Essendon ahead Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has introduced his AFL retirement, efficient instantly.

The Bombers confirmed on Friday that the livewire had known as time on his 126-game profession, booting 153 targets over that span.

It comes because the the 29-year previous has handled private issues over the previous yr. He hasn’t appeared at AFL stage since Spherical 21 final yr and returned to the sphere through the VFL in April following private depart.

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“The Bombers gave me the chance to fulfil my dream of taking part in AFL,” McDonald-Tipungwuti stated.

“I’ve liked my time on the membership and I’m so happy with what I’ve been capable of obtain in my AFL profession. I’m additionally happy with my training, coming to Victoria was to pursue my training and that has been actually vital for me too.

“The membership and my teammates have been extraordinarily supportive all through my complete profession however I really feel actually joyful to be shifting on to the subsequent chapter of my life now. I’m prepared for all times past soccer.

”I want all of the boys one of the best for his or her future, I’ll be watching on from afar.”

Enjoying six seasons for Gippsland Energy and recruited from the membership’s VFL facet, McDonald-Tipungwuti first joined the Bombers within the 2015 rookie draft as a 22-year previous and was elevated onto the senior checklist following widespread suspensions to gamers as a result of notorious dietary supplements saga.

He turned an on the spot cult hero on the membership and fan favorite amongst soccer followers at massive for his thrilling play model.

The Tiwi Islands product led the membership’s goalkicking in 2020 with 19 targets from 17 shortened matches, whereas he adopted it up with a career-best return of 34 majors final yr from 20 video games.

He broke the file for consecutive video games performed at Essendon within the AFL period with 126.

Bombers followers will bid farewell to McDonald-Tupungwuti in Saturday night time’s Dreamtime on the ‘G conflict with Richmond, together with his teammates set to put on the Dreamtime guernsey designed by the small ahead.

Essendon basic supervisor of soccer Josh Mahoney thanked McDonald-Tipungwuti for his contributions to the membership.

“Anthony has been a very great individual to have on the membership for the previous seven years and we’re a greater soccer membership to have had him inside our 4 partitions,” Mahoney stated.

“Anthony is an unbelievable position mannequin and his contribution to this sport has been profound.

“We’ve been working extremely intently to help Anthony over almost the previous 12 months in coping with his private issues, and whereas we’ll miss his brilliance on the sphere, we settle for and help his resolution understanding his final happiness is the utmost precedence to all. That is one of the best resolution for Anthony as an individual.

“He shall be missed across the membership and by his teammates, however we sincerely want Anthony, his companion and household all the easiest in his subsequent chapter of life.

“Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti will at all times be an Essendon individual.”