Essendon great Michael Long says the retirement of Bombers forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is a “sad day” for the club.
McDonald-Tipungwuti called time on his 126-game AFL career on Friday, with immediate effect.
The 29-year-old, who last played a senior game in Round 21 last year, took a leave of absence from the club in February to deal with personal matters.
“It’s a pretty sad day. A big loss for the Essendon Football Club because we know what he can do on the field,” Long told SEN Mornings.
“Obviously he’s got a bigger challenge off the field with what he needs to do, but it’s a big loss, even for the Tiwi Islands.
“He comes from such a big family. For him to leave like this, they’d be devastated.”
Subscribe to the SEN YouTube channel for the latest videos!
Long hopes McDonald-Tipungwuti can overcome his personal issues and stay involved in football in some capacity.
“I said to the club, ‘Anything you need me to do, I’m happy to do it’,” the Norm Smith Medallist said.
"He’s had support from the club, so you’ve got to tread lightly on how you approach these things because I’m no expert on mental health. It’s more challenging than what we think.
“I think the club will still support him in any way they possibly can because as life goes on you’ve got support here.
“I’m not sure what the future holds for Anthony. Hopefully he can get back to playing local footy or being involved with football, but first and foremost, he needs to keep working on his mental health and the challenges that he’s got.
“It’s a really sad day. I was just as shocked as everyone else. We can only wish him the best.”
McDonald-Tipungwuti booted 153 goals for the Bombers and earned cult hero status for his match-winning exploits during his time at The Hangar.