Premiership Hero to bow out in Milestone MatchWednesday, August 24, 2022 - 12:22 PM - by Mark Readings

ONE of the WAFL’s most successful modern players will hang up his boots this weekend, finishing his career as a five-time premiership hero and a Sandover Medallist. 

Subiaco ruckman Lachlan Delahunty will line up for his second game back from a broken thumb on Saturday when the Lions host Perth in the second last round of the home and away season. 

Delahunty has for weeks had this game in his sights for a farewell match, with great friend and captain Leigh Kitchin celebrating his 150th match in the process to earn life membership with the Lions. 

"Towards the end of last year, I was close to retiring but I felt like I still had something to contribute, which I feel I’ve done this year," Delahunty said. 

"I think it was always going to be the plan to call time at the end of 2022. It’s unfortunate that I haven’t been able to play the middle part of the season after suffering the injury, so it’s probably not the way I pictured entering retirement."

The 31-year-old has enjoyed stunning success during a decorated WAFL career, including seven Grand Final appearances, five flags, and seven State matches after moving from VFL side, Frankston, in 2014. 

Delahunty moved to WA in 2014 with good mate and Simpson Medallist Matt Boland, with the intention of playing with reigning premiers West Perth although those plans obviously quickly changed when Subiaco swooped.

"When I arrived at the Lions, they’d finished second last the previous season," Delahunty said.

"So, in my head I thought I was coming to another Frankston where wins were few and far between, but I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised with the win-loss ratio and the great culture of the group. 

"If I didn’t come to Subiaco, I could’ve been here for 12 months and gone back east, but this club has become my home away from home." 

 Surprisingly missing out on this year’s finals series, the reigning premiers have the task of developing or recruiting a player to replace Delahunty, which is no easy task given he’ll be regarded as one of the most versatile champions the competition has seen this century. 

After several matches on the sidelines, Delahunty resumed from injury against South Fremantle last weekend, collecting 21 disposals and 14 hit outs in the 88-point loss to the Bulldogs. 

With just six wins and 10 losses the Lions are sitting in eighth position on the WAFL table with two rounds to play, but few would begrudge Subiaco sending off Delahunty a winner, in the process making Kitchen’s milestone one to remember. 

In summing up how he’ll be remembered in local footy, Delahunty is happy to re-use a quote from after his 2019 Sandover Medal triumph: 

 “An undersized ruckman who couldn’t hit the side of a barn,” Delahunty said with self-deprecating humour.