Melbourne forward Mitch Clark announced on Tuesday his decision to quit the Demons and AFL.
The prized past recruit has struggled to overcome injuries since moving to the Dees from Brisbane and has battled clinical depression in the past year.
Clark, on a leave of absence for the past three weeks, announced his shock decision via a club statement.
“I just want to say thank you to the Melbourne Football Club, firstly for giving me the chance to play for them and secondly for taking care of me during my time there,” he said in a club statement.
“Everyone at the club has been so supportive of me during some very challenging times, which I will always be appreciative of.”
Clark went onto thank the playing group for its support before declaring he will always consider himself a “Melbourne player and a Melbourne person.”
“Hard to put a retirement speech into a tweet. I just want to thank everyone for your support throughout my career,” he tweeted.
Clark struggled to get back onto the AFL stage after six seasons and 82 games with the Lions. He managed just 15 games in his first two seasons with the Demons, kicking 36 goals, but missed the back half of the 2012 season and the majority of 2013 with a serious foot injury.
Clark was granted personal leave to return to Western Australia on the eve of the 2014 AFL season before it was later revealed the 26-year-old had been battling mental illness.
The No.9 pick out of East Fremantle in the 2005 National Draft, Clark kicked 97 AFL goals in 97 contests.
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