York City Knights hooker Kriss Brining has announced his retirement from Rugby League.
The 28-year-old has struggled with injury over the past two seasons with the Championship club and personal circumstances have also contributed to his decision.
He started and finished his career with York, making over 100 appearances since debuting at the age of 17, in 2011.
In between, Scarborough-born Brining also had a two-year stint at Salford Red Devils in Super League, playing 25 games in his first season before missing the whole of the next campaign with a neck injury.
His final match came at the beginning of this month for York at Workington Town, where he suffered concussion.
“I have been thinking about it for a little bit of time now and, obviously, in the last couple of years I’ve had a fair few injuries,” explained Brining.
“I’ve been unlucky with that so that’s one of the reasons but another is that my wife is American and she’s moved halfway around the world for me.
“She’s at home a few nights a week by herself and there’s days where I only see her for ten or 15 minutes. That was another reason but there’s work as well.
“It’s a perfect storm of circumstances where a few things have made me think it’s the right time to retire.
“With the injuries, I’ve had enough of putting my family through worrying how long I’ll be on the pitch, so there’s a few different things that make this the right time.”