Trent Hentschel this morning announced his retirement from the AFL.

Hentschel, 27, played three AFL games at the start of the season for a career total of 71 but has had knee, hamstring and back problems in the past few months.

His latest back injury will stop him playing for a fortnight but he aims to play in the SANFL finals with Woodville-West Torrens.

Coach Neil Craig said: “Trent could have been excused if he had retired after he first hurt his knee (in 2006) but to his credit he did everything possible to get back to playing at the highest level. For him to achieve this milestone was an amazing effort and sums up the strength of his character. Those inside the Club have seen him push through all the pain and disappointment and I know our supporters also understand and acknowledge this huge effort.”

Hentschel joined the Crows after being picked in the 2002 pre-season draft. He had been playing for Woodville-West Torrens in the SANFL after moving to Adelaide from Darwin.

He made his AFL debut in 2003 he had his breakout year in 2006 kicking 42 goals including a haul of eight against Essendon. But late in the season Hentschel suffered a horrific knee injury that required four separate operations to repair. He spent the entire 2007 season rehabilitating but managed to return to football in 2008 in the SANFL. Niggling hamstring injuries stopped him from making his AFL comeback until the start of 2009.