Fremantle's disastrous start to the season has claimed its first casualty, with veteran Matthew Carr announcing his retirement from all forms of football, effective immediately.

Carr, who was contracted to the club until the end of 2009, said he did not want to stand in the way as the Dockers looked to rebuild their ageing list.

The 29-year-old played four of the first five matches this season but, as Fremantle's year unravelled, fell out of favour with coach Mark Harvey, who turned his attention to youth.

Carr said he felt the speed of the game had finally caught up with his battered body.

"I went to see Harvs in round one and I just felt that in today's game you have to be on top of your running and skills, and I feel I'm not any more at either," Carr said.

"Once upon a time I was always in the top three or four in the club at running and now I'm middle of the pack.

"Harvs told me to wait a few weeks and we would reassess, and I had done that and my mind was made up a couple of weeks ago.

"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."

Harvey said Carr would be missed by the player group.

"Matthew is one of those selfless guys ... and has always been asked to play on the opposition's best players," Harvey said.

"That's a credit to the way he prepares himself for football."

Carr made his AFL debut for St Kilda in round 4, 1999 after being snared by the Saints with pick No.7 in the 1998 pre-season draft.

Carr notched 28 matches in two seasons for St Kilda before crossing to Fremantle in 2001.

He played 134 games for the Dockers and established himself as one of the best run-with players at the club, while also proving to be a handy back-up ruckman.

Fremantle chief executive Cameron Schwab praised Carr's contribution to the club.

"He is a fierce competitor, superbly loyal and a great mentor to many of our younger players," Schwab said.

"It is because of those qualities that we will investigate all opportunities to retain Matthew in a role at the club."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP