No regrets for Roughy
RETIRING Hawthorn veteran Jarryd Roughead says he has no regrets about playing on this year and is glad he will get a farewell game this weekend — but he wouldn’t have cracked “the sads” if he didn’t.
Roughead will return for Sunday’s clash with Gold Coast Suns at Docklands Stadium, which is the Hawks’ last game of the season in Melbourne.
It will be Roughead’s first AFL game since Round 14 but may not be his last, coach Alastair Clarkson leaving the door open to a trip to Perth for a Round 23 clash with West Coast if the 32-year-old plays well this week.
A four-time premiership player and former Hawthorn captain, Roughead said he would have been understanding whether he received a farewell game or not.
“I wasn’t worried either way, really, because I understood where the club was going in terms of blooding youth and getting games into some kids,” Roughead said.
“It’s worked out very nicely that I can be able to play this Sunday, but it wasn’t like, ‘You’ve got to play me otherwise I’ll crack the sads’.
“It’s a celebration for everyone, I guess. It will be nice to say goodbye to fans one last time, but it will also be nice for them to come out and be a part of, hopefully, a couple more games for us.”
Roughead has played just seven AFL games this year, spending much of his time in the VFL after electing to fulfil the final year of his contract at the Hawks rather than seek opportunities elsewhere. “I’ve had a ball going back [to the VFL] and training on Thursday nights, playing on different grounds that you don’t get to play on every week and being part of a group that’s a little bit different,” Roughead said.
“I’ve got no regrets on staying here because I’ve been able to play at one club for 15 years. “Not many people can say that. “But I think if you asked people who are at Box Hill or blokes I’ve played against in the VFL, I think it’s been pretty good.”
Roughead has been linked to an offfield role with St Kilda next year, but gave little away when quizzed about what the future held for him. “I’d like to stay in footy,” he said. “It’s just a matter of sitting down now after these next two weeks and figuring out where’s best for me.”