Ovens and Murray premiership player Will Reilly retires due to concussion

Reilly played 84 senior games for Wangaratta from his 2015 debut, including the Pies' stunning upset of Albury in the 2017 grand final.

The tagger also played in successive grand final losses to Albury again and Lavington in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The strongly built Reilly played five matches for Wangaratta's reserves last season, before joining former coach Luke Morgan at Centrals Trinity Beach in the AFL Cairns competition.

He returned to the region and had joined Myrtleford last November.

"Will has had some advice from his doctor that he's moved into a higher risk category because of how many concussions he's had." shattered Saints' co-coach Dawson Simpson revealed.

"Obviously football's not a major part of the big picture and he has to do what's best for his health, it's very sad, he's a quality young man and made an impact on the group in a short time, but we'll still stay in contact with Will.

"Unfortunately, he's had to step away."

The news is a stunning blow for many in the tight-knit O and M, where Reilly carved a reputation as a player who got the best from himself though his determination and work ethic.

"He's pretty devastated, Will told the news to the coaches and we relayed it on to the players," Simpson revealed.

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The Saints start their season in six weeks time with a home match against Wangaratta Rovers.

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