Myrtleford's Dawson Simpson forced to retire after knee surgery

Simpson, who turned 34 last week, played 18 games for the Saints after signing in October, 2019, from AFL club GWS.

He debuted 18 months later after COVID wiped out 2020.

"I've told the footy club and some close mates and while I've kept it open (potentially playing again), I'm not thinking I will," he revealed.

"It's mainly for family reasons, I've got three young children that I want to be able to play with.

"Plus we've got a few young ruckmen, so an old warhorse running around is probably not going to help Myrtleford this year in regards to developing those young ruckmen, it's best I use my skills to help them."

Simpson was drafted by Geelong at No. 34 in the 2007 National Draft.

He debuted as a 21-year-old in 2010 and played 28 games for the Cats, kicking four goals, before joining the Giants at the end of 2015.

He played another 20 games over a 12-year career.

"Looking from the outside it probably doesn't look like much, you look at players who've been in the system for 12 years and you compare that with the output of games I had," he offered modestly.

"If I didn't have as many injuries I tend to think I had more to give, at the same time I had to hang in there and work hard to stay on lists and try and have an impact."

At 209cms and 111kgs, Simpson was one the AFL's biggest players, but a left knee injury in 2013 would later trouble him.

"I recovered OK for the next year at the Cats and while it didn't really affect me too much at the Giants, it was getting progressively worse," he explained.

"Since leaving the AFL, it's a lot harder to do, for example when you're in the AFL you've got access to ice baths, massage, physio.

"There's a doctor three days a week or more, straight after training, you've got all the recovery there for you.

"After the AFL, you work every day and especially when you're coaching, you don't have the same time to do recovery, leg strengthening and the rest."

Simpson co-coached with Jake Sharp during his two playing seasons in the Ovens and Murray.

The pair stood down last October, with 2005 grand final player Craig Millar assuming the role after years in football administration, with his last stint as O and M general manager.

"I'm down there one night a week now, working with our whole group, but particularly the talls," he said.

Ruck Will McKerral debuted for the Saints against North Albury on Easter Sunday last year, while Jye Gribbin is yet to play his first game and while he's predominantly a forward, he can pinch-hit in the ruck.

Simpson's role will be to improve not only those youngsters, but the club's other talls.

And while the injuries certainly restricted his output, all the club's players should view footage from a match on May 15, 2021, to gauge Simpson's effort.

Early in the first quarter against Wangaratta Rovers, Jack Gerrish took off like the Road Runner.

Simpson started chasing and kept at it for 65m, even though he was no chance to catch the speedster.

Gerrish's kick missed the target.

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""The mindset was if I can get close to him, I could put him under pressure to stuff his kick up, that would be good enough and that's what happened, that was a win in my book," Simpson said after the game.

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