Queensland State of Origin player and NRL premiership winner Christian Welch has retired from professional rugby league.
The one-time co-captain of the Melbourne Storm said the medical retirement has come after needing a cocktail of drugs to get through last year’s NRL grand final and now struggling even to put on his shoes.
Welch, 30, had overcome several injuries in his career, but a debilitating back injury ended his NRL career after 10 seasons.
The prop forward overcame three ACL injuries and a ruptured Achilles to reach 163 games.
One of his knee injuries robbed him of the chance to play in Melbourne’s 2017 premiership. He achieved his premiership dream in 2020 when the Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers. Welch was part of three losing grand finals for the Storm.
He played six State of Origin matches for Queensland between 2019 and 2021.
Armed with a Masters degree in commerce, he also served on the board of the Rugby League Players Association and was integral in negotiating their most recent pay deal.
Welch told AAP it was a tough decision, but the right one to retire with a recent concussion at Melbourne’s pre-season camp reinforcing it was time.
He suffered the back injury in Melbourne’s pre-season match in Fiji last year and battled through the season, hoping the herniated disc would heal without surgery.
“In the grand final I was on pretty heavy neural meds and I was taking probably like six to eight, a real cocktail of medicine to try get through the game,” the prop said.
“It was a real struggle and it probably reflected, to be honest, in that grand final, and I suppose my body just really struggled.
“I’ve been carrying it since last season and I was hoping maybe in the off-season I could correct it and come back pretty good but it just was hanging around.
“And then at the Geelong camp I just got a bit of a (head) knock and so that’s a concern as well, considering my history.”
In the hands of a neurosurgeon, Welch is set to undergo a discectomy to relieve the nerve pressure in his left leg which has left him struggling to do “pretty basic life things” like bend over or put on shoes.
Arriving in Melbourne as an 18-year-old, Welch said the Storm had been a huge part of his life.
“It’s just been the best time — I know I’ve had some injuries and we’ve lost some grand finals, but it’s seriously been the greatest joy,” he said.
“And that’s probably more off the field, to be honest, the relationships and the memories, you know, the bus rides, and the card games and the hotels, roommates — that’s probably what I’ll look back on more fondly than anything on field.
“But it probably reached a time where my body was just struggling to cope with the demands of the NRL and 10 long years playing and a lot of injuries.
“I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to achieve and very grateful to be at this one club for so long.”
In a statement released by the Melbourne Storm, head coach Craig Bellemy praised the one-time co-captain of the club.
“It’s been a privilege coaching Welchy for over a decade, watching him develop both on and off the field,” Bellamy said.
“We’re proud of everything he has achieved throughout his Storm career, he will always be a one club player, a Premiership player and a huge contributor to our club and the game of rugby league.”
AAP/ABC
