Injuries finish Clint's career

Melbourne's Clint Bartram has retired. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Herald Sun

MELBOURNE has lost another senior player, with leadership group member Clint Bartram forced to retire despite experimental surgery to repair his degenerative knee.

The 24-year-old was lauded yesterday by teammates and rivals alike for extracting every bit of talent from his body.

The Rising Star nominee has battled through the pain of a bone-on-bone knee complaint for several years and in August had last-ditch surgery to extend his career.

The surgery saw the hard-nut tagger and small defender gain 6kg, which was then harvested through liposuction and re-inserted into his knee.

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The club had hoped the procedure, combined with injections to generate cartilage growth, would allow him to continue his AFL career.

Bartram has retired not only because he cannot play elite football, but also to preserve the quality of his life after football.

Demons coach Mark Neeld said he was proud of Bartram's ability to play through pain.

"He is a player whose achievements in AFL football should not be underestimated," Neeld told the club's website.

"He's played under duress for a long time, of which you would never know, and he is a self-manager and a self-starter, and what you see on the field is also what you see on the training track and around the club."

His retirement will strip more valuable experience from the Demons' list, with Brent Moloney and Jared Rivers - the club's top two in the 2011 best-and-fairest - already gone.

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Liam Jurrah and seven top-30 draft picks have also left, but the club has recruited experienced players Chris Dawes, Shannon Byrnes, Cameron Pedersen, Tom Gillies and David Rodan.

Bartram had battled with the knee problem for years, but all his options have now been exhausted.

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