MELBOURNE youngster Dom Barry has quit the club, telling the Demons he wants to return home to his native APY lands in central Australia.
Barry, who signed a two-year deal in July this year, returned for pre-season training but let the club know he had lost the desire to continue his AFL career.
Barry's deletion from the list will be reflected in Thursday's list lodgement.
The 20-year-old grew up in Fregon in the APY (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) lands and made his way onto the Demons' list as part of the GWS mini-draft deal that secured key forward Jesse Hogan.
The Demons received Barry, Hogan and draft pick No.20 and gave up draft selections No.3 (Lachie Plowman) and No.14 (Aidan Corr).
Barry has often expressed his connection his homeland and he has taken an active interest in his community.
He arrived in Victoria on a tennis scholarship as a teenager, but his football talent thrived in the renowned St Patrick's football program in Ballarat.
Barry informed his teammates of his decision on Wednesday afternoon.
Melbourne’s manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said the club fully supported Barry’s decision.
“The club would like to thank Dom for his honesty and selflessness in coming to this decision at this time,” he said.
“Whilst we believed that Dom had progressed well and were looking forward to his further development, we fully support the decision made by Dom and will assist him at every opportunity with his transition.
“This has been an extremely difficult decision for Dom – right now his heart is not with playing AFL. He will take a period of time to consider his options with a focus on indigenous culture and welfare programs in the future – an area he is truly passionate about.
“Dom moved away from Alice Springs in 2008 at the age of 14 ... during this period, Dom has missed a lot of valuable family and cultural time and this has weighed heavily on him. Dom would now like to make family and culture his No.1 priority.”
Barry's speed-endurance combination stood out in some strong performances for the Northern Territory in the 2012 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
His first season on the Demons' list was regarded very much as a development year, but he displayed significant improvement in 2014 and earned his place in Paul Roos' team on the back of some strong VFL performances.
Barry made his debut in round 15 against the Western Bulldogs and he played five senior games in 2014, averaging 7.6 disposals.
