He's had two AFL clubs, two premierships and now two retirements - but it's five minutes of magic for which Stuart Dew's career will be remembered.

Hawthorn fans, teammates and officials - and probably their Geelong counterparts - will never forget Dew's match-turning third quarter cameo as the Hawks upset the Cats in last year's grand final.

In five minutes, Dew kicked two goals and set up another, a blow from which the Cats never recovered.

The 29-year-old, who cited frequent soft tissue injuries as the reason this will be his last season, said that glorious few minutes had more than justified his decision to shelve retirement and join the Hawks.

But he also modestly noted that without that purple patch his other 25 games with the Hawks might not be remembered as fondly.

"I think if you took out the grand final performance it's probably been consistently at a certain level," he said.

"If I could get back to that five minutes every game I'd be loving it ... that has masked a little bit of that."

The bulk of the left-footed superboot's career was played with Port Adelaide, Dew part of the Power's inaugural AFL squad in 1997 and his 180 games with Port including their 2004 flag.

He retired at the end of 2006, "burnt out" and wanting to get away from the sport.

But he used Tuesday's second retirement announcement to thank Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson for coaxing him back after a year off.

Dew said if the call came from anyone other than Clarkson, a former assistant with the Power, he might have been reluctant to take the plunge.

As it was, many questioned the Hawks' wisdom in signing a player who had ballooned in weight, having always been solidly built.

But Clarkson reflected happily on the choice, saying Dew's off-field guidance for teammates during the finals was as significant as his grand final heroics.

"None of the guys in the leadership group had been through that premiership experience before and he was able to help them enormously," Clarkson said.

That off-field nous has both player and coach seeking a new role for Dew at the club next season.

Before then, he wants one or two more magic moments on-field.

Out with foot, quad and hamstring injuries since round 12, he hopes to return for the last round or two of the home and away season.

Then, if the 11th-placed Hawks can sneak in, he can strut his stuff on the finals stage one more time.

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