Double Blues want to go out chasing a flag

Reece Homfray The Advertiser

Sturt retirees Toby Thurstans and Ben Nelson at Adelaide Oval. Picture: Simon Cross Source: The Advertiser

STURT will lose two more premiership players this season with Toby Thurstans and Ben Nelson yesterday announcing their retirement.

The pair addressed teammates, coaches and officials before training at Adelaide Oval last night to say this season would be their last.

Their departure will leave Jade Sheedy and Brant Chambers as the only 2002 premiership players still at Unley.

"It's not something most wouldn't know about already, but you might never get this time back just to say thanks," Nelson, 33, told The Advertiser.

"To say thanks to the boys but more so the club for the opportunity to play for such a long time, its administration, support staff and all the volunteers.

"It's been in the back of my mind all year.

"I really tried hard to get up for this season and had a good pre-season which has helped me play every game this year.

"But, at times, I've really struggled to get up and, while mentally, I'd love to keep going, you've got to know when the time is right."

Nelson has played 205 games for Sturt and in between managed 52 in the AFL with Carlton and the Crows.

"Hopefully, we can play well enough in the next two weeks to give ourselves the chance to play finals," he said.

Thurstans' retirement was the lesser expected of the two. After 94 games with Sturt and 110 with the Power which yielded an AFL premiership, he said he found it physically and mentally too hard to go on next year. "Once you finish in the AFL you realise the demands (at SANFL level) are the same," Thurstans said.

"But you haven't got one-on-one physio, massage, doctors and the same recovery time.

"I had all intentions to play for two or three (more) years but you soon realise your body can go downhill very quickly, then that affects you mentally because you're not out on the track."

Thurstans, 30, said he had just as many fond memories with Sturt as he did with the Power.

"It's a little different myself compared with Nels who's been true blue from the start but slowly over the years I've become that way," he said.

"It's always hard for someone to come back from the AFL to the SANFL and feel a part of it straight away but I did and I've been very lucky."

Thurstans has missed the past two games with a hip injury but said that had settled down and he was confident he would be fit to face Central District on Sunday at home.

"I've had to pinch myself sometimes to realise I've had 12 years in the system," he said. "Now all I can hope for is one more crack (at a premiership)."