Hull FC captain Gareth Ellis has confirmed his retirement from the game at the age of 39.
Ellis started his career in 1999 with Wakefield Trinity, and has also gone on to represent Leeds Rhinos, Wests Tigers in the NRL and Hull.
He initially announced his retirement at the end of 2017, but ended up coming out of it when Hull were suffering from an injury crisis in 2019.
He ends his career with 477 appearances on both sides of the world, and 88 tries. Ellis will now join the coaching staff at the Black and Whites.
He told the club website:“Now the dust has settled on our season, it seems the right time to officially confirm my second retirement.
“Whereas the decision to retire at the end of the 2017 season was very difficult and one I wrestled with for some time, as you can imagine this time around it was much more straight forward and something I have alluded to throughout this year’s campaign.
“With a young family and the advice of the people around me; my dad, staff at the club and coaches, I decided it was time to hang up the boots for a second time while continuing to train and focus on helping the team improve for the rest of the season.”
CEO James Clarke added: “I’m sure I speak on behalf of everyone associated with our sport in thanking Gareth for his fantastic contribution to the game of rugby league, on and off the field, over such a long and influential period.
“Gareth has been the consummate professional throughout many years playing at the highest level for both club and country and has always carried himself with the utmost modesty, respect and credibility – which is a real sign of the man.
“He has achieved so much personal and team success over the last two decades, but probably more special, he has left a notable legacy and imprint on every club he has played at, which is why he is held in the highest esteem by so many people from across the game.”
