After 325 games, two premierships and just shy of 1500 tackles, one of the Sydney Swans greatest warriors, Jude Bolton, called time on his 15-year career.

Known for his on-field courage and as one of the AFL’s genuine good guys, Bolton announced on August 26 that he would retire from football at the end of the 2013 finals campaign.

A mass of media, as well as many of his team mates and Swans staff members, gathered at the SCG for Bolton’s retirement announcement.

“It’s been a great journey and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it,” Bolton told the huge turnout at SwansHQ.

“To think I start back when I was 18 and played alongside guys like Paul Kelly, Tony Lockett, Wayne Schwass and then I count myself lucky to have played alongside Adam Goodes, Michael O’Loughlin, Brett Kirk, Ryan O’Keefe, Jarrad McVeigh and those sorts of guys.

"It's been an unbelievable journey."

Following his announcement, tributes flowed on social media for the 33-year-old, who has been a fan favourite at the Swans for more than a decade.

Triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton was among the notable names to pay tribute to Bolton as well as former and current AFL players Matthew Richardson, Warwick Capper James Kelly and Robert Murphy and media commentators Martin Blake, Greg Baum and Adam Spencer.

After announcing his retirement, Bolton went on to play four more games, including the Swans home semi final against Carlton at ANZ Stadium, where he had the chance to thank his Sydney fans one last time.

Bolton played his final game at Perth’s Paterson Stadium against Fremantle, where the Dockers players, led by captain Matthew Pavlich, took a moment out from their celebrations to form a guard of honour as Bolton was chaired from the field.

His contribution to the club was also recognised at the 2013 Club Champion event, with Bolton receiving the Best Clubman Award for the third time in his career.

Bolton retires from the game holding two single-game AFL records; the first being the most tackles in a match for his 19 tackle performance against West Coast in round 3, 2011 and the second being the record for most contested possessions (28 contested touches, round 11, 2010), which he shares with Carlton’s Chris Judd.

What they said

“To be able to play alongside my boys, that’s what I’m going to miss the most. It’s the competition each time, and I’m getting a bit emotional just thinking about it, and just the fact that you get to have the laughs all the time with all the players and the locker room banter, and then training hard and playing hard. That’s what I’m going to miss,” Jude Bolton on his retirement (26/09/13)

"He's an absolute champion of the football club on and off the field. He's one of the good blokes and he's an absolute beauty and you saw the mutual respect that he's got from an opposition club," John Longmire describes Jude Bolton

“If any young kid comes into the club, they want to look at Jude Bolton and say ‘That’s who I want to be like when I leave’. On the field and off the field there’s not a better clubman,” Jarrad McVeigh on Jude Bolton (04/10/13)

Coverage

Fitting farewell for Bolton

Fans lead tributes to retiring Jude

Bolton retires from the Swans

Swans farewell veteran warrior

Moments with Jude

Social Media

Post by Sydney Swans.
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