In the final round of last season, Josh Kennedy stood in the Paul Kelly race, preparing as he had done countless times before. This time was different.

"It probably didn't dawn on me until I was in the race with Jarrad and Kieren. Obviously, Nick and Heath didn't play, but they were in there as well and it just hit me then that this was going to be the last time that I'd stand there and see their faces as teammates." Kennedy continues, "It was quite an amazing point in time and the realisation of how quickly times had changed really struck me. All of sudden, there had been a changing of the guard. I had shared so many games with those guys, so many special memories and moments, on and off the field and it leveled me. It made me very grateful for everything that we had all been through together."

It's a rare occasion to have four premiership stars retire on the same day. Jarrad McVeigh had played 325 games, Kieren Jack & Heath Grundy – 256 and Nick Smith – 211. The emotion built throughout the week and a sense of sadness was evident, as all had been so adored among the faithful.

For Kieren Jack, the lead-in to this match was unlike any other. "It was a different week preparation wise because of doing all of the media during the week, and the messages started coming in and the thankyous." Jack reflects, "It's almost like you've retired then and there, I said that at the time, but I didn't want to end on a loss or a poor game. I still had to go out one more time and you want to play well. It was an important game for the team to end what was a pretty poor season, on the right note. So, in that respect, I know Macca was the same, we didn't want it to just be about us."

As always, supporting Jack to navigate his way through such a unique build-up, was his wife Charlotte Goodlet. For her, the way that her husband's career was ultimately closing, brought a combination of relief and pride. "I think it was probably a bit of a sense of relief, in some ways, that Kieren got to decide on his terms, and he got to decide when." Goodlet continues, "We look at our good friends Nick Smith and Heath Grundy who didn't get to play their last game and know it was their last game and I look back and I'm just so glad that I knew going into that game, that Kieren would get the opportunity to say goodbye to all the people who have supported him and loved him. That was special to think that he was going to get to do that. I was very, very, hopeful of a win because it was a bit of a tough season, and it was a bit funny to not be getting ready for finals or what have you."

Preparing for finals had become commonplace among the retirees, for Kennedy and the rest of the club. In fact, across Kennedy's ten-season Swans career, missing out on the September action had never occurred. "There was a real excitement for the game because it had been a pretty challenging year. It was the first time since I've been in Sydney that we weren't going to be playing finals and going into that game, it gave everyone something to play for that meant so much, which was special. I was certainly excited and inspired to get out there and try to absolutely contribute my best," he adds.

However, as Jack knows, footy doesn't always follow a script. "Nothing is given in football, it would have been amazing to have Heath and Nick out there too and they deserved that, they had fantastic careers and they deserved that." He adds, "Unfortunately, that's just the way that footy is. You're very lucky if you can go out that way. No doubt, we would have loved to have played finals and have gone deep, but the next best scenario was, playing in front of your home crowd. There were a lot of things to celebrate too. It was Pride round. it was Buddy's 300th game and it was our last game of the season."

While the four points weren't critical to the ladder position, Kennedy recalls a clear sense of importance. "It felt like I was walking out for a final that day. The fact that it was Jarrad's and Kieren's last game meant I really wanted to play well and I wanted to win. The energy in the room beforehand and in the race felt like a final. It didn't cross my mind that we were going to lose that game."

Amidst and electric atmosphere, the game played out in an open, but rugged affair. Until the final quarter that is. The SCG stands began to resemble a party as our Bloods kicked away. "It was such a beautiful afternoon; the weather was phenomenal. There was a buzz around the stadium, and it just felt really exciting. It didn't feel sad." Goodlet recalls, "It was funny because we were sitting in the stands and we had a lot of friends and family there. We were sitting a few seats across from Clementine and the McVeigh family. When Jarrad kicked his goal, I was so thrilled for him and it was so exciting and the celebration was fantastic. I went over and gave Clementine a big hug. It was really exciting and I sat down thinking that I hope Kieren kicks one too because it was just such a great moment and then he did do that. It was very exciting and we've got a great photo of him with Sam Reid, who's a great friend as well. It felt like a fairy tale."

That fairy tale finish took some orchestrating though, as Kennedy recalls. "I remember the conversation vividly. The game was pretty much iced and Macca had just kicked a goal. I remember thinking 'where's Kizza?' He continues, "I saw him playing in the back pocket and I thought you're bloody kidding Horse, get him up forward! So, I told him to go forward and he said 'I can't, but we sent him forward and told him to send someone from the forward line back and just try and get a goal. Fortunately, it all worked out, so it was pretty special and I was so happy that it worked out that way."

Jack's recollection of that moment is just as clear. "I remember Joey yelling at me saying 'hey Kizza, go forward, just go forward.’ I said ‘I can't, I'm playing on a small forward, I'm not going to just leave him here because we've got no one else to come back.’ So, we threw Tom McCartin down back, who was the young kid in the team, but Tommy's six-foot-five. They said, ‘let's just do it’ so we threw him back there to deal with the small forwards! So yes, it was the right place, right time. In front of the members too, it was pretty special. Something I'll never forget."

As the match drew to a close, Kennedy felt overwhelming enjoyment. "From the point of view of the actual game, it was a strange combination of having nothing really to lose but a lot to play for. So, it was actually a lot of fun being out there and it felt like a party atmosphere with the crowd. I certainly wouldn't describe it like that out on the field, but the last five or ten minutes did feel like that. There was a real enjoyment being out there with those guys for the last time."

With the victory sealed, Goodlet made her way to the rooms to enjoy the celebrations once last time. That's when the unavoidable tears began to flow. "I tried all day not to cry, and to be really happy and I just remember, then as I was walking into the Brewongle Stand, a lovely Swans supporter who had number 15 on her back, came up to me and said 'we love Kieren, I'm going to miss him so much'. I just burst into tears. That was the first time I cried because I just thought, wow, this is a pretty special thing and a pretty special club. And we're going to miss it in that way."

"It was a real celebration." Kennedy adds, "After a pretty challenging season, it was a moment to savour. It's bloody hard winning premierships and to put it into perspective, it was only the second time in ten years that I'd finished the season with a win. If you're playing finals and you don't win the Grand Final, you inevitably finish disappointed. To finish like that and to have so much to celebrate as a footy club, it was such a great feeling. For the young players, I'd be thinking, I want to have an impact on the club like those guys and it was just a little bit of a taste of what finishing the season on a win, especially if you can make it to the big one, might feel like."

Kieren Jack's career was a culmination of courage, hard work, and determination. After fourteen seasons, it was finally time to unwind. "I'm rapt to have been at the club for 14 years and spent my time there, but it was the right time to move on and to end it in that way was something not many people get to do, so I look back on that with pride." Jack adds, "I feel very lucky, I feel privileged to be at a great club, and that was highlighted after the game because the scenes afterward, in the rooms were incredible. We had all the players, all the staff, the families, everyone in there just having a few pizzas and a few beers."

The celebrations rightfully continued into the night. "It just had a special feeling and Horse took a great photo because he just wanted to soak up the moment and to try and encapsulate what the football club means to so many people in a snapshot," Jack recalls. "And that's was it was, everyone in there. Enjoying a win. Enjoying a pretty special moment. The surprise party afterward was nice too."

For Josh Kennedy, the influence of Jack, McVeigh, Smith, and Grundy remain clear. "There are players that you look at in the race and you just know what you're going to get and those four delivered every single time. That's their legacy, they were all such reliable, fierce competitors."