Joel Patfull Biography

GWS select Joel Patfull with pick No.32 in the 2016 Rookie Draft.

“Zach is a very talented player who’s come through our GIANTS Academy and we’re delighted to add him to our list after he was overlooked at the Draft," GWS National Recruiting Manager Adrian Caruso said.

“He can play both ends of the ground, is an impressive runner for his size and we think he’ll develop nicely being part of an elite environment.

Joel Patfull retires from AFL football after 11 seasons in the competition.

Patfull told club officials this week that he'd decided against playing on, despite triggering a one-year contract extension earlier this year which would have taken him into the 2017 season.

The Giants and Patfull have come to a mutual agreement that will see the ex-Lion delisted by the Giants, before being re-selected at next month?s rookie draft, but he will not play for the club next year.

The move has been approved by the AFL, in the interest of fulfilling a required player payment and the club adhering to the Total Player Payment (TPP) obligations, and gives GWS some highly valuable salary cap relief.

“I feel like the time is right to retire and I leave the game with no regrets,” he said.

“I’m very fortunate to have played at two clubs and gained the lifelong friendships I have.

“I never imagined playing over 200 games was possible, and I’d like to thank my family as well as everyone at the Giants and the Brisbane Lions for their support throughout my career.

“I leave the Giants knowing the club is heading in the right direction, and I hope to see this driven group achieve the ultimate success in the near future.”

Joel Patfull will be placed in a moon boot until Christmas due to a bruised heel.

"It's a bit unknown because there's some stress in the heel and you don't want to push it so it turns into a real long injury," Giants coach Leon Cameron said.

"We know he gathers fitness really quickly, so we're not concerned about that."

Joel Patfull breaks a collarbone in a bike accident during a holiday in Bali.

The 30-year-old, who was on an end-of-season surfing trip with ex-Brisbane Lions teammate Zac O'Brien in the Indonesian holiday spot, fell off the bike in Kuta on Saturday night.

After being treated at Bali International Medical Centre (BIMC), Patfull was diagnosed with a fracture to his left clavicle.

He will return home to Australia for a specialist assessment, which will determine how the injury will affect his pre-season.

Joel Patfull will be sidelined for at least a month after he punctured a lung and broke two ribs in an accidental collision with fellow defender Matt Buntine in the Giants' 42-point loss to the Magpies at the MCG.

Joel Patfull is officially a Giant after the official paper work was lodged on Friday to send the key defender from the Brisbane Lions to Greater Western Sydney.

In exchange, the Lions will receive pick No. 21 from the Giants

"For me to add a bit of experience and leadership to the GWS backline is something I'm looking to do and it's really exciting for the next couple of years," Patfull said.

"I think I've made the right decision."

Lions defender Joel Patfull is on the brink of joining Greater Western Sydney.

The clubs have an in-principle agreement that would see the two-time best and fairest winner head to the Giants in exchange for pick 21.

Tom Rockliff has capped a brilliant season, taking out his second Merrett-Murray Medal as the club's best and fairest player on Friday night.

Rockliff (138 votes) won a close count from midfield livewire Dayne Zorko (134) and reigning two-time winner Joel Patfull (121).

Club champion Joel Patfull will stay at least until the end of 2015 after signing a new deal.

"I've been with the Brisbane Lions for eight years now and this footy club is like home to me – we've got a great group of people here and a great culture, and it didn't even cross my mind to look anywhere else," he said.

"I couldn't be more excited about the direction that our group is going in – we've got some amazingly talented young guys coming through in the team, and I can't wait to be a part of the success that I know is just around the corner for us."

Reigning Lions club champion Joel Patfull is determined to build on his brilliant 2012 season by making the most of his pre-season.

"I went away and trained really hard. I wanted to come back and be in good shape," Patfull said.

"I didn't want to be complacent coming off a reasonable year so I've done all my training, been pretty good in the off-season and hopefully have shown that I've come back in good nick and looking forward to another good year."

Joel Patfull becomes the Lions' 2012 club champion with 34 points just ahead of Daniel Rich with 32.

"It's pretty significant for me. I've had some reasonably tough times over the years and I feel like I've had to work pretty hard to get where I am," Patfull said.

"I'm very proud … it's a magnificent award. I don't think it's sunk in but maybe over the next few days I'll realise how much it means to me."

Daniel Merrett says teammate Joel Patfull is a key player for the Lions' defence.

"He rarely gets beaten in a contest," Merrett said.

"I'd hate to play on him because it's tough to get a kick on him. He never gives up on the lead or never gives up on the contest."

Key Brisbane Lions defenders Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull will both be sidelined by injury for at least four matches.

Merrett has ligament damage in his right ankle while Patfull has a broken jaw.

Both players were injured during their clash against Adelaide.

Joel Patfull continued to build his impressive defensive resume, claiming another star scalp in Brett Deledio during his team's win over Richmond at the MCG.

"They were dominating early," Patfull said.

"We were getting smashed in the clearances and they were spreading and moving the ball pretty well.

"But we got on top of them, and we started to take a few of our chances."