30 year old St Kilda forward Aaron Hamill has announced his retirement from football after a 190 game career. The former Blue fought a chronic knee injury over the past three seasons, which restricted him to only 21 games over that period. Hamill attempted a modified pre-season program in his bid to play in 2007, but was ruled out for the start of the year when his right knee didn’t cope well with increased training. When he tried once again to come back again mid-season, the joint flared up and Hamill was ruled out for the rest of 2007.
The former captain’s tough style of play had a major effect on shortening his career, but is courage as a player was well respected by fans. After his debut at Carlton in 1996, Hamill went on to play 92 games for the Blues and was apart of their 1997 pre-season premiership side and their Grand Final side in 1999. At the end of the 2000 season Hamill crossed to St Kilda and in 2001 he finished third in the Saints’ Trevor Barker Medal in his first year at the club.
In 2003, Hamill was given the Saints captaincy as apart of Grant Thomas’ rotating system. Knee injuries then hit in late 2004, which has affected his career ever since.
