Sydney Swans senior coach, John Longmire, has expressed his sadness at the retirement of Craig Bolton and says the former captain has been a standout on and off the field.

Bolton, 30, has announced his retirement today after suffering a serious foot injury while running laps earlier this week.

Bolton has played 199 career games, including the 2005 premiership and 2006 Grand Final, and been a cornerstone of the Swans defence.

Although he stands at a relatively small 189cms, Bolton always took the monster forwards such as Brisbane’s Jonathan Brown, and in 2006 and 2009 he was named in the All-Australian side as a defender.

As Longmire points out, the coaches could send him to any type of forward, tall or small, and Craig would never let them down.

“He has been unique in that he could play on a range of opposition forwards, from Jeff Farmer who is 175cms, to Matthew Richardson and Buddy Franklin, who are power forwards standing at 197cms,’’ Longmire said.

“Not too many players can do that and have success against both types. And let’s not forget he also played on midfielders such as James Hird when he was a brilliant player at Essendon. Craig would always get the job done.

“Craig’s athleticism, competitiveness and ability to play on different types made him a critically important player for us.’’

Bolton, who began his career at the Brisbane Lions and came to the Swans in 2003, was co-captain of the Club in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Longmire said he had exceptional leadership abilities.

“To come here from Brisbane unsure of his standing and whether he’d get a game, and to end up as a key defender, dual All Australian and captain of the club has been extraordinary,’’ Longmire said.

“He challenged us as coaches, and always at the forefront was that he wanted to make us a better team. At his peak, he was an absolute A-grader.’’

Sydney Swans chief executive Andrew Ireland thanked Craig for his wonderful leadership and contribution to the Club.

“He has given wonderful service to the Swans in every way since he arrived more than eight years ago. He will be remembered as one of the great leaders of this Club who played a big part in re-shaping the culture,’’ Ireland said

Bolton told this team-mates about his decision earlier today. It has been a difficult week, with scans revealing he has torn a major tendon which will require surgery and six weeks in plaster.

Watch the full interview with Craig Bolton here.

“I had the scans and it requires major surgery and it will keep me out for pretty much the whole year,’’ Bolton said. “It is not the ending I would have liked, it is disappointing, but I think it is the right thing to do.

“I’ve spent nearly 11 months coming back from my Achilles injury and I’ve got so close. I was confident I’d be able to play in the next few weeks, so I was pretty shattered from that point of view.
“It is tough but you’ve got to force yourself to look at the bigger picture and I’ve had a wonderful career here at the Swans,’’ he said.

While Bolton will finish on 199 games, he doesn’t have any regrets.

“It would have been nice to come back and play my 200th game in my first game back after such a long injury but that is not a huge thing for me. The experiences I’ve had and what I’ve been able to achieve far outweigh that.’’

Bolton, who grew up in Canberra and played for NSW-ACT, said he would take away so many wonderful memories from his eight years at the Swans, with the pinnacle the 2005 premiership.

“I’m just so glad to have been part of this club, it’s given me so much as a person and as a footballer. Winning the premiership in 2005 was the pinnacle and not much else compares to that, but it’s also the relationships I’ve been able to form with players and staff and the supporters, sponsors, it’s been great.

“I came here from Brisbane as a fringe player and my career was at the cross roads eight and a half years ago. I never thought I’d walk away with a premiership and having helped captain this place so it has been a huge honour,’’ Bolton said.

“During the last 12 months the amount of support I’ve had from the fans has been phenomenal and I want to thank them all for that.’’