Phil Waugh is astounded he's hanging up the boots and Robbie Deans is asking whether he can call on him for Australia but David Croft is adamant his Super 14 career is over.

Queensland last night failed to give their loyal warrior a fitting farewell when they fell 18-11 to finals-bound NSW at Suncorp Stadium.

It was Croft's 116th and last game for the Reds and, remarkably, his 94th consecutive Super rugby match since making his debut in 2001.

Unlike the number of stitches on his bald pate (736), the 29-year-old flanker has lost count of the number of times people have asked him whether he's serious about retirement.

Fans, teammates and rivals alike can't help but query the decision, which comes amid career-best form since being dropped to the bench earlier in the season.

But Croft - looking forward to an athlete management career - can't be swayed, even though incoming Wallabies coach Deans believes he's still good enough to play at international level.

"If I had anything left ... it's either 100 per cent or nothing and if I'm wavering one or two per cent it's not good enough for me," he explained.

"Robbie asked if I was still available for later in the year and of course I am but I'm fairly sure there's a lot younger guys they can take on board and do just as good a job as an old bloke like me."

If he had played in any other era, Croft would have almost certainly played many more than his five Tests which have come whenever George Smith and Waugh were not available.

For NSW skipper Waugh it was a sad occasion to play against one of his great positional rivals and friends for the last time.

"I still think there's a lot of rugby left in him," he said.

"He's played 94 successive Super rugby games and that's really impressive, for a guy who cops the brunt of every collision for the Queensland side

"I can't speak highly enough of that because I know how tough it is and I haven't been able to do that. I've got the utmost respect for him, not only as a player but as a bloke too."

Croft reiterated that he retired leaving the rebuilding Reds in good shape with coach Phil Mooney in charge of a vibrant side, chock full of talented youngsters.

Mooney, though, will also have to overcome the losses of Chris Latham (Worcester), Stephen Moore (Brumbies), Sam Cordingley (Grenoble), Clinton Schifcofske (Ulster) and probably Rodney Blake (France).

Croft praised the strong leadership of new young skipper James Horwill and predicted he would be a Reds future great while the likes of inside backs Ben Lucas, Quade Cooper and Berrick Barnes could take them to the top.

But despite all the encouraging signs, Queensland still finished a lowly 12th this season and won only one more game than 2007 when they picked up the wooden-spoon.

"On reflection there were three or four games we didn't win that we could have and should have," Mooney said.

AAP