Wigan Warriors captain Liam Farrell has confirmed he will retire from playing at the end of the season, pulling the curtain down on one of the most illustrious careers in Super League history.
Farrell, who made his Wigan debut as a 19-year-old against Wakefield in April 2010, was highly rated as a junior and would break into the first team immediately, playing 23 games in his first season, including in that year’s Grand Final win.
Between then and 2015, he would play almost every possible game for Wigan, racking up yearly appearance tallies of at least 28 games a season. A rib injury in 2016 forced him to miss most of that year, but he returned in time to feature in that year’s Grand Final win over Warrington Wolves, where he also picked up the Harry Sunderland Award for Player of the Match.
The back rower has played 428 games for Wigan overall, and if you add that to a brief loan spell at Widnes in 2010 and all of his international caps, Farrell has played over 450 career matches and has scored 160 tries.
His trophy cabinet is full to the brim, with six Grand Final wins, five Challenge Cup Finals, a World Club Challenge and five League Leaders’ Shields. That is not including the potential of more silverware this season, with Wigan now in pole position to land another 1st place finish after their win over Leeds at the weekend.
On the international stage, the 36-year-old has played 12 times, most recently in 2023 against Tonga, whilst his debut came in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup against Fiji.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a career,” Farrell told the Wigan Warriors website. “More than I could ever have dreamed of doing. Although I’ll be sad not to be playing anymore, I’m also very grateful for the career that I have had, and I can now look forward to the next part of my life.”
The Wigan skipper added: “You have to make the right call at the right time, and I think I have done that. Speaking to people close to me, professionals and the advice I have been given, it’s the right time.
“Playing one game for Wigan was always the goal for me. If I had have done that and never played again, I’d have been immensely proud, my family would have been proud, and we’d have gone back to being Wigan fans. So to have been able to play over 400 games in this jersey has been nothing short of incredible.”
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Liam Farrell reveals next career move after Wigan Warriors captain announces retirement
Farrell has confirmed he will be staying within the sport and at Wigan, with his next move already lined up.
The Warriors’ assistant coaches are already stacked with ex-players, with the likes of Tommy Leuluai and Sean O’Loughlin acting as assistant coaches to Matt Peet.
Farrell will be joining that group, working with the performance staff, more specifically strength and conditioning, after completing his qualifications throughout his career.
