McCartney announced his retirement from the AFL during his emotional on-field post-match interview, citing that his road back had left him spent and that he preferred to leave on a high note. To this day, it is considered one of the most inspirational sports-related stories in Australia, with Fox Footy's "AFL: The Greatest" ranking it as #7 on its list of the biggest AFL news stories of all-time. The image of McCartney being chaired off the ground after the game is also captured in Jamie Cooper's painting "The Game That Made Australia", commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football. In 2020, in an official YouTube video, the AFL ranked McCartney's comeback as the most memorable AFL moment at Docklands Stadium in its 20-year history ahead of the likes of Hawthorn's Lance Franklin completing his 100-goal season against Carlton and Essendon's James Hird's famous final quarter against the West Coast Eagles.