Concussion forces Manly’s Croker into early retirement

Jasper Bruce |

Manly’s Lachlan Croker has announced his retirement aged 28 due to repeated concussions.
Manly’s Lachlan Croker has announced his retirement aged 28 due to repeated concussions.

Manly’s Lachlan Croker has become the latest NRL player forced into premature retirement by concussion.

The 28-year-old hooker sat out the back half of the 2025 season after suffering a head knock at training in June, having missed time early in the year following knee surgery.

Croker missed three months of the 2024 season after suffering lingering symptoms from another head knock in round nine of that year as well.

He will transition into a coaching role with the Sea Eagles, who are set to be eligible for salary cap relief given his retirement comes on medical grounds.

Croker will take charge of Manly’s SG Ball team as head coach, with former Sea Eagles centre Brad Parker one of his assistants.

Croker.
Croker (L) said he’d had ‘one too many head knocks’ during his 125-game career at Manly. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Croker joins Dale Finucane, Andrew Davey, Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend and Lachlan Coote among topline players to call time following repeated concussions in recent seasons.

“My body is in good shape, but my head is telling me it’s time,” Croker said in a statement released by the club.

“I’ve had one too many head knocks, and the last one was the last straw. As hard as I tried to get back playing, I just couldn’t as the symptoms persisted.

“Medical advice and the advice from people closest to me helped me arrive at this decision.”

Manly could use their extra salary cap space to make a play for Davvy Moale to join the club immediately.

The South Sydney prop is currently set to join the Sea Eagles for 2027 but the Rabbitohs have previously indicated they would be open to discussing letting him go before then.

Moale would provide much-needed muscle to a Manly middle forward rotation that struggled to compete with rival packs at times this year.

Manly are set to start Jake Simpkin at hooker to begin the new season, with the 24-year-old recently inking a contract extension after standing out at the Sea Eagles in 2025.

Initially a half, Croker fashioned himself into a hooker and played 125 games for the Sea Eagles after arriving from Canberra, where he played one game in 2016.

He was crowned Manly’s best-and-fairest player in 2022, proving a shining light for the club in a season that was eventually derailed by the Everyone In League jersey saga.

Croker’s final game was the loss to Gold Coast in round 15 this year.

AAP