The 35-year-old had accepted his time in football on the field had finished and will take on off-field roles.

Sailor is never short of a word and, flanked by St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust and coach Wayne Bennett, said that the time was right to draw a curtain on his football career.

''It's a very tough day for me,'' he said.

''We have come to the decision that it's time for me to hang up the boots.''

That was when the tears should have flowed but Sailor knew he had been beating father time for too long.

''When you have players like (Brett) Morris and (Jason) Nightingale it was time to stand aside,'' he said.

''I have had a great opportunity and a great time of it but it's time to let the young guys do their thing.

''I just love the game, I love what it has given me through my career. I have seen the world.''

Sailor came to the decision two weeks ago with his wife Tara and his children Tristan, 11, and Matissa, 6.

The ultimate show of respect for Sailor came with master coach Bennett breaking from his holidays to sit next to ''the skinny dark kid from Sarina'' as Sailor called it quits on his terms after 17 years in top-flight football.

''I know as a coach Wendell has made the right decision, he feels good and comfortable with his decision and he will leave the game as all champions should, on top,'' Bennett said. ''We will miss him, the game will miss him but the good news is he won't be lost to the club or the game.''

The usually media shy Bennett spent an hour talking about the player he thought couldn't make it as a teenager.

It was the coach rather than Sailor who said ''I was getting a bit teary there towards the end.''

''No other player has challenged me as much as Wendell because of [his] personality, but I have loved the challenge and like everyone else, enjoy being in his company,'' Bennett said.