- Christian Welch has decided to hang up his boots
- Melbourne Storm veteran has a debilitating back injury
Melbourne veteran Christian Welch has announced his retirement from the NRL, with the State of Origin star revealing he required a cocktail of drugs to get through last year’s NRL grand final due to a back injury.
The 30-year-old former Storm captain has ended his NRL career after 10 seasons, overcoming 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 and he was part of three losing grand finals, only lifting the trophy in 2020.
He played six State of Origin matches for Queensland between 2019 and 2021 and armed with a Masters degree in commerce, 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.
Melbourne Storm star Christian Welch has been forced into retirement due to a back injury
The former Origin star has struggled with a string of bothersome injuries
‘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.
Welch said he required a cocktail of drugs to get through last year’s NRL grand final
‘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.’
Welch said he hoped he could remain part of sport in an administrative or commercial capacity, with an NRL CEO job part of his long-term future-thinking.
‘I like to think I’ve tried to prepare well for this moment, but it’s still daunting and no doubt, still pretty emotionally challenging,’ he said.
‘I haven’t made this decision with something that I’ve got to go to, it’s more kind of been a bit unexpected.
‘I’ll just kind of take my time and I guess be really grateful for being part of the Storm and the NRL system and then if I can find a way to stay attached and contribute that would be really exciting for me.’
Melbourne are also set to be without Nelson Asofa-Solomona for their opening match of the 2025 season. The prop still has to serve a match ban after he was suspended for four games last year for a high shot on Lindsay Collins.
The Storm’s issues of a lack of options in their front row will be eased by the arrival of Stefano Utoikamanu during the summer.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .