'Made sense': Wighton's departure a factor in Croker's retirement call

Raiders captain Jarrod Croker said the opportunity to bow out with long-time teammate Jack Wighton and finish on his own terms were major factors in his retirement announcement on Monday. 

Croker will hang up the boots after 15 seasons in the NRL, where he played 305 games for the Raiders in an illustrious career that at a time last year looked in doubt after a serious shoulder injury. 

The 32-year-old was joined by his wife Brittany and children Rory and Tate at Raiders HQ to make the announcement which will see Croker finish up at season's end. 

The chance to bow out with Wighton, who will join South Sydney in 2024, was a factor for Croker with the pair having played together for more than a decade in lime green.

"I still don’t want to make it about me as much as there will probably be a lot of that and Jacko doesn’t want it about him either but the reality is it is," Croker said. 

"To be able to go out with him and finish with a couple of home games at the back end of the season it made sense too. He knows how much he means to me.

"There’s still a job at hand and that's one thing I said to the boys was to make the most of it in the next few weeks together."

Croker is expected to be available for selection against the Bulldogs on Sunday after a hamstring ruled him out of the side in recent weeks, making it possibly his penultimate game at GIO Stadium.

After a wrath of injuries threatened his career last year, Croker's journey in the past 12 months has had him most proud of the hurdles he's overcome to ensure he can finish up at the Green Machine with the final say. 

"The game is getting quicker, training is hard and pre-season is hard," Croker said.

"The body cops more knocks than usual and it takes longer to recover. The way the game is and every club is the same every session is hard.

"You’ve got to be physically and mentally ready for every session. They just add up and compound.

"It’s been a long time. the last couple of weeks, once the body starts feeling it a little bit your mind starts to as well.

"I had to ask myself if I was going to miss it and of course, that's human nature. There’s a sense of excitement. There’s things I will miss and won’t miss.

"It’s something we always thought was going to happen but once you finally get it off your chance it’s a relief. It’s sad but a relief.

"The year I’ve had, if you had told me at the start of the year I’d get all this I would’ve taken that any day of the week."

Raiders CEO Don Furner labelled Croker as one of the best leaders the club had ever produced and said there was a job for him in the future.

"It’s a sad day but a happy day for the Raiders," Furner said.

"He’s been the best sportsman, best player and best captain this club has had.

"That’s why young kids put the white headgear on and want to wear the No.3 jersey on locally. We’re very lucky to have had a Jarrod Croker at our club.

"We’d love to keep Jarrod involved in the club."

Croker said he hadn't thought of his post-career plans too much given the Raiders were deep in the finals race but would assess when the season is over.

"I’d love to be part of the club still, they won’t be able to get rid of me that quickly," he said.

"One thing I’d like to be proud of is the love I’ve got for this jersey, I’ve had it since day one and it will be there until the end of time.

"I’ve just got to get back and lift the boys and get them going again because we know what we’re capable of.

"We know if we can show up and play our best football we can beat any team, it’s as simple as that."