AFL great stops Melbourne bottle shop thief in his tracks

It's been a few years since Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel chased down anyone on an AFL ground, but when he spotted a thief on the run last Friday he effortlessly switched into "game mode".

Bartel told Melbourne's 3AW he had just pulled up at a shopping centre in Albert Park when he noticed the suspicious man.

"I saw someone flying out of the shops and I thought, 'Has that guy just robbed the place?'" Bartel said.

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Checking in at the local bottle shop, Bartel said he spoke to a visibly shaken, elderly store owner behind the counter, who confirmed the man had run out without paying.

"You could tell it had completely rattled her and you sort of had that moment where you thought, "Well, if that happened to your mum, what would you do?'" he said. 

"It sort of turned me a little bit into game mode."

Bartel gave chase to the thief, with both of them on foot.

The AFL great said he caught up with the man a few blocks away from the store with "a couple of six packs".

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"We just discussed what Hawthorn should do with their first (draft) pick and after that, I returned all the goods to the bottle shop," Bartel said.

It is not known if the thief was apprehended by police.

9news.com.au has contacted Victoria Police for comment.