Retiring Dennington legend Luke Duncan will be remembered as a player who stood up when it mattered most.
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The centre half-back will play his final match for the Dogs on Saturday against Warrnambool and District league rival Panmure, after calling it time due to work commitments.
Darcy Lewis, who was Dennington's senior coach from 2011-16, played more than a decade of footy with the retiring champion.
He said Duncan was a "pleasure to coach" and was renowned for his fitness and competitiveness.
"He was a big-game player," he said.
"He'd always step up whether it be a grand final, a preliminary final or an important home and away game."
Lewis, who coached the Dogs to a famous drought-breaking premiership in 2015, rated Duncan's grand final performance as the cream of the crop.
"We'd been chasing that premiership for many years together," he said.
"Luke's performance that day was really representative of his whole career.
"In my eyes, he was really best on ground that day."
Lewis added that Duncan was a "fantastic clubman" who was "a rare find for a club".
He said Duncan had undertaken numerous roles at the club and had coached the under 17s.
Current coach Mick Phillips, who first played with Duncan when they were teenagers, was full of praise for his retiring centre half-back.
"He's played on all of the guns of the competition," he said.
Phillips said Duncan had won five club best and fairest awards and been an interleague player.
The Dogs mentor said he played with courage and had a "habit of going back with the flight of the ball".
Duncan said it needed to be noted how special the club was and that "any personal achievement could not happen without all the people behind the scenes".
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