Carlton legend Kade Simpson wants to reignite his AFL career only a month short of his 37th birthday.
Simpson was delisted from the Blues last season after 342 games across 15 years at the club - following a decision by Carlton to not offer the 36-year-old a new contract.
Despite only being out of the game for a little over six months, Simpson revealed his desire to play AFL football has once again been sparked after watching the first few rounds this season.
And with the mid-season rookie draft scheduled for June 2, the rebounding defender believes he still has the ability and fitness to compete at the highest level in the game.
"I still wish I was playing, like 100 per cent,” Simpson said on the Dyl and Friends podcast - hosted by former teammate Dylan Buckley.
"Even now, for some stupid reason, I still run and flog myself. In the back of my head I’m like, just imagine if someone now with the mid-season draft and all that sort of stuff. I’m pretty fit still.
"If someone did come knocking, I’m ready. I wouldn’t be like ‘oh f**k I haven’t done a thing for six months’. I’m still fit."
AFL rules say that a retired player can only nominate the mid-season draft after spending a year away from the top level of the game - but Simpson was technically delisted by the Blues, so he is free to be drafted.
However, the rules exclude Carlton from being able to pick up a player they delisted, so if Simpson manages to get on an AFL list, it will not be a homecoming to IKON Park.
Simpson admitted he will always have a strong connection to the Blues but would continue his career at another club because he still has the desire to play at the top level.
"I’ll always be a Carlton person. But I still feel like I’ve got something left. I still have the desire to compete and that hasn’t gone away.
"Even with the way the game is played as well, this year is very different to last year which would again suit me as well. I’m dealing with retirement, but haven’t dealt with it.
"Everyone is like, ‘it’s good to retire with a little bit left in the tank’ and I think … ‘What?’ That makes no sense to me, I want to run that thing dry.
"That’s like dying with money in the bank."
