Shaun Lane retired after feeling less enjoyment and lingering pain in his career's final game.
Shaun Lane walked off the field in Darwin four months ago and knew it was time. The Eels had just been flogged by Canberra but it wasn't the result that convinced Lane to draw the curtain on a career spanning more than a decade across four different clubs.
It was the way he felt afterwards. The aches and pains were lasting longer. The enjoyment wasn't the same. The club was in transition under new coach Jason Ryles and Lane didn't necessarily feel like he was part of the future even though he had 12 months remaining on his contract.
"Pretty much immediately after my last game I would say was when it was decided pretty much at that point," Lane said.
"We played in Darwin against...