Field’s return from a brief retirement meant he was able to notch up 150 games for his beloved Tigers.
In the deafening roar of a fourth grand final victory, Joel Field found the perfect, hard-earned punctuation mark for his career. The Gundagai Tigers’ imposing front rower, a rock in the middle of the park for a decade, is finally hanging up his boots.
“I’ve done 10 years in first grade, my first year was 2015,” Field said, the satisfaction clear in his voice. “It was a good 10 years, but for me, I think it’s time to hang up those.”
With over 150 games for Gundagai under his belt, Field’s love for the club is undeniable: “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
A Decade of Grit and Glory
Field’s tenure aligns almost perfectly with a golden era for the Tigers. He was the John Hill Medallist in the drought-breaking 2015 premiership—a victory that finally ended the club’s agonising run of nine lost deciders following their 1983 triumph.
Further success followed in the grand final in 2018 and 2020. However, his body delivered a cruel reminder of the game’s toll when a torn bicep forced him to miss the Tigers’ unbeaten 2022 campaign.
At 31, he thought that injury was the end. “I missed 2022 when I tore my bicep in the first round, and that was the first time I decided to hang up the boots,” Field recalled. But he didn’t stay retired for long. Club-mate Blake Dunn successfully “hooked me back in and got me back in” for the 2023 season.
Admitting he didn’t want to “finish on such a low note,” Field returned with a singular purpose: to finish on a high. That goal was emphatically achieved on Sunday, following a gripping 10-6 grand final win over the Kangaroos. Now, the decision to retire is cemented.
“I’ve been a front rower since I was five, I’ve never played any other position, so I think the body has had enough of it,” he quipped. “It takes more strapping tape just to hang on.”
Passing the Torch
His priorities have shifted from the ruck to the rest of his life. The imposing front rower is looking forward to putting his young family first.
“I’ve got two small girls at an age where they can start doing junior stuff, and I’d love to be supporting the Gundagai Tigers and drinking a beer on the hill, really,” he said with a smile.
More than just a decade of service, Field was the anchor of the Tigers’ pack and a crucial link between generations. He returned not just to win, but to pass on the deep-rooted meaning of what it means to be a Gundagai first grader.
“We’ve had some young boys come in over the last couple of years, and they just needed a couple of older heads to hang on for a bit longer to teach them,” he explained. “I think we’re at a point where those younger boys can take over and start to build this club back up for the next generation.”
The final win felt especially rewarding. Of the 2022 premiership side, only four players remained in the line-up for the final, with Field being the only other player to have tasted grand final success with the club before then.
Watching a fresh crop of players earn their stripes was the perfect final lesson. “The first few, I was a younger boy and had a lot of older men above me teaching me how to play,” Field reflected. “I felt like myself and a couple of other boys had to be the leaders of the team.” “It just feels great as this is a new team with a lot of younger players, and I think we’re set to build for the next three or four years,” he concluded.
With the club’s future secured and his own legacy complete, Joel Field can finally enjoy that well-deserved beer on the hill.
– Tully Potts
Gundagai Tigers 2025 Presentation Night
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