Every Super League player to confirm retirement in 2025 as Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR legends bow out

The Super League season has come to an end, and whilst some players will be switching clubs and moving on to pastures new, some players have decided to call it a day, and bring the curtain down on their careers.

While some have had esteemed levels of success, some have only had a short rugby league journey. Either way, their contributions to rugby league are all the same, and we are grateful that they put their bodies on the line for the sport we love.

Here is a full list of every player that played Super League this year that has announced their decision to retire, and there are some legends of the game bowing out following the season’s conclusion.

Leroy Cudjoe

One of the biggest names on this list, Cudjoe played his entire career at Huddersfield, after debuting in 2008. Since then, he went on to make over 400 appearances for his boyhood club, and has captained the side in the final year of his career, after taking on leadership roles in seasons prior.

Despite not being able to finish his career with a Challenge Cup or Grand Final, Cudjoe was part of the 2013 Giants squad that won the League Leaders Shield, and was named in the Super League Dream Team of that year. He also represented England in the Four Nations in 2010 at the World Cup in 2013.

Matt Frawley

Signing for Leeds Rhinos in 2023 in what would be his second Super League stint, the half-back joined AMT Headingley when Rohan Smith was still in charge. Whilst it’s fair to say his time at the Rhinos didn’t go as well as he’d hoped, a moment he will certainly remember will be captaining the side to a memorable 30-4 victory over Wigan Warriors in 2024.

Frawley joined Huddersfield on loan for most of 2025, but injury ended his campaign earlier than he would have liked. Still, he provided the struggling Giants with an experienced half-back, something they richly needed at the time.

Ben Hellewell

The Salford Red Devils back rower called time on his career part-way through the season, but still managed to make four appearances for the club this year. One of those came in the round one defeat to St Helens, where the club fielded a side of academy players, and his last appearance came at Magic Weekend.

Spending the majority of his career in the second division, Hellewell leaves the game as a Championship veteran and a 22-time Scottish international, with 10 of those appearances coming at a World Cup.

Oliver Holmes

The Castleford legend’s career didn’t end the way he would have hoped, after signing for Hull FC ahead of this year but only managed to make one appearance in the Challenge Cup in February. Despite that, the back rower boasts an incredible career, having played 281 matches, 228 of those for the Tigers, and was part of Leigh Leopards’ 2023 Challenge Cup winning squad.

Chris Hill

Another legend of the game, Hill calls time on a career that started back in 2005 with the then Leigh Centurions. Making 160 appearances for his hometown club, he moved to Warrington Wolves where he made his name, and spent 10 seasons at the club, winning the 2012 Challenge Cup in his first season in Primrose and Blue.

Career switches to Huddersfield, Salford and most recently Bradford came after that, and Hill retires as one of Super League’s best ever props, and has 41 international appearances to his name too.

Willie Isa

The Wigan legend announced his decision to retire in January of this year, and was set to go round again before calling time. The New Zealander joined the Warriors in 2016, and won four Super League titles, three League Leaders Shields, a Challenge Cup and two World Club Challenges, and will go down as one of Wigan’s greatest overseas players of the modern era.

Luke Keary

The Catalans Dragons half-back retires after just one season in Super League, but does so on the back of a long and successful NRL career. A three-time Grand Final winner Down Under, the 33-year-old is also a two-time World Club Challenge winner, and will head back to Australia to take up a coaching role with the Sydney Roosters, where he won two of those three Premierships.

Tim Lafai

The elusive Salford Red Devils centre hung up his boots at the start of the season, after Salford’s financial difficulties caused him to step away. Lafai was one of the most exciting edge players to watch, and on his day could unlock any defence with his strength and skill. He retires as a 69-time Red Devils player, and scored 22 tries in those games.

Michael McIlorum

The recently-crowned Grand Final winner bows out in style, and will go down as one of the toughest to ever play the game. Playing at Old Trafford with a fractured ankle, McIlorum helped Hull KR to their first ever Super League title, and will now head back to Catalans Dragons to take up the role of assistant coach.

The Wigan Warriors legend ends his career as a near 400-game veteran, and is also a 12-time international, with six appearances for Ireland and six for England, including at the 2022 World Cup.

Jordan Rapana

Like Keary, Rapana only had one season in the Northern Hemisphere, after moving to Hull FC from Canberra Raiders. His time in West Hull was marred by both injury and positional switches, but Rapana ends his career as a man with 219 NRL games and 111 tries on his CV.

The 36-year-old represented New Zealand and the Cook Islands on the international stage, and was part of the 2018 Kiwis tour of England.

Stefan Ratchford

The Salford and Warrington icon retires from the sport after huge 477 games in a career that spanned 19 years. Starting his career at the Red Devils, Ratchford played all across the back line and made over a century of appearances for the club before moving to the Wolves for 2012. Like Hill, he was part of the 2012 Challenge Cup winning squad, and was also part of the Wembley victory in 2019.

Ratchford made six appearances for England, with two of those coming in the 2017 World Cup. He retires as Super League’s 10th highest points scorer.

Tariq Sims

Signing for Catalans ahead of 2024, Sims joined brothers Ashton and Korbin in making the move from NRL to Super League. The 35-year-old back rower ends his career in the south of France with over 300 career games played.

Reimis Smith

The 28-year-old centre has hung up his boots earlier than most, and after joining Catalans half-way through last season, departs the sport after 25 appearances at the Perpignan club. In the NRL, Smith played 117 times with both Canterbury and Melbourne, scoring 55 tries.

Sam Tomkins 

For the second time in his career, Tomkins announced his decision to retire, but this time it’s for certain. The Wigan Warriors legend initially called time at the end of 2023, before coming back to play for the club in 2024 and then stayed on for 2025.

The two-time Man of Steel is one of the greatest talents Super League has ever produced, and leaves as a legend of over 330 Super League games and a 36-time England international, which puts him fifth for most England appearances in the summer era.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves

The Kiwi, and now Hull KR, legend became one of only 18 players to win a Super League and NRL Grand Final after a dominant display over Wigan Warriors helped his side to their maiden Super League title. In what is only fitting for Waerea-Hargreves, the 36-year-old picked up a four-match ban in that game, and will now be banned forever, with him never needing to serve that charge due to his career now being over.

Elliott Whitehead

The Canberra Raiders legend returned to Catalans in 2025 to round off his career, after nine seasons in the NRL. The Bradford academy product came onto the scene in 2009, and he moved to the Dragons in 2013, for three seasons,, before making the move to the Raiders.

A 31-time international with England and Great Britain, Whitehead confirmed his international retirement after the 2023 series with Tonga, and has now fully retired from the sport after over 450 career matches.

Connor Wrench

Departing the sport at the age of just 23, former Warrington centre Wrench parted ways with the game to pursue opportunities outside the sport.

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