Western Bulldogs veteran Luke Darcy has announced his retirement from AFL football.

Darcy told a media conference at Whitten Oval on Thursday afternoon that he will see out the season, but that 2007 will be his last after 14 years at AFL level.

"There's a touch of emotion today … but I'm really excited about the next part of my life and looking forward to it," Darcy said.

"It's nice to be leaving on my own terms, it's nice to walk away with some great memories but my main focus is tomorrow night, we've got an enormous game (against St Kilda) and I'm as committed to that and to the next few weeks as I possibly can be."

Darcy, who turned 32 last month, has struggled to make a significant impact this season after almost two years out of the game because of two knee reconstructions.

Darcy was just six games into his captaincy when he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament against Geelong at Skilled Stadium in 2005 and suffered a second rupture just before Christmas that year which forced him to stand out of the game in 2006.

He has played in all 17 games for the Bulldogs this season for a career total of 211 since making his debut in 1994, but he hasn't managed to recapture the form which made him one of the most influential ruckmen/forwards in the game.

Darcy said he was proud of his achievements this year and happy with the timing of his decision.

"I always wanted to be someone that was a realist with his career. I played against guys I thought probably didn’t understand where they were at," he said.

He thanked senior coach Rodney Eade and the club for their support and pledged to put his complete focus in the Bulldogs' bid to qualify for the 2007 AFL finals.