One of football’s most remarkable careers will draw to a close at the end of 2007.

Port Adelaide premiership player Josh Mahoney made the public announcement alongside coach Mark Williams on Friday after training, immediately after telling his teammates.

His eight-season AFL career spanned 11 years across three clubs and included some of the biggest highs and biggest lows a player can have in football.

Mahoney came to Port Adelaide aged 26 as the final player added to a senior list in 2004, via the pre-season draft.

He was considered one of the biggest drafting shocks in years, having spent the previous three seasons playing in the VFL after being traded by Collingwood in 1998 and delisted by the Western Bulldogs in 2000.

He was re-introduced to AFL football in Round 4 of 2004, making an inconspicuous return, but by the middle of the season Mahoney was a regular in the Power line-up. He went on to make himself a critical part of the forward line and in a fairytale finish to the year, was part of the 2004 premiership.

A seventh place finish in the 2006 best-and-fairest, the club’s leading goalkicker in 2006, the 2006 tacklers’ award, and being voted into the seven-man leadership group in 2007 and are among his individual career highlights.

Mahoney, who currently stands on 97 AFL games and is in this week’s 25-man squad to face Geelong, said the time was right to pursue the next stage of his life.

“I think when I sit back and look at my career in the next five or six weeks, it’s not going to be anything outstanding stats-wise, it’s not going to jump out at anyone when looking at games played or goals kicked,” Mahoney said.

“But I think what my career has got is a lot of substance and a lot of depth to it because there’s been lots of twists and turns throughout it. To be traded and delisted by the age of 23 and spend three years out of AFL and be drafted again at 26 and win a premiership, it’s something I’ll look back very proudly on.

“For Port Adelaide to take what I’d consider a pretty big risk to pick me up was a great sign of courage by the club that they saw something in me. Even after I’d played my first game and I came off without having a touch, people were probably thinking ‘what the hell have we done here’!

“It’s a terrific club. Even though I’ve played at a couple of other AFL clubs, I’ll always be remembered as a Port Adelaide player.

“(The future) is something I’ve always been mindful of, making sure I’ve got a lot of things to fall back on throughout my career. I’ve got a couple of degrees in science and my masters in marketing but probably half way through this year I officially got bitten by the coaching bug and that’s the avenue I’m going to head for over the next few years.”

Power coach Mark Williams said it was a career he would remember forever.

“The Port Adelaide Football Club is very proud to have had Josh Mahoney represent it,” Williams said.

“You wouldn’t meet someone more giving of his time, more considerate of others or more team-orientated. He is such a wonderful leader and has been a tremendous influence on our young group despite not being in the side himself for a lot of this year.

“We drafted Josh very much as a back-up player. Just about straight away he improved out of sight, then he demanded his spot and played a significant role through the second half of 2004 including in the grand final. That says a lot about not only his ability as a player but his determination and belief.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of footballers in their mid-20s who are battling away, dreaming of an opportunity, who have Josh’s poster on their wall. He is the ultimate example to all of us of what can be achieved if you want it enough and believe in it.”

Mahoney played 19 games at Collingwood from 1997-1998, 11 games at the Western Bulldogs from 1999-2000, and has currently played 67 at Port Adelaide since 2004 for a total of 97. He played for Essendon’s reserves and Williamstown during his three-year hiatus from the AFL.

Mahoney will be available for selection until the end of the Power’s 2007 season.