FORMER England international Lacey Owen says the time is right to retire.
The 26-year-old has packed plenty into a career which had spells with Castleford, York Valkyrie and Leeds Rhinos.
She lifted the League Leaders’ Shield with Castleford in 2019, then won two Super League Grand Finals at York, where she was one of the first women’s players to sign a professional contract.
Her sole England appearance was a try-scoring one off the bench in a 60-0 victory over Wales in November 2023.
A move to Leeds two years ago saw her lend an experienced hand to a young Rhinos team which suffered successive play-off semi-final defeats.
“I’ve had many amazing years playing rugby and I feel like I’ve completed a lot of things that I wanted to throughout my career,” explained the forward.
“I’ve played from such a young age and my commitments are starting to lie elsewhere so I just feel like now’s the time to hang up my boots.
“I am grateful for the career I have had and the people I have played alongside.”
Despite missing out on this year’s Grand Final after a second-placed regular-season finish, Owen is confident Leeds’ future is bright.
She said: “We’ve got the youngest team in Women’s Super League, so if we can come second when everybody thought we were going to come fourth this year, imagine what we can do next year and the year after.
“I think the girls are going to smash it.”