Geelong premiership player Gary Rohan issues AFL career update after fractured skull and delisting
Gary Rohan has flagged his desire to find a new home in the AFL after his career was left at a crossroads.
The 33-year-old suffered the relatively rare fate of being delisted despite being a premiership player, with Geelong also moving on 2022 grand final winner Brandan Parfitt at the same time.
Parfitt, 26, has a shot at being picked up by another club hoping he can get back to his best and Rohan, too, is holding out hope of extending his career.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Restricted to just 12 senior games this year due to injury and form, Rohan’s push to return for the Cats’ finals charge was ended by a fractured skull suffered in a VFL semi-final.
He returned to training to support his teammates one week after undergoing surgery — still sporting more than two dozen staples in his head.
Two weeks later the veteran also put the disappointment of his delisting aside to pull on a Geelong polo and continue helping out as a coach for the club’s AFLW team.
He is set to continue in that role for the time being but will also focus on finding another club to resume his career.
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Geelong Cats for an incredible six years,” Rohan said.
“It’s been an honour and privilege to play for the team I grew up supporting. The experiences and memories I’ve gained will stay with me forever.”
Rohan immediately began selling himself as a potential recruit, confirming there were no long-term consequences from his skull injury.
“The boots definitely aren’t hung up yet (don’t worry, my head is cherry ripe!) as I still have more to give to this game and hope that my AFL career continues,” he said.
“But I wouldn’t trade my memories in the hoops for anything.”
Rohan played 106 games with Sydney — including the 2014 and 2016 grand finals — and moved to Geelong ahead of the 2019 season.
He notched up 98 games for the Cats, playing in the 2020 grand final defeat before finally winning his first premiership in 2022.
Originally published on 7NEWS Sport
