He’s almost unanimously regarded as the funniest player at the club. The fans made him their own cult hero. To Hayden Ballantyne, he is a best mate and the butt of almost every practical joke.

The Fremantle Football Club will never quite be the same without Kepler Bradley.

The 28-year-old announced on Thursday 21 August that he would give the game away at the end of the WAFL season.

Bradley fronted his teammates to break the news, which he said was a bit easier than he had expected.

“When I stood up in front of the group I knew it was time and I told the boys I’d hang around for the next eight or nine days and the last couple of WAFL games and watch them in the finals,” he said.

“The only bloke that got upset was ‘Ballas’. He’ll have no one to annoy anymore, so he had a little tear in his eye.”

The good friends have become infamous around club headquarters for their practical jokes, although Bradley said he was always the one wearing them.

“I don’t play practical jokes, it’s ‘Ballas’ playing the practical jokes on me and me reacting,” he said.

“Half the playing group know that he’s going to do something and I walk through the door not knowing. I cop it and get angry and frustrated and they reckon it’s quite funny.

“He’s the practical joker and I’m the one that wears his practical jokes.”

Ballantyne has a number of pranks that he has unleashed against his unsuspecting mate, but there was one in particular that really agitated Bradley.

“Every time I go to the toilet he’s throwing ice-cold water over the top,” he said.

“As you know, you only bring one change of clothes, so for the rest of the day you’re a bit cold and wet.

“And when I’m busy doing something or concentrating, he’ll always find a way to annoy me.”

While being away from Fremantle will free Bradley from Ballantyne’s tomfoolery, he admitted a part of him would feel a bit lost.

“I’ve got no one to get angry at anymore,” he said.

“Life outside of footy might be a little bit less stressful without him poking me and pushing me, but I’ll probably miss that in a month or two when I won’t have anyone annoying me.

“It’s just great to make good friendships and hopefully they last outside of footy.”

Freo has participated in the finals in each year since Ross Lyon’s first season in 2012.

Bradley has only played 17 games over that time, however he still rated the period as the highlight of his AFL career.

“I haven’t been in too many successful clubs before the past three years… I was part of the Geelong win at the MCG in 2012 and that was one of the highlights,” he said.

“Also, just being around the boys and seeing the young guys learn the game plan a lot quicker and everyone’s on the same page on the training track.

“They are all bettering themselves and you can see that on game day.

“Even though I’m not playing, to sit back and see where the young guys have been and where they are now, matching it with the best teams, it’s a great vibe to be around.”

Bradley is one of the most popular players in the team among the Freo fans.

He has a cult hero status, but he’s not quite sure why.

“I don’t think they’re ever too sure what I’m going to do, but hopefully I’ve made a few of the fans happy over the years and hopefully a few of them came to the footy to watch me,” he said.

“It’s just been great over the years. I can hear them over in Melbourne and when I play at ‘Subi’ the crowd roars.

“I appreciate the fans rocking up and barracking for us at Patersons Stadium because they’ve really made it a fortress and I think teams that travel there know that they are there because of the fans.

“They are a massive part of what we are about.”

For now, Kepler Bradley will ride out the last few days of life as an AFL player.

There’s no doubt he’ll be nervously looking over his shoulder, waiting for one final imminent Ballantyne prank.