PORT Adelaide veteran Peter Burgoyne has revealed he tried to retire earlier this season, but was talked out of it by coach Mark Williams.
On Wednesday, Burgoyne announced his illustrious 239-game career would end after Saturday night's clash with North Melbourne at AAMI Stadium.
Burgoyne, 33, has averaged 24 disposals in each of his 14 games this year but said he'd simply lost the drive to play football at the highest level.
"I just haven't got it anymore. I haven't got the passion in my heart and the hunger and I've been this way now for a long time," he said.
"I spoke to Mark probably seven weeks ago and he talked me out of retirement, but I went back into him last week and said, 'I just can't go on anymore'.
"I've been playing league footy since I was 16 or 17 ... it's a long time and it can't go on forever."
The premiership player said he'd harboured thoughts of retirement since the pre-season, when he had to fight back from shoulder and ankle surgery.
"Over the first six weeks of the season I thought I played some pretty good footy, but then I just couldn't do it anymore," he said.
"I pretty much knew back then that it was all over. We played up in Darwin after the break and I thought I couldn't play to the standard that I like to play at."
Williams, who described Burgoyne as one of the top five players in Port Adelaide's history, said he thought the inaugural squad member was just experiencing a form slump when the pair met back in June.
"Peter had been one of the best players that our club had ever had and a consistent player too," Williams said.
"He'd never had a downturn in form so I said, 'Bad luck, Pete. Just cop it like the rest of the mortals around the place that have to deal week after week with up and down form'.
"He kind of understood that and wanted to give it another go. He played a couple of good games when he came back as well."
Burgoyne finished third in the Power's best and fairest count on two occasions and was named the club's best finals player in 2007, the year it lost to Geelong in the grand final.
Sharing his career between half-back and the midfield, Burgoyne also represented his state, his country and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century.
Burgoyne was also one of Port Adelaide's best players in the 2004 grand final win over the Brisbane Lions and said he'd like to be remembered as a big-game performer.
"I'd like to be remembered as a player that had a crack on the big stage and someone who loved playing on the big stage," he said.
"I prided myself on playing in those big games, like finals and especially in the Showdowns."
