Ryan Papenhuyzen ended his NRL career after Melbourne Storm's 2025 Grand Final loss.
He said retirement had been on his mind since 2022, after a 2021 Magic Round concussion left him sidelined for 10 weeks with lingering symptoms.
Speaking on Channel 7's Unfiltered with Ryan Papenhuyzen, scheduled for 10:30pm Thursday, he said: "I'd probably been internalising the thoughts since 2022, to be fair,"
His 2022 season was disrupted by a hamstring and PCL injury in May, followed by a kneecap fracture in July after he collided with Jack Wighton. Scans showed a fracture in 10 places.
He had made his NRL debut in 2019, and suffered further fractures and concussions after returning from those injuries.
"I think the head knock in 2021 was like a realisation. 2022 was like, why is this happening? What's going on here?" the 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist said.