Ryan Hoffman to retire at end of season
Melbourne star Ryan Hoffman has announced that he will hang up his boots at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old is a member of the NRL 300-Club, having played 319 NRL games across 16 seasons at the highest level. He has made 259 appearances for Melbourne.
Hoffman spent the 2011 season in Super League with Wigan Warriors and won the Challenge Cup while in the UK.
He earned six caps for Australia and represented New South Wales on 14 occasions. He also played seven games for New South Wales City.
On his decision to retire, Hoffman said: “I’ve been lucky to have lived out my boyhood dream and make a career out of rugby league for 16 years.
“I feel have achieved everything I can in the game and while it was hard to say the words out loud for the first time, I’m very content with the decision. I haven’t lost of the love for the game, however I knew my time as a player was finished and I know this is the right decision.
“While the success I’ve enjoyed as part of the teams I’ve played in have been great moments, for me the real highlight of my career has been the people I’ve met and the lifelong friends I’ve made.
“I’m very thankful to Melbourne Storm for giving me my first chance at and NRL club and for allowing me to explore the rugby league world with my time at Wigan and the Warriors.
“I’m also grateful to Wigan and Warriors for the time I spent at those clubs, as they were very important parts of my career. I would like to especially thanks Dave Donaghy, Frank Ponissi and Craig Bellamy in allowing me to finish my career as a Melbourne Storm player.
“A very special thank you must go to my wife Melissa and my children Zach and Mia. Melissa has sacrificed a lot in her life to be a supportive and loving partner to me. For someone who is extremely intelligent and a driven person, for her to sacrifice her job to be with our children at home is something I can never repay her for.”
Hoffman has won three NRL Grand Finals, three World Club Challenges and a Challenge Cup in his career.