SATURDAY night will mark the end of an era for Courtney Guard, with the inaugural Eagle to play her last game in front of a home crowd at Optus Stadium.

Drafted by Fremantle with pick No.39 in the 2018 NAB AFLW Draft, Guard (née Stubbs) played one game for the Dockers before moving to West Coast in 2020. She played 21 games for the Eagles across three seasons.

A member of the Eagles' leadership team in 2020 and 2021, the medium defender was a big part of the side's culture, with coach Michael Prior saying Guard would be sorely missed by players and staff alike.

"I’m going to miss ‘Stubbsy’ being around the group, I think the whole group is going to miss ‘Stubbsy’," Prior said.

"She’s like a mother hen to all of the girls, they all obviously love hanging around with her, she’s very loud and always the centre of attention.

"So, someone else’s turn to have that mantle now.

"But, she’ll be missed, she’s a great character to have amongst the group and hard to replace in that regard.

"With her age she brings that experience, games played, and has the mentality to get the best out of herself.

"So she can pass that onto our younger players and leave that legacy."

Guard said she anticipated an emotional day on Saturday.

"If I really delve into it I'll be crying non-stop, it's a bit surreal, super mixed emotions," she said.

"Super duper emotional, but I'm also excited for the next bit and life without footy, but I'm definitely going to miss footy.

"I don't even know where to begin with the highlights, I think this group of girls has been the most rewarding, memorable bit of it all.

"I think I'll be very emotional running out crying my eyes out."

Guard is stepping away from AFLW to devote more time to her teaching career and family life with husband Chris and pet dog Wally. 

Guard recently took on a new role as Head of Sport at Perth College.

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