Bulldogs midfielder calls time on flag-winning career

Western Bulldogs midfielder James Harmes has called time on his 174-game AFL career.

The 2021 Melbourne premiership player retired on Tuesday, after taking personal leave from the Dogs in the new year.

Harmes, whose three-year contract was set to expire at the end of this season, had trained fully before the Christmas break.

But the 30-year-old then appeared unlikely to feature at the start of the campaign after taking leave to deal with personal matters.

"I feel like the time is right for me to step away from the game and focus on other areas of my life," Harmes said in a club statement.

The Bulldogs now have a vacant list spot ahead of the March 2 deadline for the pre-season supplemental period.

Harmes played 22 games across two seasons in red, white and blue, featuring in 13 matches last year before illness waylaid him.

He had made the move at the end of 2023 after falling out of favour under then-Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin.

Drafted to the Demons as a rookie in 2015, Harmes broke into the senior squad in Paul Roos' final year as coach before going on to play 18 games in the club's premiership-winning campaign in 2021.

Harmes played 152 games for Melbourne, and kicked a career total of 94 goals.