David Myers Biography

David Myers retires from AFL football after admitting to losing the drive to succeed at the highest level.

"Football is a brutal game, and it requires you to give every part of yourself in order to have a chance at being successful," he wrote in a letter to Essendon fans.

"I have known for a while that I no longer carry the level of drive and motivation that the game demands and that my teammates and coaches deserve.

"I know in myself that the time is right for me to step away from the game at the end of this season and allow others to have the chance to live their dream."

It is revealed that David Myers dropped himself from the Bombers' line-up three weeks ago in a bid to promote some of the club's younger midfield talents.

The 29-year-old spoke with coach John Worsfold after Essendon's last-gasp loss to Sydney in round eight and offered to head back to the VFL as he battled a form slump.

The selfless move is understood to have surprised some at the club, but Myers, who is a member of Essendon's leadership group, was keen to see its younger brigade of players get more opportunities in the midfield.

"My role back here is to help these young guys and teach them how to play. I'm really enjoying watching their development," Myers told Channel Seven.

"[I'm] at a later stage of my career, I'm nearly at the end, and it really gives me a sense of enjoyment to watch them come along. They're helping me a lot and I'm really enjoying it."

Dyson Heppell will again lead Essendon in 2019 as captain, with the Bombers opting for a smaller leadership group.

Zach Merrett (vice-captain), David Myers, Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia have also retained their places in the leadership group from last season, however key defensive pair Michael Hurley and Cale Hooker have dropped out.

"We feel all five men bring strong and diverse qualities that will ensure the growth of the playing group across a number of values and we hope this resonates on-field too," Essendon coach John Worsfold said.

"I'd also like to acknowledge both Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley who are terrific leaders and made a strong contribution to the group last season."

Brendon Goddard chooses not to be part of Essendon's leadership group this season despite being voted in by his peers.

Orazio Fantasia and David Myers have joined captain Dyson Heppell, Zach Merrett, Cale Hooker, Joe Daniher and Michael Hurley in the seven-man group.

"It's wonderful to see Dyson voted back in as captain and his leadership style clearly resonates with his teammates," Essendon coach John Worsfold said.

"Dyson consistently displays care for his teammates, leads by example and is extremely driven to see this group achieve the success they are striving for."

David Myerswill miss up to two months with a finger injury suffered during a training drill that will require surgery.

"David Myers got his finger caught in someone's jumper, he's ruptured his tendon in that finger and he'll be in for surgery today," Bombers high performance manager Justin Crow said.

"It means six weeks in a splint and then two weeks getting his touch back normally to then play football.

"The good news is it's his right hand so he'll be able to continue to guide the ball with his left hand and keep running over that period and maintain the really good training base he's been able to get this pre-season."

David Myers says being forced to sit out last season as part of the Bombers' supplement saga was a blessing in disguise.

"I probably did need the year just to have a chop out from everything and be able to freshen up and reset and come back," Myers said.

"Last year, before the ban, mentally I was pretty fatigued. Then to have the year I had with injury was pretty frustrating as well.

"It's nice to be excited about footy again, so it's a good feeling."

Essendon re-signs another of its WADA-suspended players, with David Myers turning his back on free agency to re-sign with the Bombers for another three years.

Myers was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but the midfielder is now tied to the Dons until the end of 2019.

"We've got a very clear pathway on where we're heading and a big part of it is David Myers," Essendon coach John Worsfold said.

"David had spoken to a lot of his teammates to find out how things are tracking, because obviously he doesn't really know where we're at now, and he saw what we're starting to put in place.

"He had his chat with all the players to find out how they found things and he was rapt with the response. It shows we're on the right path and closer to where we want to get to."

Emerging Bombers Zach Merrett and Joe Daniher have been named in the club's rejigged leadership group, which will feature rotating top-up players throughout the season.

Essendon was forced to change its leadership group when five members – captain Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, David Myers, Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley – were suspended for the season for anti-doping breaches.

The remaining two members of the group that was announced in December, Brendon Goddard and Mark Baguley, have taken on the respective captain and vice-captaincy duties this year.

The bans left several vacancies, with Merrett, Daniher and James Gwilt added to leadership positions, and David Zaharakis reinstalled into the leadership group after being cut at the end of last season.

"Obviously development of our youngsters is a bit of a priority this year so it makes sense that we've got a couple of younger players who are held in pretty high regard by the group and they're emerging leaders," Essendon football manager Rob Kerr.

"Given the circumstances and given the exposure to the full leadership repertoire and what's involved in the senior leadership group level will no doubt hold them in good stead and fast-track their progress."

Essendon's worst fears have been realised with the Court of Arbitration for Sport finding 34 past and present players guilty of taking banned substance Thymosin Beta-4 and suspending them for the entire 2016 season.

Twelve players still on the Bombers' list and five now at other AFL clubs who took part in Essendon's 2012 supplements program have been hit with two-year bans beginning on March 31 last year.

However, most of the suspensions will come to an end on November 13 this year, taking into account provisional suspensions already served.

