Danny Brough has revealed that he is set for a hip replacement as he acclimatises to life after Rugby League.
The former Man of Steel, Scotland captain and three-times League Express Albert Goldthorpe Medal winner called time on a 20-year senior career that took in more than 500 games at the end of the 2021 season.
The 38-year-old ex-Dewsbury, York, Hull, Castleford, Wakefield and Huddersfield halfback had twelve months remaining on his contract at Bradford but acted on medical advice.
A torn bicep which required an operation to rectify restricted Brough to 13 outings for the Bulls this year, but the renowned kicker still managed to chalk up 111 points.
That took his career haul to 3,985 and put him level with former Leigh stand-off John Woods in fifth place in the all-time Rugby League scoring list.
The man who after an appearance for England in 2012, skippered Scotland at three World Cups, also had surgery on a hip problem in 2020, when he was a Wakefield player, and now needs a left-side replacement.
“Nobody wants to have to stop playing, but I had no choice,” said Brough, who will have a testimonial match between Bradford and Hull at Odsal on Sunday, January 16.
“I’ve had all sorts of injuries over the years, and the hip problem is down to wear and tear. I don’t suppose it’s a coincidence that it’s on my kicking side.
“It’s got pretty uncomfortable now. I’m on the waiting list for surgery and that should make me more mobile.”
Now working outside the sport, Brough is on the coaching team at Huddersfield community club Emley Moor, where his sons William, 15, and Henry, eleven, play. William is on Scholarship forms at Wakefield.
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.
