The 30-year-old has called time on his AFL career due to ankle and foot injuries.
The Melbourne Demons have announced today that dual premiership winner Shannon Byrnes has retired from AFL football.
Byrnes will retire effective immediately, as a current foot injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Melbourne’s football operations manager Josh Mahoney thanked Byrnes for his short stint at the club.
“Although Shannon’s only had a short time at Melbourne Football Club compared to his career at Geelong, he has certainly had an impact on the club,” he told the club’s website.
“Besides his on field contribution, Shannon’s experience and training standards have helped develop some of our younger players.
“His upbeat personality has been important during some tough times at the club and it’s no surprise that Shannon is looking at coaching opportunities and we are working with him on how that can be developed for the remainder of this season.”
Byrnes played 131 AFL games, including 108 for Geelong and 23 for Melbourne.
The 30-year-old played six games this year, with his last appearance coming in round eight against the Western Bulldogs.
He then missed four games with an ankle injury, and lasted just seven minutes in his return game in the VFL for the Casey Scorpions after suffering a foot injury.
Byrnes said he was disappointed about how his career had come to an end, but said he had no complaints about his time in the game.
“You can’t pick and choose when your injuries come. Some players get them a lot earlier in their career and I’ve had a pretty good run with injuries in my time,” he told the club’s website.
“I can’t really complain, but it’s disappointing that it’s come right towards the end of my career and I wasn’t able to play out the season.
“Upon reflection, I’ve had a pretty good run, so it’s a little bit bittersweet, but I’ll look back on my career with a lot more fond memories than disappointments.”
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