Clint Bartram Biography

Melbourne defender Clint Bartram retires after succumbing to a degenerative knee problem.

"He's played under duress for a long time of which you would never know, and he is a self-manager and a self-starter and what you see on the field is also what you see on the training track and around the club," Melbourne coach Mark Neeld said.

"We're really sad to see Clint go."

Melbourne's Clint Bartram had to put on nine kgs of fat to prepare for a cutting-edge operation designed to save his knee and his career.

"It was up to me to put on as much weight as quickly as I could," he said.

"It sounds like a glamorous job but it was in all honesty one of the hardest things I have had to do in my football career.

"Everything was supersized. It was a just a matter of getting all my calories up and cutting back all my cardio work."

Clint Bartram is trying to save his career with a cutting-edge procedure on his knee.

The procedure will initially involve Bartram having fat extracted from his body through liposuction.

Stem cells will then be harvested from that fat and re-inserted into the knee the following day in the hope of regenerating the growth of healthy cartilage tissue.

A degenerative knee injury will force Melbourne's Clint Bartram off the field for the rest of the season.

""Clint has been managing a degenerative knee for the past four seasons. This year, Clint's injury has deteriorated further and has become increasingly difficult to manage," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"His diligence and attention to detail in his preparation and recovery has allowed him to manage the injury and continue to play throughout that time.

"However, following the round eight game against Sydney, Clint's knee could no longer handle any training loads and therefore was unavailable to play."

A tough pre-season has brought about a renewed love of the game for Demon Clint Bartram after being elevated to the club's leadership group.

"(I) probably went through patches where I was not hungry enough and, for me, that is more disappointing to say than anything," Bartram said.

"To get a fresh start…you don't too often get that, so I'm pretty grateful."

Melbourne has delisted Michael Newton and John Meesen, but says the club is prepared to re-draft them if there is no interest from any other clubs.

Meanwhile, young Demons Clint Bartram, Kyle Cheney and Tom McNamara have agreed to contract extensions.

Melbourne's Clint Bartram has seen firsthand the pain cancer can bring to a family, playing for the Demons despite grieving for the loss of his father.

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey has lauded the courage of run-with midfielder Clint Bartram to play against Adelaide on Sunday night, after Bartram’s father tragically passed away earlier in the day.

"He was adamant that he wanted to play," Bailey said.

"He desperately wanted to play. In the end, the best way for Clint to reward his father passing was to play and he was fantastic today. Not many 21-year-olds could do what he did."