RICHMOND ruckman Troy Simmonds has announced his retirement from football, signalling his intention to play his final AFL match against the Saints in round 11.

This means that Simmonds, who will not travel to Adelaide as part of the Tigers outfit to take on the Power on Saturday, will finish his career on a total of 197 matches.

But the ruckman was dismissive of missing out on reaching the 200 games milestone, and said he would leave the game on the best of terms.

"I've got no regrets. I'm really proud of what I've achieved and really it's just a number, whether it's 197 or 200. The timing was right for the club," he said on Thursday morning.

"I've decided the time is now for me to step down and it is really a great opportunity for our three young ruckmen in Ty [Vickery], Angus [Graham] and Andrew Browne."

Simmonds was drafted by Melbourne at pick No.9 in the 1999 pre-season draft after impressing for VFL side Box Hill and played in a grand final in just his second year of football.

The Demons lost to Essendon by 60 points, and Simmonds’ part in the match is best remembered for the bone-jarring hit he received from Essendon legend Michael Long that saw him stretchered off the field in a neck brace.

Simmonds played 40 games for the Demons before he was traded to Fremantle at the end of 2001.

He finished fifth in Fremantle’s best and fairest in his first year, during which he formed a strong ruck partnership with Aaron Sandilands, but after 75 games and 58 goals with Fremantle, Simmonds was on the move again to Richmond at the end of 2004.

He arrived at the Tigers as part of a three-way trade that saw Heath Black return to Fremantle from St Kilda and Aaron Fiora leave Richmond for the Saints.

Simmonds signed a five-year deal with his new club, arriving at the same time as new coach Terry Wallace.

He quickly assumed the mantle of No.1 ruckman at Richmond and finished third in the club’s best and fairest in 2006.

Things took a turn for the worse in 2007 when he was struck down by a blood clot in his lung, but he returned to play every game in 2008. During that season he represented Victoria in the Hall of Fame Tribute Match against the Dream Team.

Simmonds earned the nickname ‘Snake’ because of his fascination with reptiles and the fact he collected several pet snakes.

Simmonds has battled through a knee injury to play six games this year.