Two former Super League players have become the latest to confirm their retirements at the end of the Championship season.
Doncaster RLFC pair Reece Lyne and Luke Briscoe will call it a day after this year’s play-off campaign concludes, but they are far from finished yet, with a potential Grand Final on the cards.
Lyne made his professional bow in 2010, scoring a try on debut for Hull FC in defeat to Salford. He would play a total of six games that year, before select appearances for the Black and Whites in 2011 and 2012 earned him a move to Wakefield Trinity.
Wakefield is where he truly made his name, making a total of 232 appearances for the club, scoring 64 tries. He was primarily used as a winger for Hull FC, but a positional switch to centre came at Trinity, and that is where he stayed for the remainder of his career.
Spending over a decade at Belle Vue, Lyne’s exit came at the end of the 2023 season, when Trinity were relegated from Super League. He moved to the Dons the following season, and has played there ever since – scoring 25 tries in 58 matches.
Lyne secured two caps for England across his career, playing for his nation in 2018 and 2021, both of which were victories over France.
Meanwhile, Briscoe joins brother Tom in retiring, with the pair both calling time on their careers. Luke didn’t quite reach the success of his older brother in terms of accolades, but leaves the sport with 271 career appearances, a League One trophy with Hunslet in 2014 and 142 career tries.
The Featherstone-born talent came through at Leeds Rhinos, and had spells at Wakefield and Hunslet on loan in his first professional season. After departing to join Featherstone Rovers in 2017 and 2018, he would return to Leeds permanently the following season, scoring 13 tries across 46 appearances between 2019 and 2021.
Re-joining Fev in 2022, he would move to Doncaster ahead of 2024, and there he has scored 20 tries in 53 games at the club.
RIP Sir Billy, under-the-radar challengers, Hull KR’s controversial call and more – Click here to watch this week’s episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show
