Hull FC have confirmed that veteran winger Tom Briscoe will call time on his career, after 19 seasons at the highest level.
Briscoe, 36, made his Super League debut in 2008, and has gone on to make an incredible 471 career appearances, scoring 232 tries.
Starting on the bench as a fresh-faced 17-year-old in February 2008 against Warrington, Briscoe made 147 appearances in his first spell at the MKM Stadium, before departing in 2014 to join Leeds Rhinos.
There he had plenty of success, with the most famous moment of his career coming at Wembley in 2015, where he scored five tries in the Rhinos’ 50-0 victory over Hull KR in the Challenge Cup Final.
After 208 appearances in the Blue and Amber, he spent two seasons at Leigh Leopards in 2023 and 2024. Scoring 20 tries in 34 games, Briscoe was a key figure in the Leopards’ path to staying in Super League.
Part-way through 2024, a loan opportunity emerged for him to re-join Hull FC, and after spending the remainder of the season in Black and White, he penned a permanent deal to return home for good.
Spending the past two seasons under John Cartwright and now Andy Last, Briscoe has decided to call time on his career, putting an end to a journey that includes two Grand Final wins, four Challenge Cup trophies, a Lance Todd Trophy and a Super League Dream Team induction.
On the international stage, he scored 11 tries in 15 games, with all his caps coming between 2009 and 2013.
Tom Briscoe announces rugby league retirement
On the decision to call time on his playing career, Briscoe said: “It’s a decision that’s been coming for a while, but it’s been really tough to come out and publicly announce my decision to retire after 19 years. I feel like this is the right decision for me and my family, and I’m ready for the next chapter in my life now.
“I started here as a young boy – and if you’d have told me I would still have been here nearly twenty years later, I think I’d have laughed at you.
“It’s been an amazing journey – the highest of highs that you can achieve in this sport, and some tough moments along the way too. I’m incredibly proud of what I have achieved, and I’m privileged to have been in the position I’ve been in in this sport for so long.
“I feel like I’ve given everything I can to the sport, and to the clubs I have represented along the way. To look back and know I have achieved childhood dreams makes me feel incredibly lucky.
“It feels poignant that my final game at home will be against Warrington this weekend – the same fixture that started my professional career, and the last game of my career will be between Hull and Leeds – two clubs I’ve got the most history with. So it feels like the starts have aligned a little bit.
“And to bring the curtain down at the club where it all started is a great way to bring things to an end – it feels like a full circle moment.
“I don’t know what’s next for me – I’ve got a few options lined up, but I’m excited for whatever that opportunity may be.”
