RETIRING Demon Jake Melksham says his retirement decision wasn’t a spontaneous one and a call he won’t regret.

Melksham told Melbourne Media the call to hang up the boots after 255 games came earlier than many would think.

“I've had a long time to prepare for it,” Melksham said.

“This has probably been a decision I had made up in my mind like a year ago.

“Coming into this season, I just knew that it'd be my last one, no matter how well I played or didn't play that well.

 “It was just going to be it for me.”

Despite Melbourne’s season ending earlier than Melksham would have hoped, the Demon can see the bright side of going out on his own terms.

“To have the opportunity to be out there, as opposed to being in my tracksuit in the stands was a much better feeling,” he said.

“Having my family come out in and greet me and seeing the emotions that were on their face and how they were feeling about it all (was special).

“It was good for them to be there, to be a part of it, and it just makes you feel good about everything that you've done over the past however long I've been playing.”

After 17 seasons at the top level, Melksham says a flood of messages from teammates and colleagues along the journey had him reminiscing on a extended time in the game.

“You spend day to day with everyone, so the two hours on the weekends are a small part of your week and that's what everyone sees on at home, on the TV or at the ground.

“Really you're spending every day with your teammates, coaches, the staff.

“You just reflect on the time that you spent and the connections that you've built.”