{"id":55560,"date":"2021-04-08T06:56:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T06:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=55560"},"modified":"2021-04-08T13:59:20","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T13:59:20","slug":"emotional-friend-officially-calls-time-on-nrl-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=55560","title":{"rendered":"Emotional Friend officially calls time on NRL career"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sydney Roosters skipper Jake Friend has officially announced his retirement from NRL due to concussion concerns. <\/a><\/p>\n

Friend made the decision to call time on his 264-game career following "extensive medical advice" after suffering his third concussion in six months.<\/a><\/p>\n

It brings to an end a spectacular career for the 31-year-old, who led the Roosters to back-to-back premierships in 2018 and 2019, alongside an earlier title in 2013. <\/p>\n

"It wasn't an easy decision to come to but it's one that I think is right, right for myself and right for my family and the Roosters," An emotional Friend said via a video statement.\n<\/p>\n

"It's been a hell of ride. It's a tough way to go out but that's footy and that's life.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/p>\n

"To the players, I've been lucky enough here at the Roosters to play with a lot of legends of the game, some very talented footballers and awesome blokes as well.\n<\/p>\n

"I'm very thankful for everything that you guys have taught me.\n<\/p>\n

"To my family, my mum, my dad, my two brothers, you've been there through thick and thin and been on the ride with me.\n<\/p>\n

"You call me after a shit game, you call me after a good game and you always tell me I played awesome. So thank you for that even though you've been lying a lot of the time.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/p>\n

"To my fianc\u00e9e Jenna, you are a rock, you do whatever I need to make sure I'm ready to play and you have done for the whole time we've been together.\n<\/p>\n

"You're a great person, a great woman and recently, a great mother."<\/p>\n

Friend's latest concussion was a heavy one, suffered in Round One this season against Manly, and it was that incident that has ultimately triggered his decision to finish his playing days in the NRL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was his third concussion in six months and happened just a few days after the birth of his first child, which has reportedly added perspective and influenced his decision.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/p>\n

"For any player that stood alongside Jake Friend in his 264 games, I have no doubt that every single one of them would thank him for being a true teammate," said Roosters coach Trent Robinson.<\/p>\n

"Jake has been an incredible player and leader for the Roosters, and while I know that he won't be comfortable with the accolades, it's important we acknowledge his achievements over the years.<\/p>\n

"Jake's place in Roosters' history is assured.<\/p>\n

"He is a man of integrity, and his leadership has been a key driver of the club's success.<\/p>\n

"He has made those around him better and I've loved coaching him."<\/p>\n

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sydney Roosters skipper Jake Friend has officially announced his retirement from NRL due to concussion concerns. Friend made the decision to call time on his […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55560"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55565,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55560\/revisions\/55565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}