HAWTHORN wingman and former No.1 pick Tom Scully has retired from AFL football.
The 29-year-old, who had taken time out from pre-season training over the past three weeks due to personal circumstances, informed his teammates of the decision on Tuesday morning.
It is understood Scully had lost the desire to continue his career which netted 187 games in 11 seasons across three clubs.
The first pick in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft, Scully played two seasons at Melbourne before accepting a lucrative six-year deal to play for Greater Western Sydney.
An All-Australian squad member in 2016 and 2017, Scully was seen as one of the best wingmen in the competition before going down with a horror ankle injury in round two of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
WHO'S LEAVING? Your club's retirements and delistings
It would be his last of 121 games for the Giants.
With long-term concerns over his body and a bulging salary cap, the Giants offloaded Scully's three-year contract to the Hawks in exchange for a future fourth-round pick.
While many doubted Scully would ever return to his best, the Dandenong Stingrays product incredibly played 21 of a possible 22 games in his debut season at the Hawks.
Scully played 14 matches last season and retires with one season remaining on his contract.
His departure is a further blow to the Hawks' wing stocks after losing triple premiership star Isaac Smith to Geelong in the off-season.
Fellow left-footer Tom Phillips has arrived from Collingwood and is a readymade wing replacement, while the Hawks have high hopes for draftee Connor Downie.
With James Sicily to miss the bulk of 2021 as he recovers from an ACL, Scully's retirement gives the Hawks two list spots to fill in the Pre-Season Supplemental Period before March or the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
