Hannebery retires

[Joffa Burns]

Sydney and St Kilda superstar Dan Hannebery calls time on his stellar AFL career.

Geoff Burns
2 min read April 5, 2025 - 5:53PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

www.heraldsun/hannebery.retirement.com.au

Hannebery announces retirement.

Hannebery was drafted with pick 30 pick in the 2008 AFL and made his debut in round 16 of the 2009 season. The Oakleigh Chargers product via Xavier College quickly established himself as a durable force in the Swans midfield averaging 23 games per season between 2010 – 2017.

One of the competitions finest runners and ball users, Hannebery was voted by his peers as the AFLPA player of the year in 2015 which was arguably his finest season. Hannebery also collected 3 All Australian selections & 3 best and fairest along the way and was an integral part of the Swans 2012 premiership when narrowly missing being awarded the Norm Smith medal.

At the end of a frustrating 2018 season, Hannebery announced he would return to Melbourne and nominated the then struggling St Kilda Saints as his club of choice. Saint’s head of football Simon Lethlean was prominent in securing Hannebery, the big fish the Saints had been promising to land.
Hannebery initially signed a 5 year $800,000 per season deal which Lethlean described as a bargain for a player of Hannebery’s ability, experience & durability.


A young Dan Hannebery in his days as a gun Swan midfielder

Many neutral observers doubted Hannebery’s contract extension at the end of 2021 after he failed to play a game in that season, but Lethean was bullish on his star recruit. “What Dan brings to the club cannot be measured in on-field output alone” said Lethean. Dan is a leader, he sets the training standards and has been instrumental in the Saints attracting other big-name recruits such as Paddy Ryder, Zac Jones, Bradley Hill and Buddy Franklin who joined the Saints at the end of the 2023 season to reunite with mate Hannebery after a 9-year stint at the Swans.

The Saints have struck a one off retro guernsey for Hanneberys 222nd & final game which will close the curtain on a 17-year career when the Huawei Saints do battle with the Hobart Kangaroos on Saturday 12th April 2025 at Bellerive Oval. The match marks not only Hanneberys last AFL match but his first since the Saints elimination final against Richmond at Metricon stadium during the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020.


Hannebery is presented with his retro style Saints Guernsey as he prepares for his final AFL match.

The shock announcement leaves the bottom of the table Saints with a space to fill on the 50 man list with the mid-season draft looming. The Saints have been linked with former Melbourne Captain Nathan Jones who could come out of retirement to join brother Zac at Moorabbin or former Hawthorn gun Shaun Burgoyne with the 40 year old considering relinquishing the assistant coach role at the Brisbane Suns to again pull on the boots.

[desertsaint]

haha joffa. good stuff.
brought a tear to me eye (not the whimsical kind).

[Wayne42]

Good one.

It would have been good if his retirement date was actually 06/04/2021, however, he will remain the highest paid spectator
on the Saints playing list for some time to come.

[skeptic]

Sad part is that if he actually did retire... it would actually free up a spot on the list for a midfielder that could play in our under performing midfield

[Ghost Like]

[Yorkeys]

Cruel. So pleased for a moment by headline and had my faith in humanity briefly restored. He hasn't retired has he? I've been pranked again? Like taking candy from a baby if the mark is a Saints supporter.

[CURLY]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

[thejiggingsaint]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

A wee bit cruel....but very funny too, why should Hannebery and the knobhead that recruited him get away with it scot-free? To be honest, this thread is just about the only thing about Hanneberry that's made me feel anything other than ANGRY!

[The Fireman]

The Club and supporters are at a real low point...I'll take a bit of humor anyday.

[thejiggingsaint]

The Club and supporters are at a real low point...I'll take a bit of humor anyday.

Spot - effing-ON!!! I don't "hate" Dan Hannebery or Simple Simon..... I don't wish either of them ill BUT if they can't deliver what was promised.... then by christ they need to cop their fair whack!

[Joffa Burns]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

[thejiggingsaint]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

[CURLY]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

No Oracle just don’t find it great taking pot shots like this at one of our own. Clubs and supporters get around each other when s*** things happen not try and divide.

[Fugazi1966]

Geez that got me Joffa!

Interesting: my first thought was that they would have had to come up with a payout figure, and I hoped it didn't impinge too much on next years cap.
I didn't for a moment worry that it had happened.
Sorry Hannas

[Toy Saint]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Agree, a childish crap thread.

Perhaps I would have been more tolerant if it was April fools day.

[Joffa Burns]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

No Oracle just don’t find it great taking pot shots like this at one of our own. Clubs and supporters get around each other when s*** things happen not try and divide.

Geez you’d be a stale old bottle of piss around a sporting club Curly. For a 600 game legend, 414 time coach of the year and OAM for services to umpiring you don’t have much of a feel for taking the piss when the chips are down.

Who answered the phone when you called the club?

[CURLY]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

No Oracle just don’t find it great taking pot shots like this at one of our own. Clubs and supporters get around each other when s*** things happen not try and divide.

Geez you’d be a stale old bottle of piss around a sporting club Curly. For a 600 game legend, 414 time coach of the year and OAM for services to umpiring you don’t have much of a feel for taking the piss when the chips are down.

Who answered the phone when you called the club?

Another hilarious personal attack. Why does it bother you that I played footy or coach. I’m sure most on here have or do.

[The Billings Method]

If only it was true. Then Dan could retire to take up an assistant coach's role, which he seems ideally suited to and has, apparently, been doing anyway.

[whiskers3614]

Good Job Joffa, humour even of the gallows variety is what will get us through.

Let the sad sacks please themselves!

[Enrico_Misso]

But his off-field leadership has been priceless!

[Wayne42]

But his off-field leadership has been priceless!

No, it hasn't been priceless, it's actually very expensive.

[The_Dud]

Who answered the phone when you called the club?

Why call the club when you've got a direct line to the (co) captain! Or so the story goes

Also, how many games does a player need to play in the red white and black before they're considered "one of our own"?

I would suggest more than Tony Francis at a minimum

[samoht]

If you'd posted this 5 days earlier, Joffa, you would have been in line for the Australian Prankster Research Institute of Larrikinism (A.P.R.I.L.)1st Prize (see below link ... tattoos are included).

https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1877374 ... 00x600.jpg

I guess truth is stranger than fiction when it comes to Hannebery (not retiring).

[Joffa Burns]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

Poor old Curly, we all know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He actually rang the club to see if Dan could be talked out of retirement

No Oracle just don’t find it great taking pot shots like this at one of our own. Clubs and supporters get around each other when s*** things happen not try and divide.

Geez you’d be a stale old bottle of piss around a sporting club Curly. For a 600 game legend, 414 time coach of the year and OAM for services to umpiring you don’t have much of a feel for taking the piss when the chips are down.

Who answered the phone when you called the club?

Another hilarious personal attack. Why does it bother you that I played footy or coach. I’m sure most on here have or do.

Bother me?

I have quite decided if it's sad or hilarious that you feel the need to brag about your football exploits of 20 years ago on an internet forum as if they meant something and impressed people. There are actually people who have achieved in their lives but choose to remain anonymous & modest.

Bragging about being U/16 coach of the year in a back block league as if it validates your opinion and removes the absolute stupidity you post on this forum.

On reflection I am going with hilarious.

I am no intellect, let me be clear Curly, but you are without doubt the dumbest person posting on this forum. But hey that's my "soul" opinion.

[sks023]

What a s*** thread. Let’s bag our own.

I am no intellect, let me be clear Curly, but you are without doubt the dumbest person posting on this forum. But hey that's my "soul" opinion.

Thank f*** ! I thought I was the dumnest