West Coast All-Australian Beau Waters has announced his retirement this week after another injury blow, with coach Adam Simpson comparing him to North Melbourne legend Glenn Archer.
The 28 year old had played 120 games for the Eagles during his injury plagued career, but spent the last 18 months out of the game with a shoulder injury.
Waters was striving to return for 2015 but another setback prompting his decision to retire.
Eagles coach Adam Simpson, a former teammate of Glenn Archer, has placed Waters in the same category as the ‘Shinboner of the Century’, despite never coaching him on a game.
“There’s not many players you can put in that category,” Simpson told the media today, in light of Waters announcement.
“I think everyone sits pretty comfortably putting Beau in that category.
“I spoke to the players earlier about the standing you get in the game, within an industry that’s got a lot of good players. For people to ask what was it like to play with Beau, that probably typifies the type of player he was.
“People ask me all the time what was it like to play with Glenn Archer, it’s the same category.”
Whether Simpson’s comments where intended to directly compare the ability and toughness of the two players is unknown, but it has sparked debate over social media whether Waters is on par with one of the toughest players in the history of the game.
Let us know your thoughts below.