MELBOURNE coach Mark Neeld has hailed the retiring Brad Green as a Demons "legend".

Green played his last AFL game on Sunday against Adelaide at the MCG.

The former skipper finishes sixth on Melbourne's all-time games list with 254 and seventh for goals with an even 350.

Click here to view Green's career stats

"He's a 13-year player at our club (and) the club's 150 years old," Neeld said. "I think there's six players, or maybe even less, that have played more games than Brad. Club champion, club captain, played in a Grand Final. He's a legend of the club."

Personally at least, Green almost went out with a bang.

He kicked the first goal of the match, and had another within the opening 20 minutes to put the Demons in front of the fancied Crows.

He could have had four goals by the five-minute mark of the second term but within a mad minute he missed consecutive set shots from 25m that he would normally devour - one of which was a poster.

The Crows then proved the party-poopers, running out 69-point victors.

Green, 31, described it as "a sad day".

"You never think this day will come. You always think you can play on or you should play on," he said. "To play your last game at the MCG and bow out like that is a little bit disappointing."

Of his own performance, he said: "There was a bit of energy, a bit of spark out there (and) that's the way you like to go out. You don't want to go out when you can’t give anything. And hopefully I gave a little bit of something tonight."

Green said he would miss the daily camaraderie of being around his teammates.

"I just hope I've earned their respect the way I've played, the way I've trained, the way I've gone about my football," he said.

He certainly has, according to Demons' co-captain Jack Grimes.

"We really look up to 'Greeny' for the player and person he is. If I turn out to be half the bloke and player and contributor to this club that Greeny has been, I'll be a very happy man," he said.

"He'll be sadly missed because he gives his heart and soul to this club and he has for such a long time. But he definitely won’t be forgotten."

Grimes said Green had been "unbelievably helpful" when sought out for leadership advice.

"The main (leadership) message he's given to us is: 'Even though you’re young, don’t wait. If you see something that needs to be addressed, act on it immediately.'

"He was in the leadership group for a while and he reckons he missed a few opportunities to have an impact in that area, so that's something we've taken on board."

The new, young leadership group has also tried adopt Green's inclusiveness.

"When I got here five years ago, he was one of the first blokes to introduce himself to me and make me feel welcome, and he's the same now," Grimes said.

"He helps the young guys so much, and he's the same to a first-year player as he is to a 10-year player.

"He really gives himself to the club and the players. He's a very selfless man, Greeny, and that's something we can all learn from."

Grimes said the Demons had wanted to farewell Green in a better way.

"But the reception he got when he walked off the ground was hopefully something he'll never forget," he said.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL