Cronulla Sharks winger Beau Ryan has announced his immediate retirement from Rugby League, citing a serious neck injury.
The 29-year-old is one of the NRL’s most recognisable faces thanks to his involvement with ‘The Footy Show’, which airs on Australia’s Nine Network and Premier Sports in the UK. On the programme, Ryan has his own segment called ‘Beau Knows’ in which he is a hilarious roving reporter interviewing members of the public in a humorous way.
After speaking with his family, team-mates and the club’s doctor, Ryan made the tough decision to call time on his career, in which he made 125 NRL appearances for Wests Tigers and Cronulla, scoring 53 tries.
“It’s a hard decision but I owe a lot of people a lot of things,” he said.
“Obviously with my injury, I am a guy who bases my game on hard work and I’m proud of being a guy that’s had to get through, not on ability but on dedication.
“To not be able to put my body on the line for the team and not be able to put my body on the line to make a collision for these guys that I love – I’m not doing them justice.
“If something would have happened to me, I’d never forgive myself and my family comes first.”
Ryan last played in round 10 this season, lining up against his old team the Wests Tigers, but neck vertebrae problems resurfaced.
