Website design By BotEap.comOne of Brisbane’s best is firmly throwing in the towel and Darren Lockyer fans around the world will surely miss their idol on the pitch. After turning down an offer from the Widnes Vikings to join the Super League, Lockyer announced his retirement from the National Rugby League and 2011 will be his final year. This autumn officially comes to an end one of the most illustrious careers in recent rugby history in England.

Website design By BotEap.comOriginally from Brisbane, Lockyer made his inaugural NRL debut aged 18 for the Broncos starting off the bench in a massive 60-14 victory against Parramatta in round 13. Having previously played rugby in cities without Australian rules, the young Lockyer was recognized for his great potential in the sport when he won the club’s rookie of the year award. Fast-forward to the present and the legendary Broncos captain now has 34 hard scores and 54 test matches under his belt, both groundbreaking Australian records that no other player in the league can match. If there is one last hurray the 34-year-old giant wants to deliver to his beloved country, it is to be anointed as the captain of the Australia team that would compete against England, Wales and New Zealand in the Four Nations series. Closing the curtain on a successful season in the league with one last international win is a great way to make more history one last time.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile it’s probably tempting to designate the NRL as the penultimate stage in one’s career in the game jumping to the Super League as the season finale of the swansong career, Lockyer remains confident and at peace with his choice. Although he plans to take a one-year break from the game, Lockyer won’t be far behind in the NRL. In fact, league insiders expect him to return as coach of the Brisbane Broncos soon after. His former Great Britain coach Brian Noble regards the 30-something as an icon, a legend and the cream of the crop. He also adds that Lockyer’s level of performance has propelled the game to greater heights and that Lockyer himself was the difference between losing and winning. Noble also ends on a fond note saying that Lockyer is such an amazing guy that no one could hate him.

Website design By BotEap.comDarren Lockyear has managed three teams and has led the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and the Brisbane Broncos as their captain to victory in their respective competitions. In fact, one of the highlights of his career was when he captained all three teams in 2006 and all three finished as champions at the end of the season. Lockyer’s phenomenal streak continued in 2009 when he broke the record for most Test caps and in 2010 the highest Test score for the Australian national team. Darren Lockyer is considered by many to be the greatest fullback to ever play the game.