Premiership-winning fullback announces immediate retirement

Former Panthers and Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote has announced his retirement effective immediately following a series of concussions.

Last playing in the NRL in 2018, the 33-year-old will pull down the curtain on an amazing 15-year rugby league career, where he became an NRL premiership winner, three-time Super League Grand Final winner and Challenge Cup winner.

Joining the Panthers ranks as a junior, he spent six seasons with the Panthers between 2008-13, taking over from club legend Rhys Wesser.

Coote then moved to the Cowboys, playing 83 games from 2014-18. During this stint, he was a member of the club's maiden NRL premiership in 2015. Afterwards, he would move overseas and play with St Helens and the Hull Kingston Rovers.

The local Windsor product also managed to earn international honour for Scotland and Gret Britain- three for Scotland and one for Great Britain.

“After suffering another concussion at Magic Round, my fifth concussion in less than two years, I knew I was going to be faced with some tough conversations.

“Over the past three weeks I have focused on gathering as much information as I can from the concussion specialist to help me make a decision on my time left here at KR.

“With all the support from my coach, Willie Peters, Paul Lakin, Neil Hudgell and the medical team at Hull KR, I have made a very difficult decision to retire immediately.

“Rugby league has always come first before anything, now I think it's time to put my health, my future, my family first, and hopefully, have a long and healthy life with the ones that have supported me my whole career and will continue to support me for the rest of my life, my two beautiful kids and my beautiful wife, Laura."

“I'm still finding it hard to come to terms with this decision and it has been a very emotional few days, knowing that I will not get to play alongside my team-mates again and finish off what we started," he added.