“To the Carlton fans, I hope that they’ve appreciated the way that I’ve worn their jumper.”

Carlton veteran Dale Thomas will leave Ikon Park hoping to have made the Bluebaggers proud during his time in navy.

Fan-favourite ‘Daisy’ was eager to thank the supporters that followed his 256-game career that spanned two clubs following the announcement of his retirement.

“I’ve tried to play with as much pride and passion as I can and I think that that’s certainly a tangible thing when you watch the footy,” Thomas said.

“The one thing I love doing is competing and going out there and having a red-hot crack for the jumper, the team and what that represents.”

Thomas spoke to a packed theatre of media on Friday morning, at one point addressing his teammates specifically for what they had given him through the journey.

Light-heartedly referring to himself as the group’s “spiritual leader”, Thomas is excited to see what the Blues’ young group can produce going forward.

Thomas also spoke on the mentoring role he had taken on in recent years with Carlton’s young and emerging list.

Highlighting the recent run of form, Thomas reflected on the improvement of the young side as one of his career highlights.

“To my teammates, I obviously thank you. The best part of football is being able to come in everyday and work towards a common goal with you all,” he said.

“When we did more recently start to get that success and reward for effort and as I mentioned, mentoring some of the young kids and seeing their improvement along that journey – it’s sort of a different enjoyment,” he said.