Ingle Farm veteran Grant Hawksworth retires from football aged 46 with premiership win

INGLE Farm veteran Grant Hawksworth has retired from football aged 46 - a decade after he relaunched his playing career.

RETIRING Ingle Farm veteran Grant Hawksworth had few expectations when he launched his senior footy career at the ripe age of 35.

Premierships, let alone fairytale finishes, were not on his radar.

He was simply keen to have a kick after about 20 years away from the sport because of family commitments.

Now the 46-year-old midfielder is hanging up the boots after 212 SA Amateur Football League games, two best-and-fairest award and two memorable flags.

The first premiership came alongside his then 15-year-old son, Joshua, in division five in 2005 and the other came in division seven last month in his farewell game.

"It's a little surreal in some respects but if you ever wanted to script a fairytale ending to a career you love so much you couldn't have asked for anything better," Hawksworth said.

"It's one of those moments you'll never forget in your life and probably akin to winning a flag with my son.

"I knew it was the right time to retire.

"I crammed a lot into the last 10 years."

Hawksworth played junior footy for country clubs Cleve and Boston, only to walk away from the sport at 16.

He got the itch to return to the action two decades later after Joshua and Hawksworth's other son Elijah, now 20, joined Ingle Farm.

"I was running the boundary for the under-14s coach and he told me I should come out and play footy," he said.

"I asked permission from my lovely wife and she said 'yes'."

Hawksworth says being an avid cyclist and a "fitness nut" ensured he kept fit in the twilight of his career.

He plans to spend more time with family next year and watch Ingle Farm when he can before becoming a coach at some level in 2015.