away from the penalty. Watching Lloyd on Channel 10’s Before the Game, he is pretty clearly comfortable with the decision and ready to deal with any suggestions that he aimed to take Sewell out.

For what it’s worth, I think Lloyd’s decision is the correct one, perhaps a year late. In contrast to Hird, who could still materially affect the course of a game during his last season, Lloyd has rarely had a decisive impact on a game since returning from his massive hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, Lloyd has had a wonderful career for the Bombers and fully deserves all of the accolades he is receiving.