Dragons Hooker Luke Priddis has today announced he will retire from the game of rugby league at the end of the 2010 Telstra Premiership season after 14 seasons in First Grade.

Priddis, 33, has currently played 314 matches and is looking for the perfect farewell from the game, a third Premiership following success with Brisbane (2000) and Penrith (2003).

Earlier this season, Priddis became the first hooker in the history of the game to play 300 First Grade Games, an individual honour he ranks as highly as his Clive Churchill Medal in the 2003 Grand Final and representative selections with Country Origin, New South Wales and Australia.

“After the events of the 2009 season I could have walked away with a payout of the last year of my contract but my decision to play on in 2010 was one of personal importance,” said Priddis. “I resigned myself to the fact that 2010 would most likely be my final year and probably spent by playing the majority of it down in Shellharbour but personally I felt that I was still capable of playing a high standard of footy and I wanted the opportunity to prove this. The events of 2010 and my own form has shown my decision to play on into 2010 was the right one.

“As I am sure all former players attest to, you wish that you could continue playing for ever and the fact that I was being told I was playing at a high standard made me think about looking around for a club for one final year, added Priddis.

“Many personal sacrifices are made throughout a career such as the one I have had. However, I realised that my loving wife Holly, our children, and my parents have also had to make many sacrifices to allow me to get to this point in my career. Thus, it is was time for me to make a final sacrifice, by calling it a day and moving into the next phase of our lives which will hopefully involve me being around more on weekends which throughout a footy season are few and far in between.”

The Woden Valley junior made his first grade debut in Round 2 of 1997 playing for Canberra against Penrith at Bruce Stadium. He went on to play 44 games for the Raiders over two years. Whilst at the Raiders he went on to represent NSW in two “Tri-Series” matches and represented Australia on one occasion during the Super league year.

Priddis then made the move north to Brisbane where he played 79 matches over three seasons 1999-2001, capturing his first Premiership during this time (2000) under current Dragons Coach Wayne Bennett. The Dubbo born Priddis also made his State of Origin debut in 2001 playing all three games for his state.

Season 2002 saw Priddis move from the Broncos to the Panthers where he spent six years playing 162 matches in the NRL. The highlight came in 2003 winning a Premiership and being awarded the prestigious “Clive Churchill” Medal for being the “Man of the Match” in the Grand Final.

After the game’s Centenary year, Priddis joined St George Illawarra, re-linking with Wayne Bennett for the past two seasons and has played a total of 28 games to date for the Club since this time.

“I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to play rugby league, a game that I love and have been involved with since I was four,” said Priddis.” It has provided me and my family with plenty of moments that we will cherish as well as opportunities that have us well placed for the future. We have also had the privilege of being involved with many quality people over the years, with which we have forged life long friendships.

“My career has seen me pass through a number of eras in our game, from the Super League/ARL period through to the present day. During this time I have had the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the game, from those at the Mighty Green Machine in Canberra, some of the Queensland legends at the Broncos, the Mighty Mountain Men of Penrith, and finally to the current batch of quality players at the Dragons with whom we are creating our own legacy.

“I am blessed to have achieved a lot in the game, having been given the chance to represent Australia, NSW, and Country. Given the fact that I have won not one but two NRL Premierships in my career, given some of the legends of our game that went through their whole careers without winning one, makes me feel quite proud of my achievements on the field.

Dragons Coach Wayne Bennett admits he brought Priddis to the Dragons for a reason after coaching him at the Broncos and has been happy and proud of the service that Priddis has given the Dragons and the game of rugby league.

“The word warrior is in my opinion a deserving one when you are talking about someone like Luke Priddis,” said Bennett. “He is in an elite level of company when it comes to this in relation to the level of man that plays the game with as much courage as Luke does.

“When I coached him at the Broncos the highlight for me when watching him was his warrior like mentality ranging from his preparation during the week right through to the game where he gave 100% every week,” he added. “It is a rare quality that a man can play this game of ours on over 300 occasions but to do it with the amount of passion that Luke has is a credit to him.”

Bennett in particular praised Priddis for his contribution at the Dragons over the past two seasons.

“A lot of the Dragons success this season can be put down to Luke,” he said. “To see the way he has played and carried himself this year is a real credit to him, particularly after I had sat down with him at the end of last year and suggested he may want to think about retiring. For him to respond and play like he has and do what he has done this year for the Club shows what type of man he is.

“The last couple of weeks have been tough for me not being able to find a spot for him but Luke’s work ethic has not diminished and I’m elated that he will play in the final home game of the regular season this week.

“He is a player who has topped our tackle count at different stages throughout this season and also played 80 minutes on occasions,” stated Bennett. “He then shows up two days later back to do it all again working as hard as anyone else throughout the week.”

Dragons CEO Peter Doust acknowledged the contributions Priddis has made to the Dragons and the game of rugby league.

“Luke has been a wonderful ambassador to the game of rugby league both on and off the field throughout his long and distinguished career,” Doust said. “Luke is a player and person of quality and integrity who can be admired by all for the way he has conducted himself at all times and for the way he has successfully managed his rugby league commitments with his family life, business and charity commitments.

At the conclusion of the Dragons season, Priddis plans to continue working in the Financial Planning industry and dedicate more time to his charity – The Luke Priddis Foundation which he established in 2006 after his son Cooper was diagnosed with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

“I have been working in the Financial Planning industry for the past six years whist juggling the commitments of family, the foundation, and footy,” Priddis said. “Due to this I am hoping that the transition into running and expanding my Financial Planning business will make the retirement factor a little easier to bare as this will present a new challenge for me,” said Priddis “I am hoping that the skills I have obtained through rugby league, such as commitment and perseverance, will lead to the same rewards being achieved in my business life.

“The Luke Priddis Foundation is also at an exciting stage. As well as the educational seminars that we are already providing, we are also in the process of rolling out a network of ASD specific Play Groups and planned support groups,” Priddis added. “We are also looking to implement other programs and services we have in the pipeline when funding becomes available. Thus retirement will also allow me to spend a little more time working on these as well as meeting people of influence who can help the Foundation achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves.

“Finally, I plan to be able to spend more quality time with my family, watching the kids play sport on the weekends and attending activities that in the past I have been forced to miss due to footy commitments. However, I am sure that I may also find time to sneak into a footy game or two as well!”

*Luke Priddis is the Dragons nomination for the 2010 Ken Stephen Medal