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Carlton midfielder Richard Hadley has announced his retirement after 66 AFL games.

Hadley joined the Carlton Football Club at the end of the 2007 season after having played 41 games for the Brisbane Lions between 2001 and 2007. He played 25 games for Carlton in his three seasons with the club including eight games in 2010.

A member of the Brisbane Lions 2003 premiership side and 2004 Grand Final team, Hadley missed the 2005 and 2006 seasons after having two knee reconstructions. He joined the Blues during trade week in 2007, at the same time as Carlton captain Chris Judd made the move to Carlton.

“Richard’s career has been interrupted by injury since playing in a premiership side in 2003 and while he was restricted to 25 games during his three years at Carlton, his impact on the club has been far greater than the games he has played,” said General Manager Football Operations, Steven Icke.

“Richard is a quality person who has been fantastic around the club, he is very popular with his team-mates and everyone at the club and he has had a real positive influence on the playing group. He will certainly be missed and we wish him the very best in the future.”

Hadley was originally recruited to Brisbane Lions from East Fremantle in the 2000 National Draft with selection 22. He retires from the game at just 27 years of age.

“I am disappointed that I am retiring from AFL as I have really enjoyed being involved with both the Brisbane Lions and the Carlton Football Clubs,” Hadley said.

“While the injuries have been very disappointing and frustrating I will always cherish being a member of an AFL premiership side and appreciate how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to be a part of this.

“I know I will really miss the friendships that have been formed and being a part of the team but believe it is the right time for me to retire from the game. I want to thank Carlton and Brisbane for giving me the opportunity to play and in particular my team-mates for the support and friendship they have given to me over the last ten years.”