- Warriors skipper Tohu Harris has stunned the footy world
- Kiwi has played 234 NRL games, 16 Tests for his country
New Zealand Warriors skipper Tohu Harris has stunned the footy world by announcing his sudden retirement.
The 33-year-old veteran of 234 NRL games was thought to be on track to retain the captaincy after missing a large chunk of last season due to a wrist injury, but he has told the club he cannot carry on after surgery on the joint was unsuccessful.
His bombshell announcement comes after the club lost another long-time star, Shaun Johnson, to retirement in 2024.
Harris could only manage 14 games last year due to the injury and said he was shattered that he cannot take to the field again.
‘I had high hopes of returning from the injury this year but I’m devastated I won’t get the chance to pull on the injury again,’ he said in a statement released by the club on Thursday morning.
‘I’m dealing with pain in everyday life as well as footy.
Tohu Harris (pictured with wife Natalie at the 2023 Dally M awards) has made the heartbreaking decision to retire ahead of time due to a painful injury
The 33-year-old has been forced to pull the pin on his career after a wrist complaint didn’t respond to surgery
‘My body has been feeling good in training but the reality is I can’t perform as a player with this injury.
‘While it’s not easy finishing like this, I’m so grateful to the One New Zealand Warriors for the opportunities they’ve given me, for the chance to wear the jersey and to lead our great club, and also for the support we’ve had as a family.’
Harris began his first-grade career with the Melbourne Storm in 2013, clocking up 117 matches for the club before switching to the Auckland-based team in 2018 – and making 117 appearances for them.
He played 16 Tests for New Zealand from 2013 to 2016, scoring two tries, played for the Maori All stars in 2019, and had a career highlight when he was part of the Melbourne Storm team that won the 2017 grand final.
‘It’s shattering for Tohu and his family as well as for our club and fans,’ Warriors CEO Cameron George said after the news broke.
‘I’m indebted to him for the amazing work he did to rebuild the team during the tough times when we were isolated in Australia [due to the Covid pandemic] for three seasons.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .