After 10 seasons with Glenelg Tigers in the South Australian National Football League, former-Horsham footballer Chris Curran is swapping his number five guernsey for medical scrubs.
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The decision comes as he embarks on a new chapter in 2022 - the beginning of his medical career at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
"It's been a good run," Curran said.
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"I finish my medicine degree in a few weeks, and I'm starting work in mid-January, so medicine is not very conducive to walking out the door at 5pm.
"I'm going to be a bit short on time next year to play that level."
The 29-year-old former Horsham Demon had a career with Glenelg that most would envy.
He played 139 senior games between 2010 to 2021 and captained the Tigers in 2018-20, including a premiership in 2019.
The star defender also represented the SANFL representative team in 2019 and 2021 in their matches against Western Australia, and both those years was named captain of the SANFL Team of the Year.
Looking back to when he first walked into the club as a skinny teenager from Horsham, Curran never expected to carve out anything close to the career he did.
"I never thought I'd be good enough to play one league game, let alone 140 and captain the place for a few years," he said.
Aside from his extensive list of accolades, Curran walks away from Glenelg with relationships that will last for life.
"That was the hardest part of the decision," he said.
"You get to spend five or six days a week with some of your best mates, and I think particularly when you achieve success, it makes the bonds even stronger.
"I think the best part about footy, in general, is the connections that you make, whether they're guys that you play with or people at the club you meet."
Unfortunately, Curran couldn't receive his fairytale finish in 2021, with the Tigers going down to Woodville- West Torrens in the decider.
The Tigers took out the minor premiership earlier in the year, but the Eagles proved too good on the day.
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Still, Glenelg is in a good place which has helped Curran feel better about his decision.
"To leave it in the state that it's in is pretty pleasing," he said.
"We won the Reserves flag, the Women's league flag, the 18s played in the granny, and we played in the granny, so across the board, it's a pretty strong club.
"Last preseason we didn't have a coach until the start of February so it'll be interesting to see what they can do with a full preseason under their belts."
The 2019 premiership was a special one for Glenelg as it was their first since 1986. Unsurprisingly Curran pointed to it first as one of the highlights of his career.
"The obvious one is the flag," he said.
"But In general, being able to captain the club for three years and wear the famous number five is a highlight.
"A couple of those years, I was joint-captain with two of my best mates.
"The state games as well, to play one at home and at Perth as well, they're pretty special times."
When discussing highlights, it would be foolish not to ask about some of the quality players Curran has played with and against over the years.
Below the AFL, the SANFL is one of, if not the strongest, football leagues in Australia and has featured many household AFL names over the years.
Players like Nathan Buckley, Malcolm Blight, Andrew Jarman and Bryce Gibbs(in 2021)are just some of the stars to have won the Magarey Medal for the League's best and fairest in the last fifty years.
Curran recalled a particular game from 2019 that stood out for its star power.
"We played a game against the Crows in 2019 and I think the starting in the centre was Sam Jacobs, Bryce Gibbs, Richie Douglas and Hugh Greenwood," he said.
"And they had Eddie Betts playing in the forward pocket as well, so it was, so in terms of a home and away game, that's probably the best team I've played against talent-wise.
"I also played with Terry Milera who could make the ball talk, Willie Rioli was pretty similar and Marlon Motlop who just finished up. They're all pretty special players. It's a pretty long list."
2021 may herald the end of Curran's SANFL career, but he doesn't plan on hanging up the boots anytime soon.
"I'll play again next year," he said.
"The phones been running hot since the club announced it.
"I've got connections in country leagues in SA and in the amateurs and division one. I'll have a kick somewhere when I can fit it around the work stuff."
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