Oldham captain Jordan Turner has announced his immediate retirement from rugby league, closing the book on a 20-season professional career that saw him score 155 tries in 410 appearances and lift the 2014 Super League Grand Final with St Helens.

The 36-year-old hometown hero, who led the Roughyeds to the League 1 title last season, revealed his decision exclusively on Roughyeds TV, saying persistent injuries had finally forced his hand even as Oldham sit fourth in the Championship heading into the playoffs.

“I never look back with sadness, I have nothing to be sad about,” Turner said. “I am content, I’m happy, for myself, for my family, my teammates and the club. I’ve known nothing but the game since I was a kid up to now being a 36-year-old dad of two. But we all have a shelf life as rugby league players.”

The former Waterhead amateur began his Super League journey as a teenager at Salford before moves to Hull FC and St Helens, where he won the 2014 Grand Final. A brief NRL stint with Canberra preceded four seasons at Huddersfield and a 2021 Challenge Cup final appearance with Castleford, secured by his semi-final hat-trick.

Turner returned to Oldham in 2024, fulfilling a childhood dream. “I grew up kicking a rugby ball in my grandad’s council flat. We sat there and dreamt of me playing for Oldham. If you had told a young version of myself that this is what my career was going to be like it would have blown my mind,” he said.

Head coach Sean Long praised Turner as “an unbelievable player and unbelievable bloke,” while chairman Bill Quinn noted: “When he first came in he spoke about his grandad and his love for Oldham. He has a great family who support him and he will always be welcome at the club.”

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