The all-time great A Penrith Panthers player announced his retirement due to his wife

The all-time great A Penrith Panthers player announced his retirement due to his wife

 

Nathan Cleary, a former prop for the Panthers, has announced that his NRL career is over and has committed to playing in 2020 with the St Marys Rugby League Club.

After making his NRL debut in 2008 with the Panthers, McKendry played in the NRL until 2018, when he retired from the game with 147 NRL games and eight Test matches under his belt.

McKendry posted on Instagram, “In 2007, I moved to Penrith with a dream to play NRL, leaving my family back home in New Zealand.” “I got to live out my dream and have been doing what I love for work for the last 13 years with the Panthers.”

“I appreciate all of the Penrith Panthers, past and present, for their advice and support over the years. I’m proud to retire as a one-club player. A huge thank you also goes out to everyone who has followed my journey thus far.

“I never let an injury drive me into a medical retirement; instead, I fought back each time to leave on my own terms. As a result, my career didn’t conclude as I had hoped owing to consecutive ACL injuries. Even if it wasn’t always easy, the road has been incredible, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

At the 2019 Merv Cartwright Medal, McKendry received an official send-off from the Panthers and will start training with St. Marys in the upcoming weeks.