Brad Johnson is undoubtedly one of the greatest Bulldogs in the club's history but he has put himself ahead of his team by not announcing his immediate retirement.
His decision to call a press conference on Monday afternoon had most people expecting him to reveal that last Saturday night's abysmal qualifying final loss to Collingwood would be his 362nd and last match.
But instead he announced only that he would be hanging up his boots when the Bulldogs' season is over, which could be as soon as Saturday night if they are unable to rebound and beat the Swans in their cut-throat clash at the MCG.
Believing that the club was close to its elusive second premiership at the end of last year, particularly after Barry Hall's arrival at the Whitten Oval, Johnson elected to play on and claims he was on track in the initial stages of the pre-season.
But a setback with his Achilles at Christmas last year was the first sign that perhaps Johnson had erred in going around one more time, even though he also needed just one more game to become the first Bulldog to play 350 matches.
Johnson missed the pre-season NAB Cup premiership that had plenty of people buzzing about the club's chances of ending its 56-year flag drought and has limped through 13 largely forgettable appearances in 2010.
But for a man who has been such a selfless leader of his club for more than a decade, Saturday night should have proved the final straw for the 34-year-old, with the timing of his retirement announcement a little bizarre.
He may have been hoping that his announcement might somehow provide some extra motivation for the wounded Bulldogs who have looked shot for the past month and in truth throughout the year have failed dismally when matched against the other top-four teams.
Three losses to the Magpies and one each to the Cats and Saints says plenty about their lack of credibility as a contender and Johnson confirming to his team-mates that he would not be at the club next year will do nothing to change that.
Quite simply, the only reason he should have faced the media on Monday was if he was in fact walking away from the game he lives immediately, otherwise he could have put it off until the Dogs are done and dusted this season.
No one likes to see a champion of any sport go on too long and it's only because of the credits he's put in the bank over the past 16 years that coach Rodney Eade has continued to play him but surely someone who has been as fiercely selfless and proud over the years should know his time is up.