Fremantle's prodigiously talented but often inconsistent Des Headland retired from the AFL on Friday after finally giving up the fight with his battered body.

Headland, the No. 1 pick at the 1998 national draft, played 52 games at the Brisbane Lions including the 2002 premiership, before seeking a trade home to Fremantle where he brought his tally to 166 over 12 injury-speckled seasons.

A knee problem kept 29-year-old Headland out of the Dockers line-up after round four this year, and though he was optimistically recalled for the semi-final against Geelong, a new knee injury and a heavy loss made for a sad finale.

"It's been frustrating not being able to get out on the park in the past three years," said Headland.

"I couldn't do what I wanted to do. I felt like I could do it, but I just couldn't do it.

"Mentally, I just didn't want to do it (pre-season) again, he said.

"If I went round another year and got injured again I don't think I would have coped very well."

Often deployed across half-forward but occasionally damaging in midfield, Headland seemed capable of anything by the time he played a freewheeling role in the Lions' 2002 flag.

"It's something I can sit back about and think about more often, now that I'm retired," he said.

"It was a very proud moment of my life and something that I'll cherish for the rest of my life."

But his return to the Dockers coincided with bouts of inconsistency alongside a mounting tally of injuries.

Headland was briefly one of the two most talked about footballers in the country when in 2007 he was charged with striking West Coast's Troy Selwood.

The case hinged on Headland's testimony that Selwood had made personal insults about his family.

This resulted in a much-debated tribunal verdict that saw Headland found guilty but no penalty imposed.

Casting an eye towards the future, Headland indicated his desire to work with indigenous youth.

"I was a young kid once, and I was lucky enough to fulfil my dreams," he said.

"I'll look to steer the indigenous youth in the right direction and help guide them towards achieving their own dreams, whatever they may be."

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