After 92 NRL games, Newcastle Knights forward Brodie Jones has officially retired after playing his last match on Saturday afternoon.
Jones played in the NSW Cup preliminary final for the Knights against the Newtown Jets, where the club hoped to reach the Grand Final, which will be played next week.
With the Knights' 30-14 loss to the Jets in the NSW Cup, the Knights have been eliminated, with the Jets set to play the Penrith Panthers for the NSW Cup premiership.
On Sydney Sports Radio, Brodie Jones confirmed his retirement and revealed why he has played his last rugby league game.
"The bone in my left foot that they took out was in pieces, so it now feels a lot better than it did," he said.
"Being out has been frustrating mentally, so it's been a real challenge, but it's great to be back."
The 28-year-old returned to the NSW Cup side in May after having foot surgery in March and needing a two-month recovery period.
Since May, he has played in 10 NSW Cup games, which include the last three regular-season games and the two finals matches.
The Cessnocks junior revealed in May his aspiration to play golf professionally as he was off-contract and without a rugby league contract for 2027.
The Newcastle Herald wrote at the time that he plays in his spare time.
"Yeah, there is a potential pathway there in golf that's been spoken about," Jones told the publication at the time.
"We'll see. The body is a bit banged up, but I want to give the Knights everything I've got for the rest of the season first and then see what happens footy-wise before I worry about anything else."
Jones made his way through Newcastle's pathways system, playing in the Harold Matthews Cup in 2014 and representing NSW Under-16s before progressing to SG Ball and Jersey Flegg.
In 2016, he earned Australian Schoolboys honours and made his NRL debut with the Knights in 2020.
Jones established a reputation as a hard-working presence in the forward pack, primarily playing in the back row before shifting to the middle in later seasons.
This season, he has only made four first-grade appearances.
Now, Brodie Jones will turn his attention to golf and attempt a career in the sport.
