G-Train reaches end of the line

ST KILDA full-forward Fraser Gehrig has announced his retirement after an unsuccessful attempt to relaunch his football career in 2008.

"It's definitely my last season," Gehrig said at a club function shortly before the semi-final match-up with Collingwood. 

"St Kilda's going to be with me for life, hopefully, but I don't think I'll have an [official] role or anything.

"I've endured [a tough] year – it's been hard – and it probably didn't turn out the way I wanted personally, but my body decided it couldn't bend over and pick a footy up any more, so it's been a bit of a battle like that.

"But I've enjoyed my time down there [this year]. I've done a bit of work with the forwards."

Gehrig retired at the end of last season, but changed his mind and was re-drafted by the Saints with the No. 57 pick in the NAB AFL Draft.

He played five games in 2008 and kicked just nine goals after suffering chronic arthritis in his hand.

"I can't complain, I mean the hands have been through the wars, but I've been pretty fortunate in terms of not having a knee or a shoulder or anything like that which a lot of players go through.

"But the hands and the wrists and the thumbs have copped a bit of a battering. It's probably been the worst injury for me, I've probably had about a dozen operations, but they won't have to do too much now – maybe just make a few pizzas and open a few beers."

Gerhig played 260 AFL games with St Kilda and West Coast, kicking 549 goals. He kicked 103 goals in 2004 to win the Coleman Medal, which he also took out the following season.

Gehrig's final game was in round eight and in addition to running his restaurant he plans to partner with teammate Max Hudghton in a building and development enterprise.