Greg Inglis initially made a decision to retire at the end of 2020 but the South Sydney Rabbitohs centre will retire early due to injury.
With his body not coping with the strenuous demands that come with rugby league, the decision was made.
One of the greats of the modern era, Inglis won premierships, Clive Churchill Medals and had numerous successes with Queensland and Australia.
Although his playing career is over, Inglis knows this is just the beginning of a new chapter for his career.
“I’m not looking at today’s announcement as the end of my career. I’m looking at it as the start of my next one,” Inglis said.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have had the playing career I have had, and to have played in some awesome teams with great team mates and under some great coaches.
“I want to thank them all for everything they have done for me and my family.”
The decision was not one that he made lightly but he knows that it was the right one.
“This isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly and over the last week, spending time with family and moving out of the spotlight, it has given me some clarity about the way forward for me and my family,” continued Inglis.
“People have always told me you’ll know when it’s time to retire from playing, and I know within myself that that time is now.”
Inglis has shown an interest in coaching and looks forward to learning under the tutelage of Wayne Bennett.
“I feel I have something to offer in coaching and I’m very keen to learn more from Wayne and the other coaches, and to work closely with the young players we have coming up through the grades here at the Rabbitohs,” said Inglis.
“I feel that my experiences over the past 15 years will be of value to them and I want to pass those on.”
In addition to that, Inglis will work with the South Cares program and has an NRL ambassador.
“I’ve been active in Souths Cares and I’m keen to learn more about the community and administration side of the Club, so working with Alisha and Blake is a perfect way to do that,” said an excited Inglis.
“And I’ll also have the opportunity to work with Todd’s (Greenberg’s) team over at the NRL this year in their ambassador program which will be a good way to stay connected with the game as a whole.”
Having seen a lot of him during his time with the Rabbitohs, General Manager of Football Shane Richardson praised the premiership winner.
“Greg is without doubt one of the greatest players to have played our game, he will feature in discussions around the Hall of Fame and the Immortals in years to come, and I know the influence he has had on the game on the field will carry over to his new ventures off the field,” Mr Richardson said.
Wayne Bennett also praised Inglis, making the most of the chance to coach the Rabbitohs star.
“I made no secret of the fact that I wanted to coach Greg one day, and even though it was only brief, I’ve really enjoyed coaching him since joining South Sydney in December,” Coach Bennett said.
“He has achieved so much during his playing career and I’m sure his name will be mentioned alongside the greats of the game in our history.”