Sam Carpenter may give an improving Wangaratta Rovers one more season

The 34-year-old considered retirement throughout 2021, with a busy work life and two young children at home.

But the quality of players around him at Wangaratta Rovers, whose third-placed finish is their best for nine years, means Carpenter can't rule out one last crack at winning an Ovens and Murray premiership.

"At my age, you ponder when enough is enough but it's really hard to walk away when you see that success could be pretty close," Carpenter said.

"If we were middle of the road and a fair way off having success, I probably would have pulled the pin already because of the commitment and what you have to do to get your body to a level to play Ovens and Murray footy.

"If I could see we weren't going to be around the mark, it would have been easier to say to Crezza (coach Daryn Cresswell): 'I'm going to step aside, I'll just come and watch and enjoy life a bit more' but that chance of success keeps you motivated.

"At different stages through the season, I thought 'this will be definitely my last year' but I don't know if I want to finish this way."

The father-of-two spent part of this week helping Sonny, 7, with his remote learning, freeing up wife Renee to look after their baby daughter, Remi.

"I've really enjoyed being home a bit more often of late, spending more time with the family," Carpenter said.

"Life's not quite as full-on at the moment due to the football situation.

"Generally I'd go straight to football training after work, so it turns into a 14-hour day, but at the moment, I'm home by 4:30 and everyone's probably a bit happier with that.

"My wife is doing the juggling act with home schooling and looking after the little one, who's starting to crawl around everywhere.

"We live in Corowa and she's not able to see her family in Wahgunyah so if I mention anything about playing footy at the moment, I'll probably cop it."

Carpenter has loved the Rovers' attacking brand of football under Cresswell this year, having spent previous seasons trying to limit their losses.

"We're no longer relying on two or three players, it's a more even contribution and that's credit to Daryn and his team of coaches and our administration for attracting some great recruits," he said.

ALSO IN SPORT

"Once the season's fully wrapped up, I've got to walk away and not even think about football for a few months. I might look at it in January and see if the fire's still burning in the belly.

"If I think I can get the body to where it needs to be to play good O and M footy, I'll decide whether I go on for one more year.

"If I'm not fully committed, I'll pull the pin. I'm not the type of person to give something a half-arsed effort and try to get away with it."

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