After a career plagued by serious injury, Kyle Stanley has retired from the NRL at age 24.
A Hurstville United junior who debuted for the St George Illawarra Dragons back in 2010, Stanley endured a horrific run with injury, again highlighted when he suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee while playing for the Sharks NSW Cup partner club Newtown way back in round one of the 2015 season.
Stanley delivered the following statement today in announcing his retirement.
“Only being 24 years old obviously this isn’t the way I dreamt of finishing my football career but due to countless injuries and after five full knee reconstructions it was the recommendation of my surgeon that I should retire.
“He didn’t feel my body was fit to play football again.
“It has been a tough few months coming to terms with it all but after great support from my family and people around me I am extremely optimistic and positive moving into the future and beginning the next chapter of my life.
“I am grateful for the years I have been able to spend playing in the NRL and the people I have met along the way.”
In his short time at the Cronulla Club Stanley managed to guide a young Sharks side into the Final of the NRL Auckland Nines tournament, where the team pushed eventual winners South Sydney to golden point extra time in the championship deciding match.
Due to his injury however he never represented the Sharks at NRL level.
During his NRL career Stanley played 45 NRL games, just 9 matches in 2014, while unfortunately being unable to take to the field in 2015 following his injury in February.
In another example of his class and ability, Stanley represented Samoa in the 2014 Four Nations as a member of the team which caused the boil-over of the tournament by beating the English side during the round-robin phase of the event.
