breakingMichael Walters: Fremantle Dockers great announces retirement, effectively immediatelyJake Santa MariaThe West AustralianThu, 3 July 2025 12:10PMCommentsCommentsEmail Jake Santa Maria
Fremantle will farewell a club legend with five-team leading goalkicker Michael Walters announcing his immediate retirement on Thursday morning.
The man affectionately known as ‘Sonny’ will cut short his 17th season at the club with injuries keeping him from adding to his games tally this season.
Ironically, it means his final game was against the club he had been a talisman for when he captained the Indigenous All Stars to a win over the Dockers in February
Walters retires as a legend of the club, having been drafted with pick 53 in 2008, going on to kick 365 goals from his 239 games, earning an All-Australian blazer and life membership in 2019.
Only Hall of Famer Matthew Pavlich has more goals than Walters, while he sits seventh for games played, one behind Nat Fyfe and is the club’s all-time Indigenous games record holder.
He was also part of the 2013 grand final side, kicking two goals in a losing effort.
“I have been working my backside off to try and get back to play some form of footy, and while mentally I am still committed, unfortunately my body wouldn’t allow me to continue playing,” Walters said.
“I never left a stone unturned, I tried to return and play again at the top level, and it just didn’t work out.”
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