Going into last season, part of me knew it was probably going to be my last. I have struggled with the level of commitment required and the toll on the body for a couple years now. But one more year with a great team, hunting down some silverware in a Streatham jersey was an opportunity I did not want to miss. Winning everything with the club that taught me the game when I was a child, and my Dad for that matter, seemed the perfect way to go out.
Obviously, we missed out on the story book ending. But I am immensely proud to be part of a Streatham team that lost only one game the whole year and won two trophies. Seeing the tears in Dawn and Graeme’s faces when we won the cup says everything you need to know about the love people have for this historic club. I would like to say a massive thank you to them for keeping the club alive through thick and thin.
Their hard work has brought strength and stability to the club which it had not had for decades. I’d also like to thank Jeremy Cornish for bringing me home last year, Adam Carr for bringing me back this year, and all of the boys for the last two seasons that I have been lucky enough to call team mates. Special thanks to the volunteers and fans new and old for making every day at the rink feel like home since I came back, despite being away from the club for many years.
I don’t want to call this a retirement. I know I still have game left and I may get the itch to come back when I am 43 like dad did, but I know its time for me to have some time away from the sport. While this is an incredibly hard decision to make, I am excited to transition from a Streatham player to a Streatham fan. I know Farny will do an amazing job as player-coach and continue to build a team that will continue to have success for a long time to come.
Words from Coach Michael Farn:
Rupe and his family have a long standing affiliation with Streatham and have done so much for this organisation. You can see how much this club means to Rupe, by the passion he shows towards wanting to bring success to add to the club's history.
He’s going to be a loss to the team but I 100% understand and respect his decision. I’m sure that if his situation changes at all, Streatham will be the first to find out. He’s going to leave a gap in the defence and a tough player to replace but rest assured I’m working hard to find the best possible replacement.
We would like to wish Rupe and his family all the best for the future and look forward to seeing him at the High Road.