Fremantle forward Michael Walters has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the club until at least the end of the 2018 season.

Walters signed a contract extension in early 2013 that locked him away until 2016, but he has extended that by a further two years and will now be a Fremantle Docker for at least the next four seasons.

He said there were two reasons why he was keen to stay at the club.

The first was his family; Walters has two young children with his partner Marnie Tyers.

“I signed especially for my family, the security to stay here for another four years, I’ll be 27 at that stage,” he said.

The second was loyalty to a club that had stuck by him during a tough period in his AFL career.

“In 2012 my career was over and I wasn’t sure if I was going to get another contract or whether I was going to be here,” Walters said.

“I want to show faith to the club that I’m going to stay because they showed faith in me.”

Fremantle general manager of player management Brad Lloyd labelled Walters an exemplary person and one the club was proud to have on its list.

“Michael has made a tremendous turnaround in his career and he is now one of the hardest workers in the team and a great example for our younger players,” he said.

“We’re very excited to have Michael committing long-term to the club.”

Walters said it excited him greatly to know he will be staying at Fremantle.

“It’s a great club to be at, from the coaches to the administration, they make you feel welcome,” he said.

“On the playing side of things, we’ve got a young team, a lot of young players coming up and I feel that the club is going to be really good in the next couple of years and the coaching staff is sending us in the right direction.”