Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett has revealed Jesse Bromwich will likely retire at the end of the 2024 NRL season.
Bromwich, who is off-contract at the end of 2024 and will be 35 years of age by the time that happens, joined the Dolphins ahead of their inaugural season and became the club's captain.
An important part of the Melbourne Storm for many years, Bromwich became equally as important to the Dolphins in their first campaign which, for a long time, looked promising with a chance of finals football existing before they crumbled amid injuries late.
Bromwich will play a lead role again for the Dolphins this year, with his experience proving valuable to the club, but it may turn into his last hurrah as a player, with Bennett saying he was assuming Bromwich retires.
“I think Jesse will be finishing up next year,” Bennett said per News Corp.
“He's a bit like me. We both did two-year deals and I don't think Jesse will be going past next year.
“We haven't had those talks yet but I assume Jesse will be retiring.”
Bromwich going out at the same time as Bennett would be a big blow on the experience front for the Dolphins, although the club has plenty in their arsenal of forwards who are coming through the system, led by Queensland State of Origin representative Thomas Gilbert, who will aim to lead the club into the future under Bennett's 2025 replacement in Kristian Woolf.
Bromwich has played 316 NRL games and could take that tally towards 350 - although not all the way there - in the season ahead to retire as one of the game's most capped forwards.
If Bromwich was to play all 24 games in 2024, he would finish on 340, only behind Cameron Smith (430), Cooper Cronk (372), Darren Lockyer (355), Terry Lamb (350), Steve Menzies (349), Paul Gallen (348), Corey Parker (347) and Benji Marshall (346) - that, in terms of forwards, would only leave him behind Smith, Menzies, Gallen and Parker.