Richmond champion Dylan Grimes has called time on his decorated 15-year AFL career.
The 33-year-old announced his retirement to teammates today, concluding his 234 games with the Club.
Grimes will conclude his career as a triple premiership player, Jack Dyer Medallist, All-Australian, and two-time winner of the Club’s prestigious Francis Bourke Award.
The inspirational defender also captained the Club for two years when he and Toby Nankervis were announced as Richmond’s 41st and 42nd VFL/AFL skippers ahead of the 2022 season.
Grimes said he felt indebted to the Richmond Football Club.
“The Club had plenty of reasons to throw in the towel with me over many years with surgeries, form slumps or whatever (else)," Grimes said.
“There is a part of me that has had a chip on my shoulder for my entire career to try and repay the debt I felt like I owed the Club.
“Almost everything good in my life, I have because of here, so thank you.”
Grimes said that to be a great team, you needed to be a great Club first, and he paid tribute to various off-field staff in his retirement speech.
“To be a great Club you need to have great people, and this place is blessed with some of the best that there is,” he said.
He added that while he was excited about the next chapter of his life and being more present with friends and family, he would miss being at the Club every day.
“I will miss the thrill of the contest, and I will miss the incredible feeling of playing in front of the best fans in the world… But I leave with no regrets and just a sense of pride for everything we have achieved together.”
Grimes was overlooked in the 2009 AFL National Draft, joining the Tigers with the second pick in the Pre-Season Draft.
Throughout his career, the 194cm backman showed he was a reliable defensive option who could stop all kinds of opposition players, given his ability on the ground and in the air.
Persistent hamstring injuries kept Grimes to just 26 matches in his first four seasons at the Club, but across a decade from 2014, the star defender was a mainstay in the Richmond lineup.
Grimes did not miss a game in the drought-breaking 2017 premiership season, forming an imposing backline with fellow talls David Astbury and Alex Rance.
The star defender placed fifth in the Jack Dyer Medal that season and was awarded his first of consecutive Francis Bourke Awards.
The Francis Bourke Award is voted on by the playing group each week as a 3-2-1 based on how the players best uphold their trademark values, highlighting Grimes’ standing within the group.
Across the following three years, while Richmond was the competition's benchmark, Grimes’ role in the Club’s success was rewarded with a place in the All-Australian squad of 40 in each, making the 22 in 2019.
Grimes became a dual and triple premiership player in 2019 and 2020 before fittingly winning the 2021 Jack Dyer Medal, having finished inside the top 10 of the count for the six previous seasons.
As skipper, Grimes played 37 matches, including his 200th AFL game, a narrow victory against Port Adelaide at the MCG.
The defender managed just five games in 2024 due to a back injury.
Richmond Chief Executive Officer Brendon Gale said Grimes would go down as one of the Club’s all-time greats.
“Dylan arrived at the Club via the Pre-Season Draft, and straight away, you could tell that he was going to be a player that got everything out of himself, which 15 years later has certainly come to fruition,” Gale said.
“His importance to our team and Club across a long period has been profound, and his contribution to our era of success has been outstanding.
“In a role that does not always receive the plaudits, Dylan exemplified, and he was respected and admired across the league as a top-line quality player.
“Dylan had a wonderful career and is one of our most decorated players, but his legacy at the Club as a great teammate will be the most lasting.
“On behalf of everyone at Richmond, we cannot thank Dylan enough for what he did for our Club. He was a heart and soul footballer and will forever be a Richmond Man.”
Grimes will join his triple premiership teammate Dustin Martin at the MCG this Saturday, to celebrate their remarkable careers together with the Tiger Army.
Saturday’s match against Gold Coast starts at 2.10pm.
