David Mundy announces he will retire at the end of the AFL season

Fremantle Dockers great David Mundy has announced he will retire from the AFL at the end of the season.

Mundy, 37, made his AFL debut for Fremantle in 2005 after being drafted from Victoria, and has played 371 games to date.

That places him 10th on the list of most AFL/VFL games played, and the Dockers veteran is set to move into outright 9th place at least by the time he hangs up his boots at season’s end.

“I’m incredibly proud, I’ve been living my dream for 19 years now and I’ve loved every bit of it,” Mundy said in announcing his decision to retire.

Loading

“Not all of it has been easy, there’s been quite a few, really hard and emotional bits to it, but I’ve been able to grow as a person and as a player throughout my time at Fremantle and I wouldn’t have it any other way”.

Fremantle football manager Peter Bell was quick to point out how significant Mundy’s career had been in the context of the club’s history.

“Dave has been a major part of where we are as a club and where we are headed,” Bell said.

“He’s a great character who understands the bigger picture, understands what the stresses of being a player are, and understands more broadly the other decisions and leadership that we need as a football club.”

Loading

Fremantle will honour Mundy’s career during the round 22 western derby, the club’s final home game of the season ahead of the finals series.

While the game will be the fans’ chance to say thank you to Mundy, the veteran said it was also important for him to be able to pay tribute to the club.

“It’s been an incredible thing to be a part of to be honest, to receive that kind of love and respect from the fans,” he said.

“It’s something that’s really grown in the back half of my career and I find it really hard to describe how it makes me feel. It’s obviously very special and I really appreciate that support.”

More to come.