‘Harder to live with’: Former Origin forward retires amid concussion battle
Premiership-winner and one-time Origin representative Ryan Matterson has announced his medical retirement from rugby league after concussion battles.
Matterson hasn’t played a match since September last year when he was on loan at Warrington Wolves in the Super League.
Ryan Matterson. Getty
The forward was in the last year of his contract with the Parramatta Eels and suffered a concussion during pre-season.
In May, he revealed he’d been having moments of blurred vision and headaches which has now led to his retirement.
“The hardest part about chasing a dream is accepting when it’s time to let it go,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Today, I’m announcing my medical retirement from rugby league.
“For many years, I’ve battled the effects of concussion and the symptoms that have come with it. I’ve tried to push through, manage it and keep doing what I love. But over time, the symptoms have become harder to live with and unfortunately, they’ve continued to get worse.
“Eventually, you have to make the hardest decision of your life and walk away from the thing you love, in order to protect the life you have ahead of you.”
Matterson continued on to say how lucky and privileged he was to have lived out his “childhood dream” of playing rugby league.
He thanked his family, teammates, coaches, friends and fans for the support he received along the way.
The 31-year-old finishes his career with 181 NRL appearances across stints at the Roosters, Tigers and Eels. He played eight matches for Warrington.
His one Origin appearance for the Blues came in the 2022 series. The premiership win came at the Roosters in 2018 before he joined the Tigers.
Matterson spent one year at the Tigers before he exited his three-year contract early and went to the Eels. He played in the club’s 2022 grand final loss to the Panthers.
