One club players in sport are a rarity in the modern era with players very rarely getting that happy ending to their career.
Steve Price left the Bulldogs for a last hurrah with the Warriors and Petro Civoniceva played four years with Penrith while Garry Ablett had a spell with the Gold Coast Suns.
Overseas the true greats like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were moved on, Michael Jordan played with the Washington Wizards and LeBron James changes teams like he changes shoes.
Last week Brisbane Broncos captain Alex Glenn announced that the 2021 NRL season will be his last as a professional, having made over 280 appearances for the Broncos.
Whenever someone gets to spend their whole career with one team, it is worth celebrating, just ask these guys.
Brent Harvey – 21 Years with North Melbourne
Boomer spent so long with North, the jersey was almost tattooed onto his skin.
A part of the club, Harvey opted to retire at the end of 2016 instead of trying to play for another team.
He retired as the most capped player in VFL/AFL history with 432 games.
Michael Tuck – 20 Years with Hawthorn
Part of the Hawthorn dominance in the late 1970s to early 1990’s, Tuck was a part of seven premierships and a two-time All Australian.
Tuck’s appearance record of 427 was broken by Harvey in his final season.
Darren Lockyer – 17 Years with Brisbane
Coming into a loaded Broncos side as an 18 year old would be a fairly daunting task but Lockyer took to it with relative comfort.
A mid-career move to five-eighth did not disrupt the future Immortal and fans will remember his clutch field kicks to get the Broncos home.
Paul Gallen – 18 Years with Cronulla
With all of the other headlines surrounding Gallen, it’s easy to forget just how long he was around the game.
On the side, he boxes with a bit more success than when he tried to take down Nate Myles.
Francesco Totti – 25 Years with Roma
Most Australians will remember Totti as the guy that scored the penalty to eliminate the Socceroos in 2006, but his time in Serie A make him one of the game’s true icons.
Making his debut in 1992 as a 16 year old, Totti earned his way into the starting lineup and was a mainstay at Roma.
A loan move to Sampdoria was on the cards in 1997 but never eventuated, meaning the only club shirt he wore was that of AS Roma.
Safe to say the fans truly loved him.
Ryan Giggs – 24 Years with Manchester United
Coming in just behind Totti in terms of service as a player is Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs who won just about every trophy on offer in his time with the Red Devils.
His most famous season was when United claimed the treble in 1999 including this famous FA Cup semi-final performance where he destroyed Arsenal (a much bigger feat then than it is now).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI_LkMj4HI&t=2s
Matt Le Tissier – 16 Seasons with Southampton
A guy like Giggs staying with Manchester United for over two decades and winning every trophy imaginable is one thing, Le Tissier staying with the Saints is a whole different animal.
Over the course of his career, Le Tissier made 540 appearances for the South Coast club and the highest honour he claimed was being a member of the 1994-1995 PFA Team of the Year.
Despite registering interest from Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United as well as several overseas clubs, he remained loyal to the side where he made his name.
He retired at the end of the 2001-2002 season after injuries got the better of him, but he was capable of some truly special stuff in his prime.
Jason Hanson – 21 Years with Detroit
An NFL kicker’s job might be the most physically intensive but they are working with a very slim margin for error.
Hanson’s reliability kicking the ball made him one of the first guys on the Lions roster after initially winning the job as a rookie in 1992.
Bruce Matthews – 19 Years with Houston/Tennessee
During his almost two decade career, the ironman of NFL linemen played for one franchise that was known by three different names over two different states.
Drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1983, he was a mainstay on their line right through to their relocation to Tennessee for the 1997 and played two years as a member of the Tennessee Oilers.
For the final three seasons of his career, Matthews was a member of the Tennessee Titans following their rebranding and the team went to its first Super Bowl in 1999.
It was a tumultuous time but Matthews just showed up every week, setting a then-record of 229 consecutive games started, never missing his duty.
Perhaps even more impressive was the fact he started at all five positions on the offensive line, showcasing a versatility and team-first attitude matched by only a few.
John Elway – 16 Years with the Denver Broncos
Elway is the ultimate case study in perseverance, losing three Super Bowls in the early days of his career before getting a dream send off, winning back-to-back titles in his 15th and 16th seasons.
Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts, Elway threatened to go and play baseball, showing no interest in joining Robert Irsay’s franchise.
He was traded to the Denver Broncos days later and spent his whole career in the Mile High city, with one of his most famous plays coming in his penultimate season against Green Bay.
His career ended with another Super Bowl in a comfortable, much less dramatic win over Atlanta a season later.
Kobe Bryant – 20 Years with the LA Lakers
A player whose career could have followed a very different trajectory had a couple of events in the mid-2000s gone the other way.
He stuck with the Lakers and he flourished into one of the decade’s premiere players, finishing as a five-time NBA Champion and while he could not leave as a champion, he ended on a high note.
Alex Delvecchio – 24 Years with Detroit
Detroit is a popular spot for one-club legends to develop, not only do they have Delvecchio who played 24 seasons with the Red Wings.
They also produced Steve Yzerman who spend 23 years (but only 22 seasons thanks to a strike) in the Motor City.