> Watch Sean Rusling reflect on his career in front of his locker

Recently retired Magpie Sean Rusling knew his time as an AFL footballer had finished when he suffered a hip flexor injury earlier last month, which forced him to miss the club’s VFL finals campaign.??

An injury-riddled career that saw him manage 17 games across four-seasons, Rusling had prepared himself for the reality of retirement.??

“Retirement was always on the cards with every injury,” Rusling told CTV at the club on Thursday.??

“When I did my hip flexor four weeks ago, it was the final straw.  That injury made the decision for me so it was an easy one in the end.” ??

The forward suffered his first injury blow in his debut season when he went down with a broken collarbone late in the year.  The bad luck continued with a troublesome shoulder continually keeping him out of the game.

“At the start I was angry when I was a bit younger.  I couldn’t understand why it kept happening.??

“I tried to educate myself on shoulders and found out I had a weak shoulder because I have a loose joint.

“The body is telling me something and it is about time I listened.”??

Rusling displayed what he was truly capable of in the final month of 2007 when he booted nine goals from three matches.

“Running out on the MCG is a pretty good feeling and I will miss that.

“One positive I can take out from it all is a learned a fair bit about myself.  I learned some of the ways I could deal with things and what I am made of.”??

Since he arrived at the club in the 2004 national draft (pick 23), the South Australian made an immediate off-field impact at the club, proving to be a popular Magpie amongst the playing group?

“I’ll miss the interaction with the boys.  Coming in everyday and messing around.

“There are not too many jobs where you can hang out with 30 of your good friends in a relaxed environment.

“The club has always been good to me.

“I am really into the racing industry and that’s where I want to head.

“But for now, I am thinking of taking some time off and giving myself a six-month holiday.”