EFNL 2024: Noble Park farewells Kyle Martin, Luke Bull, Jackson Sketcher and Chris Horton-Milne

Noble Park came within a whisker of a fairytale finish for Kyle Martin, Jackson Sketcher, Luke Bull and Chris Horton-Milne on Saturday, with the premiership quartet bowing out.

EFNL 2024: Noble Park farewells Kyle Martin, Jackson Sketcher, Luke Bull and Chris Horton-Milne on Saturday as players form a guard of honour. Picture: Daniel Cencic

There was to be no fairytale finish as the curtain fell on the Noble Park careers of four premiership heroes on Saturday.

Headlined by the swan song of Kyle Martin, who called time at Noble Park during the week, the nine-time best and fairest was joined by flag teammates Jackson Sketcher, Chris Horton-Milne and Luke Bull in finishing at the Premier Division club.

Sketcher, who won the league’s highest individual honour – the Chandler Medal – last year, told teammates ahead of Saturday’s final-round match he would be playing elsewhere next season. The former ‘The Recruit’ star has been heavily linked to Eastern Division 2 club Heathmont.

Horton-Milne confirmed he would be returning to Southern club Dingley, where he won a Division 1 league medal, while Bull will depart after winning premierships in 2011 and ‘22.

Drawing within a kick late in the fourth term in front of a pulsating home crowd, time beat the Bulls to a last-gasp victory for the flag-winning foursome in the 11.10 (76) to 11.7 (73) defeat to Rowville, which simply had to win to play finals.

After the match, a grateful Martin paid tribute to the club he’s called home for almost half his life.

“It’s still pretty raw,” Martin said, who also spent two seasons at Collingwood for six AFL matches across 2013 and ’14.

“Just a lot of gratitude to Noble Park footy club – I’ve had some great memories since 2008, so it’s been my home for a long time.

“It’s been a special day – we couldn’t quite get there out on the field, but we gave it a shake and I’m very proud to be a Noble Park footballer.”

EFNL 2024: Jackson Sketcher, Kyle Martin, Luke Bull and Chris Horton-Milne after their final Noble Park match on Saturday. Picture: Daniel Cencic

A who’s who of Noble Park royalty packed into Pat Wright Snr Oval to watch the master at work one last time.

Dual Chandler medallist Craig Anderson and four-time Bulls best and fairest Peter O’Brien were among the galaxy of yesteryear’s stars alongside Trent Robertson, Sam Monaghan and Ziggie Alwan.

“To have ‘Ando’, ‘OB’, the likes of them come down … they were here when I played my first year,” Martin said.

“They’re very special people to me and I hold them dear to my heart.

“They’re premiership teammates from ’10 and ’11 – I learnt a lot from them on and off the field and they’re great men.”

Martin said his teammates “left nothing out there” as the seventh-placed hosts pushed the reigning premier to the brink of a finals miss.

“It was a great game of footy – it was special to be a part of and we really took it up to them,” he said.

“We always knew it was going to be tight, we love playing them, they’re our rivals and I just imagine it was a great game of footy to watch.

“We probably let it slip at the end of the third quarter (after leading by 15 points) and they kicked a couple of late ones.

“(But) everyone put it all out there.”

EFNL 2024: the Noble Park stars are chaired from ground to applause from both teams. Picture: Daniel Cencic

The 33-year-old missed all of last year with an ACL injury and was restricted to just six matches this season.

“It was hard, I just wanted to be out there and the body just wouldn’t let me, so it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t get out there more,” Martin said.

A return to the field cannot be discounted in the future – but Martin, who has a young family, declared coaching was in his plans down the track.

“I’m honestly not sure (on playing again) – my knee’s playing up a bit,” Martin said.

“Whether I retire or if I get the bug to go again, I honestly don’t know now – there’s nothing in the pipeline just yet.

“I love my coaching … I’ll probably wait a bit to jump into that landscape, but in my future I will be coaching somewhere – it’s just about when and where.”

Long regarded as one of the greatest-ever local footballers, Martin finishes a three-time flag winner at the club alongside his collection of best and fairests, captaining the Bulls to the 2022 triumph to go with his 2010 and ‘11 medals.

He said to bow out alongside Sketcher, Bull and Horton-Milne – three 2022 premiership teammates – was a fitting farewell.

“They’re probably four of my closest mates at the footy club so to be all finishing at the same time, it’s been an emotional week and an emotional day,” Martin said.

“I’ve loved every minute of playing with those boys – I’ll cherish a lot of memories.

“It’s been an awesome ride, mate.”