After spending the last week watching her husband adjust to retirement from his football career, Nat von Bertouch reflects on just how tough it is to retire

Former Diamonds captain Nat von Bertouch recalls the day she retired from netball as one of the toughest of her decorated career. And now she’s watching her husband go through it too.

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AFL grand final day: there’s nothing like it, really. One of the most exciting days on the sporting calendar.

But as a former athlete I also know that this time of year — in fact, the end of any sport‘s season — holds the highest anxiety for professional sportspeople: Will I get another contract? What happens to me if I don’t? Is it my time to retire from sport and if I decide not to, will someone else just make that decision for me?

I can tell you with certainty that there are athletes and their families all across the country right now pondering these very questions.

And it happens to the best of us: Jarryd Roughead, Gary Ablett, Richard Douglas, no athlete is immune. I, too, have been there.

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Jace Bode, centre, leads Norwood onto Adelaide Oval for the 2018 SANFL grand final against North Adelaide. Bode has called time on his football career. Picture: SARAH REED

I retired from netball in 2013 and remember the day so vividly. There was a press conference and even though I was prepared and knew exactly what to say, I cried, even though I knew it was my time. People have said to me since that I should have played on for one more year, but what they probably couldn’t see from the sidelines was that I was getting slower. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I couldn’t get any better.

And I had watched so many wonderful netballers — Australian captains among them — playing out their careers on the bench.

So, I got the “fairytale” finish: the teary press conference and the round of applause.

And then I went from being the captain of the Diamonds, to the lowest-ranked worker in my new office job. I was 32.

I’d almost forgotten what it was like to retire from sport — the ups and downs and all the what-ifs — until my husband, Jace Bode, retired from his football career last week.

The emotion in our household, even if it’s been by free choice, has been difficult. It’s as if it’s the end of the dream; it’s certainly the end of an era.

For me, personally, football is all I’ve known of him, we haven’t had a life together without him playing footy in it.

Natalie and Jace Bode with their daughters Maddie and Milla at Norwood Oval. Picture: SARAH REED

And while we’re both excited about what’s next, as I’m watching Saturday’s grand final, I’m also going to give a thought to all those footballers who know what lies ahead after this game: exit interviews and contract negotiations. Good news. Bad news. Difficult choices. Trades.

Lives changing.

The biggest lesson in all of this is that sport’s not fair.

If Eddie Betts has indeed played his last game for the Crows, how unfair for the club’s supporters.

Just think of how many people would have packed Adelaide Oval to give Eddie Betts the rousing send-off he so richly deserves had they known they might not see him in Crows colours again. The same could be said for Sam Jacobs. And Port’s Paddy Ryder.

Sport serves up fairytales constantly, but a player’s retirement too rarely falls into that category.