Sport

Never say never - Duryea

By Robert Muir

Sep 3, 2025

Wahgunyah wonder Taylor Duryea, pictured in his time at the Western Bulldogs, would “never say never” to a return home to coach/play.

Wahgunyah wonder Taylor Duryea would “never say never” to a return home to coach/play.

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The 34-year-old has announced his retirement from AFL after 219 games.

“I at the very least have a VFL finals series (with Footscray) to play so I’d love to go out on a high with another flag VFL flag. That’s my only focus in the short term. Once the dust settles I guess we’ll see what might be ahead,” he told The Free Press.

“At the end of the day I love footy and will always have a passion for it. It’s rewarding being able to help players achieve goals and improve, something I’ve been able to help with as a senior player.

“Coaching gives me an opportunity to one, stay in the game, but two, be able to continue to have a positive impact on people through the work I can do with them off field.”

Duryea said it has been so humbling to receive so many kind messages from many people in his from friends and family who have been with him well before AFL and others he has met along the journey.

“I get so much pride out of being joy to people who follow my career - certainly one of the most fulfilling things about playing at the highest level,” he said.

“As for what’s next it’s too early to tell… I have ambitions to coach at AFL level but it’s highly competitive with so many really good footy people vying for limited spots! I believe my knowledge of the game and experiences I had over my journey (both on and off field) put me in a great position to take that step into coaching.”