Castleford Tigers star to retire and return down under

As the season climaxes there’s plenty of news breaking on contracts for 2024 but for some it’s a consideration whether they’ll play on in 2024 with notable players set to retire including St Helens’ James Roby, Hull KR’s Shaun Kenny Dowall and Catalans Dragons’ Sam Tomkins.

Another man who will now join that list of retiring players is Castleford Tigers’ second-rower Kenny Edwards with the New Zealand native set to hang up the boots after Friday’s clash with Leeds Rhinos.

That’s been confirmed by Castleford tonight via their website with Edwards joining a number of other key players to leave Wheldon Road at the end of what has been a disappointing 2023 season, others including Greg Eden.

A statement on the club website read:

“The club can confirm that Kenny Edwards will retire from Rugby League at the end of the 2023 season.

“His career began in Australia, where he signed for the Parramatta Eels and made his NRL debut in 2013. Upon leaving the NRL, Kenny joined Catalans Dragons in 2018 and played his part in the Perpignan-based club winning their first ever trophy when they won the Challenge Cup at Wembley in his first season.

“Edwards made the switch to West Yorkshire club Huddersfield Giants in 2020 where he stayed for two years until his move to Wheldon Road.

“Kenny joined the club on loan from the Giants in 2022, but in 2023 made the move permanent. He has featured on 49 occasions for the club scoring 5 tries. During his time with the Tigers, Edwards has featured in two Combined Nations All-Stars teams, coming off the bench in both games.”

Edwards explained: “It’s been in the offing for 12 months, probably last year I was thinking about it. I’ve enjoyed my time here so much so I put it to the back of my mind and signed the contract. It’s probably a year further on than I thought I’d retire. My body is breaking down a bit too so now is the perfect time to move on.”

“The club have got a young crop of players coming through next year so it’s time for me to move on. More than anything I just want to take my kids home, they’re missing Australia and they’ve been a big influence. They’ve been wanting to go home now for a couple of years. I’ve got a new opportunity in the next phase of my life so that’s another big reason.”

“I work in wellness and mental health in Australia so through contacts I’ve made along the way I’ve got a job waiting for me and I’ll get my qualifications and the transition into the next phase of my life and it’ll be a smooth one.”

“The Cas fans have been awesome. Particularly last year they were screaming at me to sign the contract. They’re a passionate set of fans and I know this season hasn’t gone as planned but, they’ve stuck with us. The Hull FC game was probably the most vocal I’ve been a part of. There’s a lot of good things to be excited about next year moving forward.”

Director of Rugby Operations Danny Wilson wished Kenny all the best for the future when he spoke to ctrlfc.com.

“Whenever you think of Kenny Edwards you think of his career. For a bloke who’s done the things he has done and be so grounded and humble is a testament to the character. He’s a livewire, you see that on the field. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a great bloke and we wish him the very best in his retirement.”