Bernie Vince To Retire At The End Of The Season

Melbourne veteran Bernie Vince will hang up the boots at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old, who has played 129 games for Adelaide and 100 for Melbourne, winning best and fairest awards at both clubs, confirmed on Thursday this season will be his last.

Vince is currently recovering from an AC joint injury suffered in the VFL, and may or may not play against this season depending on the fortunes of both Melbourne and Casey in September.

“Today (Thursday) Bernie told his teammates that he’s going to retire at the end of the year. He has been a significant contributor to Melbourne Football Club in the five years he’s been at the club,” Melbourne's general manager of football operations Josh Mahoney told Melbourne Media. 

“When we first discussed bringing him over from Adelaide, we knew parts of what we were getting – a very talented footballer, but we’ve got more than we thought we would.

"What he has brought is his competitiveness – he’s competitive with everything he does – and people would see that on the field.

"The balance that he brings with his competitiveness is his off-field [traits] and that’s probably the reason why he’s not only been embraced by his teammates, but by all Melbourne fans.

“Bernie’s so humble and caring and he ‘gets it’ in terms of his responsibilities as an AFL footballer.

"He has brought a balance between being super competitive and giving everything on the field – and appreciating the role that he plays as a player off the field.”