CLAY Smith can't imagine his life without football, so the recently retired Bulldog will slowly wean himself off the game.
Smith announced on Monday that his troublesome right knee had finally got the better of him after three reconstructions, and he would now enter the next chapter of his life.
But such is the 25-year-old's love for the game, the Western Bulldogs and his former teammates, he is finding it difficult to just go cold turkey.
"I'll still come into the club one or two days a week to kick the ball with the boys and have lunch, but that will come to an end in eight weeks," Smith told AFL.com.au.
"I just love playing the game hard, and that's the way I played as a kid.
"I love the physicality of the game, even in the locker room mucking around.
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"Since Jackson Trengove has been at the club, he's had me in a headlock every day.
"The mateship is what I'll miss the most."
While Smith admits he's still struggling to come to terms with the fact his career is over, he is relieved to have made a decision he knew was inevitable.
Surgery on his knee in February painted a bleak picture, with the procedure revealing he had little cartilage and meniscus tissue.
The degenerative nature of his condition is unlikely to see him play at any level in the future.
"I had a meeting with 'Bevo' [coach Luke Beveridge], (football manager) Chris Maple and (player welfare manager) Brent Prismall on the Friday, and that was hard, but it was good to finally put an end to it and not worry about it anymore," he said.
"I haven't been able to train with the group since January due to constant pain in my knee and I haven't been able to put three good running sessions together.
"Follow-up sessions were a struggle, and getting up to top speed was tough, so the knee is just no good.
"It just turned to shit."
Clay Smith celebrates the Dogs' 2016 flag with Shane Biggs. Picture: AFL Photos
Many doubted Smith would return from the third reconstruction he had in May 2015, but he did and went on to be a key member of the club's 2016 premiership triumph.
His manic attack on the footy typified the manner in which the Dogs claimed the flag, with Marcus Bontempelli believing the club couldn't have done it without Smith's "all or nothing" approach and "true Bulldog" spirit.
The dynamic forward kicked eight goals and averaged 18 disposals in the four 2016 finals, including four goals and 26 possessions in the preliminary final win over GWS.
Former club captain Luke Darcy was on hand as a Channel Seven commentator during that memorable September campaign and marveled at what the brave Bulldog was able to achieve after so many setbacks.
"To play on after three knee reconstructions is beyond courageous to me," Darcy told AFL.com.au.
"The preliminary final against GWS was once of the great individual performances.
"And when you add that to three of the most serious injuries you can have, it takes a very special character to play like that.
"When you're prepared to throw your body around without any regard for your personal safety, you have real presence on the football field.
"His ferocity in attacking the ball was at a frightening level, so he's right up there with the toughest players to pull on a Bulldogs jumper."
With the reality of his career ending starting to sink in, Smith isn't sure what his immediate future holds besides regular rounds of golf and spending his freed-up weekends with his wife Sarah.
A reluctant retiree, Smith will leave life as a professional footballer proud of what he's accomplished, but keen to continue his love affair with the game.
"It's definitely upsetting to finish up at 25 after the way I started my career and knowing the footy I can play, so it would have been nice to play 150 or 200 games," he said.
"It's always good to play well in big games and big moments, so I guess I can walk away with that.
"I'll probably give footy up for a year to get my weekends back, but I don't think I'll be able to stay away from footy for too long - it's got too big a place in my heart."
