DARREN Burgess will depart Melbourne after two seasons at the club, returning home to South Australia to be closer to family.

After overseeing the Demons’ fitness and medical program for back-to-back seasons, Burgess leaves as a highly respected member of the Melbourne family, having laid the foundations for a strong future.

Selwyn Griffith has been appointed the club’s new High Performance Manager – he was previously Head of Strength and Conditioning – after working closely with Burgess this past season.

Griffith first joined the Demons in November, following nine years at the Brisbane Lions.

GM of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said that the club was fully supportive of Burgess and wished him all the best for the future, which will see him take up the High Performance position at the Adelaide Football Club.

“Burgo (Burgess) has made a strong contribution to our football club over the past two years,” Richardson said.

“He has led a very strong team, and has continually shared his knowledge, experience and passion with the wider group.

“We thank him immensely for his contribution and wish him all the best back in Adelaide.

“Having spent a decade in the industry, we’re really excited for Selwyn Griffith to be moving into the High Performance Manager role.

“He knows our group well and has been an integral part of the team that helped deliver premiership success this season.

“We are lucky to have an incredibly experienced and talented High Performance and Medical team whose incredible work this year saw us finish the season with one of the healthiest lists in the competition.”