Ryan Papenhuyzen is pursuing life beyond the NRL, working as a professional golf caddie and joining Channel 7's coverage team for the Rugby League World Cup in October and November.
The former Melbourne Storm fullback, 28, confirmed in January that he would never play in the NRL again after initially considering a 12-month break.
Speaking on the 'Freddy and the Eighth' podcast, Papenhuyzen said he regretted informing teammates through a group message after the grand final.
He had delayed the announcement because he feared retirement would distract the Storm, but soon became certain he wanted to leave permanently.
"It was more like I wanted to have a year away from footy and see how I feel," he said. "I sit here now and i'm pretty content with my decision (to retire permanently)."
Papenhuyzen acknowledged his communication could have been better.
"I probably didn't go about it the best way - I messaged the group (of players instead of speaking face-to-face). If I could have my time back I would probably go about it a bit differently."
The 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist said his competitive motivation had shifted elsewhere.
"I think my drive has gone into different areas now," he said. "But I'm looking at the next path now and really enjoying that."
Although he misses the excitement of finals, he does not miss the training required to reach them and remains undecided about his next career step.