NRL: Gold Coast veteran forced out of game with neck injury

Ashley Harrison. Photo / Getty Images

Ashley Harrison, a Gold Coast veteran, has confirmed he will retire from the NRL immediately following a serious neck injury.

The 33-year-old back-rower was planning to hang up the boots at the end of the season but has brought the decision forward after receiving medical advice that he risked nerve damage by playing on.

Harrison, who debuted in 2000, ends his career after 276 games including stints with Brisbane, South Sydney, the Sydney Roosters and the gold Coast Titans.

Harrison also made 15 appearances for Queensland at State of Origin representative level.

A broken neck received during the Titans' round nine clash with South Sydney proved decisive, with a nerve injury in his return game against Melbourne prompting the decision to call time on his 15-year first-grade career.

"I have chosen to retire immediately through strong medical advice," Harrison said.

"The advice I have been given stipulates that if I continued to injure the nerve in my neck I'm at risk of losing all feeling in my arm and, at this stage of my career, I would be foolish to jeopardise my long term health," he said. "Nor do I feel I could have contributed to the team as well as I would want to with that in the back of my mind.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has been a part of my career in some form or another; they know who they are. I have been blessed to play the game I love for such a long period of time."

Titans coach John Cartwright hailed Harrison's professionalism and said it was a disappointing end to a great career.

"You don't get to pick how you're going to finish," he said.

"He deserved to go out with a premiership if that was possible.

"Having said that, if he looks back on nearly 15 seasons in the NRL, the highlights will far supersede any memory of how he finished."

- AAP