IN June 2004 Maryborough teammates Jamie Bond and Brendan Tranter shocked the footy world when they announced they had played their last senior games for the Princes Park Magpies.

Both are dual premiership teammates and rank as two of Maryborough's greatest ever players.

Bond made his decision after the Magpies had lost to Eaglehawk in round five while Tranter had called it a day a week earlier --- but delayed the official announcement --- following the Pies' round four victory over Castlemaine.

Both stars addressed their teammates at Thursday training nights. These were a week apart because of the timing of their decisions.

"Old age has caught up with me," Bond told the Advertiser.

"I've had a good run and decided to get out before anything major happened."

The 32-year-old indicated he was "comfortable with the decision" and left the code a satisfied man.

Bond polled 27 votes to win the 1996 Michelsen Medal as the BFNL's best and fairest, was a member of Maryborough's 1998 and 1999 premiership teams and enjoyed a spell at the highest level in the AFL.

He was at Hawthorn in 1988-89 and played in the Hawks' under-18s and reserves line-ups. Bond then moved to Fitzroy for the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

His sole senior appearance came when he ran out for the Lions against Melbourne in 1991's Round 17.

AFTER his four years in Melbourne Bond went on to play at Werribee and South Launceston before joining Maryborough in 1994.

He established himself as one of the most exciting players in the BFNL. Ultra powerful in the air, Bond had an extra weapon in his super boot.

I saw him one day at Princes Park unleash a long bomb from the centre square region and watched in disbelief as the pill took one bounce and popped through at the city end for a major.

Like Tranter, Bond was a walk-up start for the BFNL Team of the Nineties.

His good mate Tranter admitted to the Advertiser his decision to hang the boots up had been a difficult one.
"I tried hard this year to come up again, but a lot of factors haven't allowed me," he said.

"It's the mental side of it. I've lost that competitive edge to want to come up week in--week out and the family life and work commitments take on much more of a priority as you get older."

Reliable backman Tranter told coach Neville Massina after the Castlemaine game he planned to retire.

However, the pair agreed to wait for a period of time before making the announcement official. That was just in case 33-year-old Tranter felt he might be able to go on.

"BUT that hasn't happened. I feel still it's the right decision to make for myself, my teammates and the club," Tranter added.

"I didn't want to be selfish and hold back a young player who was passionate about playing the game and holding him out of a spot."

"I've had a great time at the Maryborough Football Club. The committee ha treated me well over a lot of years.
"And the club has supported me in all the decisions I've made about footy. Naturally I wish the club all the best for the rest of the year and for the future."
Tranter, 33, spent four-and-a-half years at Collingwood. He played eight games for the Pies.

Collingwood selected him at pick 55 in the 1987 VFL draft. Other players in that draft were his Magpie teammate Graham Wright, Andrew Jarman (Adelaide), Brendon Gale (Richmond) and Liam Pickering (North Melbourne). Pickering later played for Geelong.

After leaving Collingwood midway through 1992, Tranter spent the rest of that season playing for Golden Square.
He was a member of the Bulldog side beaten in the 1992 BFNL grand final by Castlemaine. The margin was just five points.
However, Tranter went on to taste premiership glory with Maryborough six seasons later.

He won the Nalder Medals as best afield in both Maryborough grand final victories in 1998 and 1999.
"I haven't ever played for personal gains," Tranter said. "The premierships were certainly the highlights so the best on grounds were just bonuses," the modest Tranter said.

His playing record also includes stints at MCDFL club Carisbrook and in western Victoria with South Warrnambool.

AND while this information was at the forefront of news for Magpie followers a decade ago, they were hoping prized recruit Danny Sipthorpe would resume by late 2004.

Sipthorpe, 19, hadn't played for the Pies since Round three 10 years ago. He'd been diagnosed with Group A streptococcal: a bacteria which attacks the bloodstream.
He'd spent four weeks in the Royal Melbourne Hospital in May. This stretch included four nights in intensive care.
Fortunately Sipthorpe was at home recovering by early June and coach Massina and his match committee were hopeful their player might be able to resume by late season.

Former AFL player Keenan Reynolds was recovering from two broken ribs, sustained in a round 3 clash at Gardiner Reserve.

To add to the injury list, Michelsen medallist Matt Aston had broken a wrist against Sandhurst in round 6 and was a month away from resuming.
Bendigo Bombers-listed player Scott Sellers snapped a thumb bone during Maryborough's five-point win over Golden Squatre while Dean Burto injured a knee and had returned home to Darwin to recover. He wasn't expected back in 2004.

NOW, almost a decade on from his announcement, I saw Bondy going around again early last season. That was the day when I rocked up at Beck Legal Oval to cover the Maryborough-Kangaroo Flat fixture.

There was the big fella, unmistakeable because of his size, having a kick in the Magpie Magoos.

Bet there were a few of the Roos' Twos keeping a wary eye out. You wouldn't want to be in the path of Big Jamie as he came crunching through a pack. Aged in his early 40s, or not.

I asked him later why he'd pulled on the boots again.
"They were a bit short on numbers, Richard," he replied.
I'd also seen 2002 Michelsen medallist Matty Aston having a gallop at Strathfieldsaye's Flight Centre Park last August.

Plus earlier in the season in another fixture down at Castlemaine, too.

Asto had also indicated that a shortage of players had swayed his decision on those occasions.

You can take the boys out of the Borough, it would seem, but you can't take the Borough out of the boys.

Bondy is back again this year as the Pies' senior co-coach with Glenn Chadwick. And after a hectic summer when they had to deal with a swag of stories and rumours about the imminent demise of Maryborough's senior side, Bond and Chaddy have the Magpies up and running in 2014.

I covered the Round 1 game this season when they were quite competitive against a new-look Kangaroo Flat. And then again in last week's Round 8 action at Canterbury Park, the Magpies could almost have snatched the four, premiership points.

They led by eight points half-way through the last term but just couldn't quite hang on for their first win of the 2014 season.

Richard's tips for Round 9: Golden Square by 47, Sandhurst by 39, Kyneton by 10, Strath Storm by 61 and Gisborne by 35 points.
2014 season total: 34.

By Richard Jones