Adelaide stalwart Graham Johncock says fatigue forced him into his shock AFL retirement.

Johncock stunned Crows officials by calling an immediate end to his 227-game AFL career.

“The rigours of playing AFL footy, the body just couldn’t handle it,” he told reporters on Monday.

The 30-year-old carved a distinguished career as a backman yet played only two matches this season when ordered forward by second-year coach Brenton Sanderson.

Johncock said selection rejection wasn’t a factor in his mid-season retirement.

“It is something that has been building for a while, just little niggles every now and then, and taking longer to recover,” he said.

“In the end, it was just too much to keep going.

“Over the last couple of years I have had problems with my ankle and then the knee and ongoing back issues. It just pretty much wore me down.”

The Crows had expected Johncock to play out the season, with Sanderson frequently saying the fan favourite was on the verge of selection.

But he retires ranked among the all-time draft steals – taken with pick 67 in 2000.

Renowned as a daring defender, he finished top five in Adelaide’s club champion award six times and played 16 finals.

“I have played in four losing prelims – so close,” Johncock said.

“But not everybody gets that fairytale finish that they would like. I’m over the moon with my career.

“If you would have told me 15 years ago when I was a kid running around in Port Lincoln that I would be a 200-plus game player for the Adelaide footy club, I would have taken it every time.”

Johncock considered the offer of a farewell game on home turf, but feared his body would fail him.

“I am a firm believer that every game you get has to be earned,” he said.

“And if I had earned mine, I would have wanted to perform. I’m not sure my body would have held up.”