RICHMOND ruckman Troy Simmonds is expected to announce his retirement at a media conference on Thursday morning.It is not known whether he will retire immediately or will see out the season, as Sydney Swans co-captain Brett Kirk and Adelaide skipper Simon Goodwin have said they will do.Simmonds has played 196 games and kicked 132 goals with three clubs.The ruckman was drafted by Melbourne at pick No.9 in the 1999 pre-season draft after impressing for VFL side Box Hill.Simmonds played in a grand final in just his second year of football.The Demons lost to Essendon by 60 points, and Simmonds’ part in the match is best remembered for the bone-jarring hit he received from Essendon legend Michael Long that saw him stretchered off the field in a neck brace.Simmonds played 40 games for the Demons before he was traded to Fremantle at the end of 2001.He finished fifth in Fremantle’s best and fairest in his first year, during which he formed a strong ruck partnership with Aaron Sandilands, but after 75 games and 58 goals with Fremantle, Simmonds was on the move again to Richmond at the end of 2004.He arrived at the Tigers as part of a three-way trade that saw Heath Black return to Fremantle from St Kilda and Aaron Fiora leave Richmond for the Saints.Simmonds signed a five-year deal with his new club, arriving at the same time as new coach Terry Wallace.He quickly assumed the mantle of No.1 ruckman at Richmond and finished third in the club’s best and fairest in 2006.Things took a turn for the worse in 2007 when he was struck down by a blood clot in his lung, but he returned to play every game in 2008. During that season he represented Victoria in the Hall of Fame Tribute Match against the Dream Team.Simmonds earned the nickname ‘Snake’ because of his fascination with reptiles and the fact he collected several pet snakes.Simmonds has battled through a knee injury to play six games this year for a total of 86 with the Tigers.