MELBOURNE premiership player Alex Neal-Bullen has requested a trade home to South Australia at season's end.
The Demons announced on Wednesday that Neal-Bullen, 28, wanted the move due to family reasons.
Neal-Bullen has become an important part of the Dees' side, playing 174 games for the club since being drafted in 2014, including the 2021 flag.
"Since day one, I've felt the love from the footy club, so to make the decision to head home is an incredibly hard one," Neal-Bullen said.
"It's something that I thought long and hard about, and had some really open and honest conversations with my wife, Georgie, about where our best future lies.
"The decision became clear that I need to put my family first, and move our family back to South Australia.
"For the club to allow me to do the best thing for my family, I can't thank them enough.
"They've embraced me as an individual, and they've allowed me to grow into the footballer, but also the now father, that I am.
"I'm forever grateful that I've been able to play for this great club and still have two more games that I want to pour everything into, to make sure we finish the year off really strongly."
Neal-Bullen's trade request comes a day after Melbourne CEO Gary Pert wrote a letter to members responding to superstar Christian Petracca's unease at parts of the club's direction since the 2021 premiership.
Petracca, who suffered season-ending injuries to his ribs and spleen in June, is among several players and officials involved in discussions aimed at improving the club's performance after it failed to win any of its four finals in the past two years. The Demons are almost certain to miss the finals for the first time since 2020 after losing their past three games.
