 In post-award interviews he said he has not given up hope of again playing in the AFL, and hoped his Magarey win would spark interest from other clubs, but this did not eventuate and he continued to play with Glenelg until 2009.Backwell spent the 2009/10 summer playing in the Northern Territory Football League for Waratah; as a result of playing for Waratah instead of participating in Glenelg's preseason, Backwell was sacked by his SANFL club.After sitting out the 2010 SANFL season, he returned in 2011 for North Adelaide, and played there until his retirement from the SANFL in June 2012.