“Once you’ve made that decision (to retire), the first thing you feel is relief,” Bradshaw said.

“It’s obviously sad the way it’s ended. You’d like to have that fairy tale, but it doesn’t always turn out that way.

“I’ve lost a fair bit of confidence in the knee and I don’t really think I’m going to get back to the way I want to play.

“I don’t really want to be out there playing at 80 per cent, because it’s obviously not good for myself, and not good for the team.”

Bradshaw said his knee felt good leading into this season, but it couldn’t cope with an increase in training intensity, and the prospect of going through further rehabilitation was too much for the champion goalkicker.

“Coming in to round one I actually felt really confident in the knee, and it was only when I started to ramp up training in terms of the intensity that I just realised that maybe the knee wasn’t going to be right,” he said.

“You go through the rehab and do all the right things, and you think it’s coming good again, and then you get knocked back down.

“That was always a bit of a challenge mentally, and it just got to the point where I didn’t think I was going to be able to play at 100 per cent.

“If I can’t do what I want to do out there, then there’s no point going on.”

Bradshaw broke the news to his teammates prior to fronting a packed media conference in front of the players, coaches and staff of the Sydney Swans. He said telling his mates was ‘probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done’.

“I didn’t sleep much last night, thinking about what I wanted to say,” Bradshaw said.

“You run through your mind what you want to say and you hope it comes out right, but as soon as you start talking it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do.

“I don’t think anything I said was what I was thinking I was going to say last night,” he joked.

The entire Swans playing group was on hand for Bradshaw's announcement

Bradshaw said he was looking forward to moving back to his home town of Wodonga, and a life of normality away from the football field, although he hoped he would keep in touch with the friends he made during his time at the Swans.

“It’s going to be good to get home and just live a normal lifestyle,” he said. “After playing footy for so long, it can wear you down sometimes.

“(I’ll miss) being around the Club, and the camaraderie with the boys. It’s the laughs and jokes behind the scenes.

“I’d like to think I’ve made a lot of good friends that I’ll be able to catch up with when I’m back in Sydney, or if they’re passing through Albury-Wodonga, we can catch up for a beer.”

Swans coach John Longmire paid tribute to Bradshaw, saying the Swans were grateful to be able to attract a player with Bradshaw’s attributes and achievements.

“He’s a superstar of the game,” Longmire said.

“When we spoke about getting Daniel a couple years ago, we were just that excited to be able to speak to him about coming to the Sydney Swans.”

Longmire presented Bradshaw with a framed portrait of his celebration following his 55 metre torpedo after the ¾ time siren against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG last year.

Click here to view Bradshaw’s remarkable torpedo from last year.

Longmire said the mark, goal and celebration will be the enduring memory of Daniel Bradshaw at the Sydney Swans Football Club.

“No doubt, I’m sure in three years time it will be an 85 to 90 metre goal,” Longmire joked.


John Longmire presents Braddy with a portrait of his goal celebration from last year