The career of a rugby league player is a short one. Earning the opportunity to play at the highest level is a feat few players get to experience, and having that chance taken away from you is a difficult pill to swallow.
Former Wigan Warriors, Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers halfback Ryan Hampshire was part of a generation to develop alongside Super League stars George Williams, Oliver Gildart and Joe Burgess, as they all emerged through the Warriors pathway together. However, unfortunate injuries have meant that Hampshire has moved around clubs, and on multiple occasions found himself without a contract and pleading with teams to sign him.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds on his career, the playmaker admitted how tough it was to have such an uncertain future when he was without a contract.
“Unfortunately I’ve been in this situation three or four times. The last one was the toughest. I’d been out of contract in the off-season just gone. I had injuries, I didn’t know when I was going to be fit. I had to move back from Wigan to Wakey, I didn’t have an income job and I was just like ‘What is going on here?’
“I’m so resilient to it now. I just get up, train, do the right thing and then put feelers out. But at one point nobody wanted me and I went from playing for the world champions to no one wanting me, it’s pretty tough. There is just something in my mind that tells me I can get through anything. ”
Hampshire admitted that he would have probably done things a bit differently had he had his time again.
“I do wonder why. I think things come down to [being] a bit unlucky. Things like I should have took the opportunity to sign earlier for maybe another club when i had the chance and taking that opportunity and putting a more business head on me rather than not thinking about my future.
“I had a couple of opportunities last year at Wigan to leave and sign for another club next year and I didn’t take it or Wigan wouldn’t let me go and it was kind of a combination of things and then I ended up injured and out of contract, which wasn’t the best.”
Former Wigan Warriors man discusses Featherstone Rovers move and Wembley defeat
The 30-year-old revealed that a potential move down under was on the cards, however circumstances meant he couldn’t take up the opportunity.
“I did have a few offers come in,” he said. “I got an offer from Australia to go over there, but financially that wouldn’t have worked out for me at the time, and then Fev came in and offered me a decent contract so I feel very grateful for how it turned out.”
Going from Super League to the second tier meant a switch from full-time to part-time rugby, something Hampshire was wary of at first. However, he now spends his time as an online coach, helping people with dieting and weight loss plans when he is not out on the field.
“I try and keep myself busy so I do a lot of training on my own during the day, do my gym work or whatever I need to do and then on the night I’ll go to Fev and do certain bits. I’m trying to fill my time up now by doing a bit of online coaching which passes by and I’m learning stuff as I go.”
Just nine games into his Rovers career, he got the opportunity to play at Wembley, as Featherstone met York Knights in the 1895 Cup final. Whilst it wasn’t to be for Hampshire on that day, he reminisces on that match as one of the best of the season so far.
“I loved it. I loved the whole build up, going to the semi-final at Oldham… we beat them comfortably and then we went into that York game at Wembley. Even through we lost that was probably my favourite game of the season because of how tight it was, the rain pouring down made it a little bit more dramatic.
“I learnt so much of myself and the team that game, even though we lost, the raw feeling of losing and laying down in the rain after they’ve kicked the drop goal, celebrating, is a weirdly good feeling if that makes sense.”
