Inaugural Eagle Courtney Guard has called time on her AFLW career.
This Saturday night's game between West Coast and the Western Bulldogs will Guard's last chance to farewell the WA faithful as she steps onto Optus Stadium. Guard, who formerly went by Stubbs, was taken with pick 39 in 2018 by Fremantle.
However, she managed just the one game before crossing to West Coast for their first ever season in 2020. She has gone on to play 21 games for them in three seasons.
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As a member of the West Coast leadership group in 2020 and 2021, her presence will be missed by the Eagles. A key driving force in the club's culture to date, coach Michael Prior paid tribute to the defender.
"I’m going to miss ‘Stubbsy’ being around the group, I think the whole group is going to miss ‘Stubbsy’," Prior said before outlining her influence on the squad.
"She’s like a mother hen to all of the girls, they all obviously love hanging around with her, she’s very loud and always the centre of attention... she’ll be missed, she’s a great character to have amongst the group and hard to replace in that regard."
Guard arrived at the difficult decision to step down after taking a role as Head of Sport at Perth College. The role offers her a chance to focus on her teaching career, while also being able to spend more time with her family.
When talking about the difficult call, Guard said she expected it to be an emotional Saturday night.
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"If I really delve into it I'll be crying non-stop... super mixed emotions," she said.
"But I'm also excited for the next bit and life without footy, but I'm definitely going to miss footy. I don't even know where to begin with the highlights, I think this group of girls has been the most rewarding, memorable bit of it all.
"I think I'll be very emotional running out, crying my eyes out."
Guard has played six games for West Coast this season, collecting 25 possessions and 300 metres gained.
