Ex England international playing for amateur club

[Mr Plow]

Gareth Widdop is starting for King Cross Park tomorrow. How many other ex pros have turned out for amateur sides after they’ve retired?

[welshmagpie]

Ben Kavanagh is another ironically. 

[graveyard johnny]

theres quite a lot of amateurs turning out for SL clubs lately

[Phil]

Keith Mumby played for Clayton until he was in his 40s

[minch]

My mate said Mozza tried turn out against his amateur team for Eccles until the ref turfed him off....

[sentoffagain2]

    Many very good ex pro players have done a couple of years playing with amateur teams.It's called giving a bit back to the game.

[daz39]

2 Ex Huddersfield team mates, Lee St Hilaire and Paul Reilly actually faced each other in the 2011 Huddersfield Holliday cup final for St Joseph's and Slaithwaite respectively.

[Jonty58]

It is still common in Australia for first grade players to go back to the Town they come from or another local club and become captain/coach for a couple of seasons.

[Blind side johnny]

Isn't Gareth Widdop the coach at King Cross ?

He also played a few games for Huddersfield RUFC last season.

[Mr Plow]

5 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Isn't Gareth Widdop the coach at King Cross ?

He also played a few games for Huddersfield RUFC last season.

Seems he’s playing and coaching now. 
 

I believe he’s re signed for Huddersfield RUFC, Danny borough is still head coach there

[marklaspalmas]

Didn't Neil Fox finish by playing amateur RL?

[OriginalMrC]

I remember an NRL player turning out in the RLC once under a pseudonym. There has been other ex pro and current pro players who've turned out in low level amateur RL. 

 

[marklaspalmas]

24 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

Didn't Neil Fox finish by playing amateur RL?

Underbank in Huddersfield?

[The Blues Ox]

I remember back in the mid 90's I was friends with a lad who was putting a lot of money in to Bradford and he convinced a young prop by the name of Eugene Bourneville to play for the local Halifax side we were playing for at the time under an assumed name.

Now normally you might get away with something like this but on this occasion it just so happened the game was against local Bradford side Queensbury who were all more than away of who Eugene was. By half time he had been beaten up so much in the game that he went and sat in his car and refused to come back on for the second half.

[Ainley Top]

12 hours ago, The Blues Ox said:

I remember back in the mid 90's I was friends with a lad who was putting a lot of money in to Bradford and he convinced a young prop by the name of Eugene Bourneville to play for the local Halifax side we were playing for at the time under an assumed name.

Now normally you might get away with something like this but on this occasion it just so happened the game was against local Bradford side Queensbury who were all more than away of who Eugene was. By half time he had been beaten up so much in the game that he went and sat in his car and refused to come back on for the second half.

Queensbury, Halifax.

[overtheborder]

Not league but I believe Sean O'Loughlin and Tommy Leuluai have turned out for Wigan Rugby Union club after retiring.

Also ex-Widnes/Crusaders player Kenny Baker turned out for Wigan St Judes after retiring last year, but it looks as if he's back playing at Swinton again now.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

I remember playing against Dean Sampson many years ago. Think he was playing got Dewsbury Moor if I remember rightly.

[daz39]

Gareth Widdop and Danny Brough are playing for Huddersfield RUFC tomorrow, Eorl Crabtree will join them soon.

Bet all 3 could still do a job for the Giants.

 

[LeeF]

On 06/08/2025 at 06:39, Wellsy4HullFC said:

I remember playing against Dean Sampson many years ago. Think he was playing got Dewsbury Moor if I remember rightly.

Sampson turned out for Stanley Rangers and also coached them 

[Moominman]

Robert Purdham played a few games for Egremont Rangers after retiring from professional rugby at London Broncos/Harlequins and returning to Cumbria.

[Click]

3 minutes ago, Moominman said:

Robert Purdham played a few games for Egremont Rangers after retiring from professional rugby at London Broncos/Harlequins and returning to Cumbria.

I assume he's running his families farm these days, but he is one of my favourite players to have turned out for London. 

[The Partisan]

Interestingly this article was published last week.   Different football codes but I'm sure the situation is the same at times in rugby league.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-30/former-afl-players-abused-in-amateur-leagues/105504966?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

[Anita Bath]

On 04/08/2025 at 18:41, Jonty58 said:

It is still common in Australia for first grade players to go back to the Town they come from or another local club and become captain/coach for a couple of seasons.

ex kiwi kevin proctor was playing in GC league earlier the season with currumbin eagles. The alternative was probably a contract with Salford!

 

Tyrone Peachy didnt play internationally but did play origin and all stars. He was at Tugun Seahawks for a spell.

Southport Tigers had a few playing while Billionaire Clive Palmer was funding them, including Israel Folau. They screwed up the finances of the league and when Palmer found a new toy the entire league started to struggle. Southport lost every game this season by over 50 points a game and forfeited their last game.

[The Duke]

Ex Oldham and Fev Prop Leo Casey played at St Anne’s after finishing in the pro game 

Lee Hansen also played at Leigh East 

[Padge]

Dean Sampson, turned out for Hunslet Hawks v Wigan St. Jude's.