Kurt Tippett announces shock AFL retirement

Sydney Swans ruck-forward Kurt Tippett has retired from the AFL effective immediately.

Tippett, 30, told his teammates on Monday as he battled with his recovery from October ankle surgery.

“It’s really tough to leave a game and a club which I really love, but the reality is that my body isn’t going to stand up to the rigors of professional football," he said in a statement.

"As I've found out in the past 18 months or so, it's impossible to play at the level you want without being fully fit."

The former Adelaide player has battled injuries over the past two seasons, missing time in 2016 with a hamstring and managing an ankle injury through most of the 2017 season.

Tippett became one of the league's most effective dual ruck/forward players at the Swans, particularly in the 2015 season before injuries struck.

Sydney coach John Longmire paid tribute to the 178-game player as a "great competitor".

“It takes courage to admit when your body isn’t up to playing at the level you want," Longmire said.

"Because players love nothing more than to be out there with their teammates competing each week."

Tippett played in Sydney's 2014 grand final side against Hawthorn and was part of the 2016 team that went down to the Western Bulldogs.

While the shock retirement will leave a hole in the Swans' side for 2018, it clears the path for Sam Naismith, Darcy Cameron or Callum Sinclair to play more regularly after Tippett's injuries forced multiple reshuffles throughout the 2017 season.

Tippett joined the Swans under controversial circumstances that saw the Sydney-born, Queensland-raised big man suspended for the first three months of the 2013 season.

The Crows were fined and stripped of draft picks after an AFL investigation found the club had breached the salary cap with Tippett's final Adelaide contract.

He subsequently joined Sydney in the pre-season draft.