Bombers skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, reigning club champion Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Travis Colyer, Michael Hibberd, Ben Howlett, David Myers, Brent Stanton and Tayte Pears will all miss the Bombers' 2016 campaign.

The guilty decision impacts four other AFL clubs with former Essendon players on their lists, with Jake Carlisle (St Kilda), Stewart Crameri (Western Bulldogs), Jake Melksham (Melbourne), Angus Monfries and Patrick Ryder (Port Adelaide) to be sidelined for the season.

Former Essendon players Mark McVeigh and Brent Prismall are set to be suspended from their respective roles at Greater Western Sydney and the Western Bulldogs until November 13 as support staff are banned from any WADA-complaint sports under the sanctions.

McVeigh is an assistant coach at the Giants, while Prismall is a player wellbeing and welfare manager with the Bulldogs.

Essendon champion and former club coach James Hird slammed the guilty verdict and suspensions.

"I am shocked by this decision," Hird said in a statement.

"I firmly believe the players do not deserve this finding.

"They do not deserve to face a twelve-month suspension from the sport. This is a miscarriage of justice for 34 young men."

Jobe Watson has rediscovered his passion and will lead Essendon for the seventh season after being elected the club's skipper for 2016.

The Bombers announced their leadership group on Friday, with the 30-year-old Brownlow medallist to take the reins again with midfielder Dyson Heppell his vice captain.

Essendon's leadership group will also include David Myers, Brendon Goddard and Cale Hooker, with Michael Hurley and Mark Baguley added to the group.

Heppell captained the Bombers during Watson's nine-week absence at the end of last season due to a shoulder injury, but Watson said he "had the passion" to hold the position again.

"I spent some time away by myself overseas and had a long think about what I wanted out of footy and my role at the football club," Watson said.

"Over there I decided that I was still passionate about playing and still had the urge to lead and was excited about leading this team and this club.

"In my mind once it was ratified that my teammates felt that I was the right person to do it, I knew I still had the passion for the role."

David Myers' bid to make a return to the Bombers senior team has been set back after he aggravated a knee injury in the VFL.

"David has a minor ITB friction syndrome, which is a tendinitis on the side of the knee," club doctor Bruce Reid said.

"He has developed it over the last two or three weeks and he's been able to get through training, but he got very sore during the game and he was taken off and iced."

David Myers faces up to three months on the sidelines after deciding to have surgery on his injured left shoulder.

Myers suffered the injury during the Bombers' round-one clash against the Sydney Swans when he came off second best in a clash with Kurt Tippett.

"David will have a bone block and screws inserted into the shoulder, and we could expect to see him back playing as soon as 12 weeks," Essendon club doctor Bruce Reid said in a statement.

David Myers has had a terrible start to 2015, with the West Australian subbed out of the match against the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium midway through the first quarter after hurting his left shoulder.

Myers clashed with Swans' big man Kurt Tippett in the centre square after his side's opening goal, and had to be helped from the field by club medicos and immediately disappeared down the players' race.

The 25 year-old returned to the Bombers' bench soon after but was given the red vest with Ben Howlett coming on as his replacement.

David Zaharakis has returned to Essendon's leadership group, in one of three additions to the squad for this season.

The midfielder was left out of last year's group but has been voted back in after working hard during the season to improve his leadership.

All Australian defender Cale Hooker and veteran forward Paul Chapman have been included in the Bombers' group for the first time, joining Zaharakis as the new faces.

Captain Jobe Watson, Brendon Goddard, Brent Stanton, David Myers and Dyson Heppell make up the eight-man team.

"All three players really proved themselves as leaders around the club over the past 12 months, and to be voted in by your peers is a huge show of confidence in their leadership," Watson said.

"'Hooksy', 'Chappy' and 'Zacka' will all bring a unique and versatile skill set to the leadership group; while as a collective, we will continue to drive the standards we expect of our teammates."

After signing a two-year deal, David Myers joins the Bombers' leadership group for 2014.

"It is a great honour, obviously we have a great bunch of guys here at the club, so to be voted in by your mates is a good vote of confidence and really humbling," Myers said.

"You go about your football to try and prepare the best you can but to get the tick of approval from your teammates is really exciting."

David Myers signs a new deal tying him to Bombers until the end of 2016.

"I am thrilled to have signed an extension with the club, as I believe we are entering a really exciting new period," Myers said in a statement.

"We have a really strong and united playing group that is heading in the right direction and I am grateful that I get a chance to repay the loyalty the club has shown me."

Despite keen interest from Melbourne, Essendon declares in-demand midfielder David Myers off-limits.

"He's an Essendon player. He is contracted and won't be going anywhere," Essendon recruiting manager Adrian Dodoro said.

Midfielder David Myers and forward Leroy Jetta have penned new two-year deals with Essendon.

"We're a close group, and I want to be a part of this team, because I think we can achieve great things together," Jetta said.

Bomber defender David Myers will be out for at least four weeks after sustaining a wrist fracture on the weekend.

"David will require an operation and he will unfortunately be out for the next four weeks as a result of it," Essendon football manager Paul Hamilton said.

"It's obviously very disappointing for David because he has had a really good start to the year following a solid pre-season."