Concussion forces 25yo into AFL retirement

Adelaide's Sam Shaw has walked away from the AFL at the age of 25 after suffering the effects of concussion.

25-year-old Adelaide AFL player Sam Shaw has retired after suffering the effects of concussion. (AAP)

Adelaide's Sam Shaw has joined a growing list of young AFL players to retire from the game over the past 18 months due to concussion.

The 25-year-old Crow missed the bulk of the 2016 season after suffering ahead injury playing in the SANFL early this year.

"It is with a heavy heart and through much deliberation with the assistance of friends, health professionals and my ever-supportive family to step away from professional football and focus on my health," Shaw said in a statement.

The club said Shaw, who played 24 AFL games in seven years, has taken an "ultra-conservative" approach to his recovery.

Shaw joins former Brisbane defender Justin Clarke - then aged 22 - and ex-Geelong player Sam Blease, 24, as young players who have retired due to concussion in the last year-and-a-half.

North Melbourne's Leigh Adams also called it quits last year at 27 with similar concerns.

Last year, the AFL recorded a 10-year high in the concussion rate, with the average number of games missed by players due to concussion per club jumping to 4.2 in 2015 - up from just 1.6 the previous year.