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Play time is over

Jenny Dixon
23/ 7/2008

THE Premiership’s most prolific ever try-scorer, Steve Hanley, has had to hang up his rugby boots due to a back injury.

The 29-year-old Sharks’ winger announced his retirement from playing last week at the launch of his testimonial year, held to mark his 10th year as a Sale player.

Despite sustaining the injury playing against Bayonne last season, Hanley only recently found out that he would have to quit the job he has had since his teens.

He explained: "I’ve always been pretty upbeat about it and so have the physios, we waited until the scans came back. I always thought there was a chance [I could keep playing] but once you can’t get up to standard you get found out easily.

"If you tried playing in the Premiership with a back injury you wouldn’t have the same pace or flexibility and it’s not fair on your team or yourself. I can’t try to pretend I’m alright, you can’t mess with backs and necks. I want to get into my 30s and 40s and be 100 per cent healthy."

Hanley isn’t yet sure how he will cope with having to watch his team from the stands next season.

"I will still see the lads but it will be different to being there day in day out with 20 of your best mates," Hanley said.

"But it is Friday nights when it will really hit home that I’m not involved anymore. Not being involved in training has not had the effect on me that I thought it would, it will be interesting to see how I feel once the season starts."

For now Hanley is making the most of a rare bit of down-time, watching cricket and golf on television, and embracing, temporarily, a more carefree lifestyle.

"You grow used to living with the pressure of rugby, it is something you wake up with every day.

"When you’re not playing it lifts off you a bit. You wake up with not many cares in the world, which is nice for a couple of weeks but it is good to have pressure sometimes, it gives you focus.

"At the moment I’m trying to rest my back and strengthen it up so I can go for a jog. To get sprinting is out of the window but I’d like to get some golf flexibility! At the moment I can only sit and watch."

Hanley also has his testimonial year to focus on, which will raise money for Hanley and his chosen charities, the Wooden Spoon and St Ann’s Hospice.

The testimonial was launched last Thursday at Edgeley Park in front of several hundred Sharks fans, who attended the free event.

Hanley explained: "The fans have been great to me and I’ve got a really good relationship with the supporters’ club; I wanted to put something on for them.

"This year is not all about corporate events for cash, there will be some things like that, but it is also a way for me to say thanks for 10 years and start it off with a bang."

Hanley, who became a dad for the first time last year, is currently talking to Sharks about possible roles for him within the club.

"After the operation I couldn’t pick my daughter up for a couple of months and I knew then there was something seriously wrong. It hit home that this is the next step in my life," he added.

"If I can stay affiliated with the club it won’t feel like I’m moving on. It feels like home here. I’ve got some great friends and the only bad memories are the injuries. I have only good memories of anything else."

So is coaching now an option for Sharks’ youngest veteran?

"It’s something I would think about. I’ve been involved in the game for so long, not just 11 years, but since the day I was born. It is such a lot to just walk away from, I’ve got so much to offer back."

Testimonial year events:

• Celebrity Golf Day on July 28 - sold out.
• Clay Pigeon Shooting in September.
• Ladies’ night on October 29.
• Gala dinner on February 18.
• Quiz night in April.
• Legends game at Heywood Road in July 2009.
• LOG on to www.stevehanley.co.uk for more details about the forthcoming testimonial year events.