St Kilda coach Ross Lyon revealed the reason he brought back key defender Dougal Howard into the senior side was that it was a "love job", but acknowledged he has no more to give to AFL football.
Howard crossed to the Saints ahead of the 2020 season, but has battled injuries over the past two years. A significant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and a serious shoulder injury throughout his career have also hindered his availability, limiting him to 145 games.
"For Dougal Howard, it was a tough night," Lyon said.
"It was a love job, right. To get him to 100, and past coaches, when they've been good, they get their players to the milestone. I spoke about how (Kevin) Sheedy used to do it all the time.
"I'm glad we did it. Probably didn't help us in some respects. He's got nothing left to give. His body is just gone. He was playing without an ACL, to be fair. He had it reconstructed years ago, and it's just disintegrated on him. I'm not sure how that happens.
"He showed great courage to get out there, and we did the right thing. We'll miss him. He's a great club man."
Howard made the call earlier in the week and was "emotional" about his decision to hang up his boots.
“I was a bit emotional, to be honest, when I spoke to the boys,” Howard said.
“I've absolutely loved my time at St Kilda. I came to Melbourne and the club as a 23-year-old, so it's been such a big part of my life and my family's life.
“To have played most of my career here and seen the growth of the club over that time has been really special.
“This year has been a frustrating one. I've struggled a bit to get my body right and haven't been able to get out there as consistently as I would've liked, but I know now is the right time to finish up my career at the Saints.
“I can't thank all the coaches, teammates and staff I've worked alongside over the journey enough. These people not only allowed me to live the dream of playing professional football, but more importantly, many have become lifelong friends, which I'll always be grateful for.”
Howard played for Port Adelaide for four seasons, totalling 45 games in the black and teal before making the switch to the Saints.
