MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 27: Liam Picken of the Bulldogs smiles during a training session at Whitten Oval on June 27, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Western Bulldogs premiership hero Liam Picken has been forced into retirement, with concussion symptoms keeping him on the sidelines since March 3, 2018.

The 32-year-old has played 198 games for the Dogs, but none since 2017 after his final concussion in last year's JLT Community Series.

“It’s never an easy thing to accept that one of the Club’s great servants will finish his career,” Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge told the club's website.

“For the duration of his career, Liam has embodied the core values we hold dear as a football club, and we will miss his presence greatly.

“We have always had a family-first mentality at the Bulldogs, and that should always be the overriding consideration when it comes to a player’s health and any impact that has on playing football.

“Liam can be immensely proud of his achievements.  He is loved and admired within the Club, and universally respected by the whole football public, which is a true indication of the impression he has made on the game.”