David Ellard Biography

David Ellard to play final AFL game against Hawthorn on Saturday, calling an end to his AFL career at just 26 years of age.

A qualified carpenter, he has taken up an opportunity to work for a Melbourne building company over the next two years before transferring back to his home town Perth.

"He has been a great clubman, David Ellard, and he's one of those guys who has got absolutely everything out of himself," interim Blues coach John Barker said.

"Those sorts of guys you've got to look up to because his work ethic, his want to continually improve and just his hardness and competitiveness has been a real standout for us, but it's also set a great example for the young guys."

Carlton re-signs midfielder/forward David Ellard, with the 25-year-old agreeing to a one-year deal with the Blues.

David Ellard says he must improve his versatility as a player to prolong his career.

"I have to make sure I have enough strings to my bow to play multiple roles because I don't want to be considered as just a tagger or an inside mid," Ellard said.

"I've got to make sure that I can adapt to playing up forward, through the midfield, out on a wing, anywhere the coach sees fit.

"I've got to be able to adapt to whatever the coaching staff throw at me on game day. If I don't, I won't play many games."

Carlton has extended the contracts of Shaun Hampson, David Ellard and Dennis Armfield.

"Both Dennis and David have worked extremely hard to cement their place in the senior team this season and we recognise they will play a valuable role in the club's success over the coming years," football operations manager Steven Icke said.

"We were also very keen to re-sign Shaun Hampson, whose improvement, even with a knee injury earlier in the year, has been notable.

"We expect all players to take part in a full pre-season and we look forward to watching them continue their development in 2012."