Crows great retires due to concussion related issues

TRIPLE premiership player Chelsea Randall has retired due to issues related to concussion.

Randall played 80 games for Adelaide and is a five-time All-Australian, but has called time on her career at the age of 35.

In a statement on Monday, the club said "her decision to retire has been made due to experiencing issues related to concussion. She has been in regular consultation with the club doctor, independent specialists and the AFL".

The club added that "while she was saddened to end her playing career, her decision had been made with her health and family in mind".

It's understood Randall has had regular check-up scans after repeated head knocks across her career – both in the AFLW and the then-WAWFL – and had positive results as recently as October last year.

She missed seven consecutive games last year with concussion, but returned to see out the season, her final match coming in Adelaide's semi-final loss to Melbourne.

West Australian Randall started her football journey as one of the very few girls playing junior footy with the boys in the early 2000s, and became a star with Swan Districts, captaining her state at the senior women's national carnivals that preceded the AFLW.

She featured in the first women's exhibition match between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs at the MCG in 2014, and was lured to Adelaide as a marquee player ahead of the first AFLW season in 2017.

Randall retires as one of the most decorated and respected players in the game, having co-captained Adelaide alongside Erin Phillips – and then in her own stead – from 2017-2023.

A true utility, she played across all three lines over her AFLW career, and her strong marking, competitive drive and ability to turn a game on a dime saw her recognised by her peers with a record six AFLPA most courageous awards.

Alongside Phillips, she was key in establishing Adelaide's remarkable culture and high-performance professionalism that saw the Crows set the pace in the early years of the league.

She won plaudits from the wider football world for her attitude and maturity when ruled out of the losing 2021 Grand Final due to concussion, but hit out at the AFL after she was placed in protocols by the league – rather than the club after passing a SCAT – ahead of the 2022 (season seven) semi-final.

Randall has also played a key role in promoting the women's game in South Australia off the field.

"I will miss the immense joy that playing gave me, I’ll miss competing at the highest level, I’ll miss sharing the game with my teammates and playing in front of our members and supporters," Randall said.

"I am incredibly grateful to the Adelaide football club, which has supported me both on and off the field over the past 10 seasons.

"I am also so grateful to the AFLW competition as a whole; to have been part of its growth from the very beginning has been an honour and one of the great privileges of my life.”

Randall and Adelaide CEO Tim Silvers are set to address the media on Monday afternoon.

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