FREMANTLE's Matthew Carr has announced his immediate retirement from AFL football due to constant leg problems.

Carr had an idea that his time might be nearing an end after round one when he spoke to coach Mark Harvey about it, but was told to stick out the next few weeks and see how he felt. Things didn’t improve in the 29-year-old's eyes and he came to the decision over the past couple of weeks.

He informed his teammate and brother Josh, along with other family members on Sunday, the rest of the club on Monday and made the official announcement to a packed press conference at Fremantle Oval. All his teammates, club staff and media turned out to hear the news that Carr's career had come to an end.

Carr began his career playing 28 games with St Kilda before moving to Fremantle in 2001. He has played in all four of Fremantle's finals matches and will be remembered as a tough run-with player, who was always professional and a good user of the ball when going the other way.

He played 134 games with Fremantle to finish on 162 in a fine career that almost never began. He was drafted by Collingwood as a teenager, but decided he would rather spend his Saturday nights at Fremantle nightclub Metros than playing AFL football.

He got another chance with St Kilda and then Fremantle and is tremendously proud of what he accomplished.

"It has been a great honour to represent the Fremantle Football Club over the last eight years and this is the day I'm retiring as a footballer full stop. I've had enormous opportunities to come back and play with Fremantle after growing up barracking for East Fremantle and to pull on the purple jumper and give it my best shot is something I'll cherish forever," Carr said.

"You play this game to play in premierships and that didn’t happen, but it's also about testing your character, growing as a person and dealing with the ups and downs along the way. When I look back on being a 17-year-old and quitting football after being drafted by Collingwood and having a few twists and turns along the way, this football club has helped me a lot and I'm forever grateful."

Carr's decision to retire was an extremely selfless one. With his contract running until the end of 2009, he could have fought back into the side, but did not want to do that at the expense of up and coming players.

"I don’t want to be someone that is standing in the way of other guys that need opportunities to prove themselves. Guys need to get games into them so that this time next year this club is ready for a tilt at the finals, so I didn’t want to stand in the way of that," he said.

"The signs were there last year and three of the last four years have been tough with my broken leg, stress fracture, my ankle and then groins, so it wore me down and I was always fighting against it. The guys that step in are young blokes with fresh legs and it's hard to compete with them as an older midfielder in the AFL.

"I'm excited for the guys that are going to be given opportunities at the club and we have some talented players here. The club can turn it around and I'm confident they will under Mark's coaching."

Carr will remain at the club in a mentoring role, while focusing on study and his three children.

Matthew Carr Fact File
Player Name: Matthew Carr
Date of Birth: 29/12/1978
Games for Fremantle: 134
AFL Games Total: 162
Games for other clubs: 28
Finals Games: 4
Goals for Fremantle: 64
AFL Goals Total: 66
Debut for Fremantle: 2001
Recruited From: East Fremantle
WAFL Club: East Fremantle
Playing Honours: International Rules Series 2003; WA State of Origin team 2003; Fremantle Football Club Best Clubman 2004