THE Melbourne Football Club wishes to advise that Colin Sylvia, as an unrestricted free agent, has informed the Club of his decision to sign with the Fremantle Dockers.

Sylvia informed Club officials of his decision on Thursday morning at AAMI Park.

The Club would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge Colin’s contribution over the past decade.  

Manager of Football Operations Josh Mahoney said, “We offered Colin a contract, which we’ve been informed is of similar terms to the Fremantle contract, but as an unrestricted free agent, he had a choice to make, and made his decision to accept Fremantle’s offer. We thank Colin for his time at Melbourne and wish him well for the future”

“This decision does create a lot of opportunities for us going into the trade and free agency periods. As we have already stated, we are aiming to bolster our midfield depth with experienced midfielders and Colin’s decision today allows us to create more flexibility with potential targets.

“We thought Colin could have played a role for us under Paul Roos, however as a club, this is a period of significant change, we understand his decision and we will move on quickly.”

Sylvia played 157 games for Melbourne after being drafted with pick 3 in the 2003 National Draft.

Colin Sylvia thanked Melbourne and its supporters for his time at the Club.

“This footy Club has played a big part in my life. This is the hardest decision I’ve made in my footy career to leave a club after ten years. The Melbourne Football Club will always be in my heart; it has made me who I am today and I thank for them for that.

“I would also like to thank my teammates over my journey at the Club and the Melbourne supporters, they have been great for me and it’s really sad to leave.

“I will always consider myself a Melbourne person; I leave on good terms and clearly this was a tough decision, given the positive moves the club has made in recent times. But Fremantle are a good fit for me, based on where I’m at with my football career.”