TonyK
CibbuanoCarr announces retirement
May 19th 2008 23:27
FREMANTLE midfielder Matthew Carr has announced his retirement from AFL football, effective immediately.
The 29-year-old said he had discussed retiring with coach Mark Harvey after the Dockers' round one loss to Collingwood but opted to wait a few months to assess his form before pulling the pin in front of a packed press conference at Fremantle Oval on Monday afternoon.
Carr, who played 162 matches with the Dockers and the Saints said he felt his body could no longer cope with the rigours of AFL football.
"In today's game you need to be on top of your running and skills," said Carr. "I feel like I'm not anymore in either."
"Once upon a time I always felt I was in the top three or four in running and now I'm middle of the park."
"I needed to do everything in my power, doing a lot of extra work to make sure I was on top of everyone else and make sure I could compete with the best in the business."
Carr said he had contemplated retiring at the end of last season but felt he had to go one more time to make sure he had made the right decision.
"I thought about pulling the pin then but I thought you're best off going out and making sure you have a red hot go and making sure you're certain you are finished and that happened and now I'm ready for whatever lies ahead."
"The position the club's in, I don't want to be someone who stands in the road of other guys and their opportunities to prove themselves to be at this club next year."
"I grew up barracking for East Fremantle and to be able pull on the purple jumper and give it your best shot is something that I'll cherish forever."
Meanwhile, hard-running defender Roger Hayden will miss the next three to five matches after suffering a collapsed lung in Fremantle's loss to the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
Hayden was taken to hospital on Sunday night to have a tube inserted into his lung to inflate it and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
Marcus Drum is also expected to miss some football after sustaining a hamstring injury in Sunday's loss.
The 29-year-old said he had discussed retiring with coach Mark Harvey after the Dockers' round one loss to Collingwood but opted to wait a few months to assess his form before pulling the pin in front of a packed press conference at Fremantle Oval on Monday afternoon.
Carr, who played 162 matches with the Dockers and the Saints said he felt his body could no longer cope with the rigours of AFL football.
"In today's game you need to be on top of your running and skills," said Carr. "I feel like I'm not anymore in either."
"Once upon a time I always felt I was in the top three or four in running and now I'm middle of the park."
"I needed to do everything in my power, doing a lot of extra work to make sure I was on top of everyone else and make sure I could compete with the best in the business."
Carr said he had contemplated retiring at the end of last season but felt he had to go one more time to make sure he had made the right decision.
"I thought about pulling the pin then but I thought you're best off going out and making sure you have a red hot go and making sure you're certain you are finished and that happened and now I'm ready for whatever lies ahead."
"The position the club's in, I don't want to be someone who stands in the road of other guys and their opportunities to prove themselves to be at this club next year."
"I grew up barracking for East Fremantle and to be able pull on the purple jumper and give it your best shot is something that I'll cherish forever."
Meanwhile, hard-running defender Roger Hayden will miss the next three to five matches after suffering a collapsed lung in Fremantle's loss to the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
Hayden was taken to hospital on Sunday night to have a tube inserted into his lung to inflate it and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
Marcus Drum is also expected to miss some football after sustaining a hamstring injury in Sunday's loss.
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