Adam McPhee Biography

Fremantle veteran Adam McPhee announces his retirement, saying it was not feasible for him, his wife Bree and children to remain in WA.

"Bree and I and our two boys are really close to our families in Melbourne and, while I don't regret any moment of my time at Freo, we have found it difficult at times being apart from the rest of the family," McPhee said in a statement.

"I knew the difficulties they experienced when I travelled and was frequently away for two or three days at a time.

"I knew, in the background, that wasn't exactly what Bree and I wanted.

"I felt I had to make the decision to retire and return home, regardless of whether I was fit enough to play one or two more seasons of football or not."

Fremantle's back stocks are set to thin further with Adam McPhee expected to quit the AFL after being reported to have sold his home in Perth in anticipation of a move to Melbourne.

Adam McPhee looks certain to finish his career with Fremantle after agreeing to a new one-year contract with the club.

Adam McPhee has revealed his family will have a major say in whether he stays at Fremantle beyond 2012.

"I think I made the last decision to come over to Perth and that was in a way a little bit of a selfish decision for my football," McPhee said.

"But the next decision that I'll be making will be based on what my family wants to do, not necessarily where or what football I'm playing."

Fremantle's Adam McPhee has responded to his critics after a lackluster start to the season with a 26-possession game against Richmond and a promise that his best form is around the corner.

"I always thought it was going to take a bit of time with the slow preparation and the few injuries I've had," McPhee said.

"But I think I'm slowly getting there and getting used to my teammates and adjusting to the game plan (and) the structures."

Bomber Mark McVeigh says he is still disappointed with former teammate Adam McPhee choosing to leave the club for Fremantle.

"I wanted him to be honest with us why he was leaving and he had his reasons," McVeigh said on The Footy Show.

"He's a very big family man and he wanted to look after his family and of course he wanted a three-year deal and he moved on. I was disappointed and so were the players because he was an integral part of our group for a long time."

A lingering ankle injury may prevent Fremantle's Adam McPhee from playing against Essendon, even though he wants to face his former club.

"He's got a passion for the game, a passion for his new team and it's not representative of who we play this week, he just wants to play," Harvey said.

"He's progressing well. I expect him to train tomorrow and be available for selection. That's the unknown quantity at the moment with his injury, but we expect him to train and push strongly."

Essendon coach Matthew Knights says former Bomber Adam McPhee is in line for an 'unfavourable' welcome on Sunday when his new team, Fremantle, take on the Bomers at Etihad Stadium.

"When players leave clubs, often the reception they get when they come back is not very favourable," Knights said.

"It's a man's game and it will all be part of the theatre."

New Fremantle recruit Adam McPhee says he returned to his first AFL club so he could play through the midfield and not because of a more lucrative three-year deal.

"In some ways we all have a little bit of ego that we'd like to fulfil and part of that is being able to prove to myself that I can play through the midfield before my career is over," McPhee said.

"The third year is obviously a bonus, but it's not the main reason why I'm here - I'm not chasing the money. It's more about how I can get the best out of myself as a footballer."

Former Essendon utility Adam McPhee is a step closer to rejoining Fremantle after nominating for the NAB AFL Pre-season Draft.

Mark McVeigh questions the reasons behind Adam McPhee's exit from Windy Hill.

"It was disappointing. It was a real surprise," he said.

"We would have liked to have known earlier, and maybe we could have got something for him.

"But that's his decision - I know I've read in the papers that he's great mates with (Fremantle coach and former Essendon player) Mark Harvey, and I find that a bit hard to believe."

Utility Adam McPhee has rejected Essendon's contract offer and will nominate for the NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft.

"Naturally we are disappointed and some of our fans will be as well, but we could not reach an agreement with Adam. We offered him a very good two-year deal that we believe was more than fair," Essendon general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said.

"We only want players here that want to play for this club and Adam has decided he doesn't want to be part of this emerging playing group."

Fremantle football operations manager Chris Bond says the club will do all it can to secure the services of Adam McPhee.

"It would be a great coup for this club if we were able to secure him during the pre-season draft," Bond said.

"We have been speaking to Adam and his management quite closely. We think he'd be able to complement our list very well."

Essendon utility Adam McPhee has failed to train with the Bombers as his future remains in doubt and Bombers coach Matthew Knights says he must make a decision on his future soon.

"We are going to get a decision today, one way or the other," he said.

"We have put a lot of work into trying to keep Adam at Essendon Football Club and that is obviously our preferred option, but we will just see what evolves in the next few hours."

Adam McPhee is part of Essendon's second list lodgement to the AFL as his contract negotiations continue.

Andrew Welsh and Nathan Lovett-Murray have signed new two-year contracts with Essendon, but utility Adam McPhee remains in limbo.

"Andrew and Nathan are two of the real leaders at the club and as two senior players with strong bodies they will be important to our future success," Essendon general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton said.

Chief executive Ian Robson is confident that looming discussions with Adam McPhee, Andrew Welsh and their respective managers will be positive.

"They are both required players and I am confident we will be able to resolve it in a positive manner for both parties, with the circumstances where we currently see ourselves, and that they'll stay Essendon players," Robson told radio station SEN.

Essendon leaders Andrew Welsh and Adam McPhee are considering nominating for the draft after being disappointed with two-year deals presented to them after pushing for new three-year contracts.

Star Essendon midfielders Jobe Watson and key position player Adam McPhee could both play on Friday night against Collingwood.

"(Watson)'s recovered pretty well, pretty quickly, so we'll give him a test this morning and we'll weigh it up after that," assistant coach Scott Camporeale said.

"(McPhee)'s got a pretty good record against (Travis) Cloke when we've played previously - he trained fully on Tuesday and he'll have another fitness test today as well, just to make sure he's cherry ripe, ready to go."

Adam McPhee says Essendon has avoided unsavoury off-field incidents because of its strong club culture.

"I would have thought most clubs wouldn't accept any of that sort of stuff anyway but it does help if you've got a strong leadership group there or a strong group of players or administration or a strong football department that's on top of that sort of thing," McPhee said.

"From that point of view the fact that Essendon isn't involved just pretty much reinforces that there is a good culture at our club and we don't tolerate that sort of stuff."

While Essendon ruckman Tom Bellchambers will have an MRI scan later today to determine the full extent of damage to an injured knee, teammate Adam McPhee believes the return of some mature-bodied Bombers should help the club's cause in coming weeks.

"He probably might miss a couple of weeks, but I don't think it's as bad as what we expected," McPhee said.

Brett Kirk will face the tribunal for making contact with an umpire, while Daniel Motlop and Adam McPhee have been suspended.