The imminent birth of Sam Switkowski’s first child and a desire to build a life outside of footy were the key reasons why the Fremantle forward decided to retire at just 29 years of age.

Switkowski announced his retirement to teammates on Wednesday despite the Dockers being keen for him to play on. The small forward said he’d come to the realisation that he needed to prioritise other things in his life as his wife Savannah prepares to give birth.

“I am ready for that next chapter of my life, and I really want to get back to Melbourne to reconnect with my family and friends. I’ve got a baby boy coming any day now. My wife and I just decided this was the right time for us to make that move as a family, and I’m really excited about the next chapter of my life,” Switkowski said.

“It was really tough at times (to make the decision). I think for the last month or two, definitely, to come to terms with it. I feel amazing about it now.

“I understand it’s a shock for people that are hearing it for the first time. Initially it was a tough decision because it’s probably not what other people maybe expect of you or what society expects. If you think your career can continue, everyone would say why wouldn’t you just keep going and see it out for as long as you can? But I just feel really content with what I’ve done, and I guess my priorities in life have just shifted now.”

Recruited from the VFL as a mature aged player, Switkowski had the option of pursuing his career with another club in Melbourne.

But after playing 127 games and being a part of Fremantle’s leadership group, Switkowski said he didn’t want to play on false pretences.

“I think it takes a lot to be an AFL footballer. I always have held myself to a high standard, and I don’t want to be a person that’s just hanging on to a career for the sake of just a contract,” he said.

“I only wanted to commit to playing at a new club if I was all-in and felt like I had a lot to give. I just don’t feel like that’s where I’m at. It excites me more to be moving on to a new career or something different than trying to grind my way through to hang on for a couple more years.”

Switkowski has experienced multiple concussions during his career, including earlier this season, and said he wanted to make sure he lived a healthy life. But that wasn’t the driving factor behind his early retirement.

Having missed last year’s finals due to injury, Switkowski now he gets the chance to finish his career in September and chase a historic premiership.

“It’s clearly exciting,” he said.

“We’re all human, so we love a fairytale finish and we’d love to be there on the last day in September. But it doesn’t change a hell of a lot for me.

“I’ve been content with this decision and I’ve just been enjoying every day.

“It’s the people and so many things about this club that I love being a part of, and makes me love coming in here. We’ve got the opportunity to do something great, but the way I’ve gone about it this year, it would be a bit of a contradiction to then put all my eggs in one basket to just think I’ll only be satisfied if we win a flag this year.”