Passion’s gone, so Tom’s off

TOM Scully has retired from AFL effective immediately, after admitting he had lost the passion to continue at the highest level.

The former No. 1 overall pick for Melbourne was once described as the hardest twoway runner the game had seen by GWS coach Leon Cameron, in an 11-year career that included 187 games.

But as Scully battled a longstanding ankle injury and personal issues away from the game, he decided against pushing his mind and body for one more season.

Scully played two years at Hawthorn after his shock trade from GWS, and while he played 35 games in that time, he never reached the heights of his Giants days.

It will leave the Hawks with a vacancy for their summer rookie program, with the Hawks understood to be fully supportive of his decision.

The club will have to work through the salary cap implications of his departure, with the 29-year-old in the final season of his three-year deal.

He won respect around the league for his punishing style of play, which saw him making surging runs up and back as an elite wingman. The Hawks will now need to find that run elsewhere, after Isaac Smith left for the Cats and Ricky Henderson also retired.

It means the club’s off-season recruitment of Pies wingman Tom Phillips looks an even more canny acquisition.

“After much consideration I have decided now is the best time for me to step away,” Scully said.

“After 11 seasons in the AFL, I understand the demands that this game requires of you. I know in my heart I have lost the passion and commitment that is required of me to continue to compete at AFL level.”