[urlhttp://www.sportsnewsfirst.com.au/articles/2010/12/13/hicks-puts-off-retirement-to-join-eels/[/url

Not seen this anywhere on the board, has quotes from Hicks himself so looks official.

Good luck to him....

Good luck to him. Will be sadly missed

More evidence to suggest he was forced out the club.

Funny looking retirement that.

am amazed that Eric Groath Junior has retired he must only be in his mid twenties...!

big boots to fill and fell some way short though...


well well...
30 years old and retired due to injury.... didnt think he was that old..!!
how time flies

I think an opportunity has arisen that he'd be a fool to miss out on.
I think he was pushed from wolves but I bet he didn't think he was going to get an opportunity like this. He is an aged star leaving a super league club. Rarely happens, that he'd get a big NRL club like this phoning. He might have joined them next year after his retirement if the situation was the same (without JM)

been confirmed here
[urlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/dec/13/george-burgess-bradford-south-sydney[/url

I met Chris Hicks today and he said it could be up to 12 weeks before he could return home due to passport trouble with his child. Said he would miss a lot of pre season training.

Dodgy barstewards!



Chris Hicks "retirement" was the shortest I have ever seen.

Why do people keep saying this is dodgy?

I really dont get any impression from the Hicks quotes, nor the Joel Monaghan quotes that anything underhand, even remotely has gone on. In fact, it wouldn't suprise me if it was Hicks heard about the Eels opportuinity and thought he would rather go back than stay another year and retire here.

Best all round outcome in my opinion. As much as I think Hick's is great, he was getting on a bit for a back.

You missed the two page "Chris Hicks considering offers to play in Australia" thread then.

No, there isn't.

Best of luck to the lad I say

Admittedly I thought it was very dodgy at first view, but then after someone stated that you could pay someone off before the season started, then fair enough.

But if Monaghan wasn't available, would Hicks have retired? No. They may not have forced him, but he obviously isn't ready to retire from rugby.

He has mooted his retirement on two separate occasions.

Hicks' retirement and Monaghan coming on board never looked dodgy to me. Some people love to create something out of nothing. Hicks has been great and gets another season of top flight RL and we get a younger full international and origin player. No brainer for me and for the club either presumably.

Chris Hicks on Wolves TV tomorrow from midday giving a final farewell to the fans.

hicks is happy,smith is happy and so are the monaghans,therefore i too am also happy.

this is boring he got a good pay off 12 to 18 months money and a new job to earn a salary as well ,of course a wire till he dies but brass is brass in a short career good look mate of course he could have signed on milked the benifits and got a council house in longford ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and drank it all in walkers club .........thanks for the memories chris bag up bank it and enjoy no snow in aus only in warrington enjoy the surf mate

I know he has, but then he signed a new 1 year playing contract, and if Monaghan wasn't around he would be playing this year. Now that Monaghan was available, he decided to "retire" again. But then as soon as another contract was offered, he took it.

he seemed pretty stoked about going to play with Jarryd Hayne etc. How do we know it isn't the other way around. He was leaving and monas turned up at the right time.

It is equally possible

Well everyones come out of it better off. So it's water under the bridge whatever. But from an outside point of view, Hicks would have been playing for Wire next season if Monaghan wasn't available.

Correct.

What about Stacey Jones he retires at the end of every season.

Try to think of the bigger picture. Life isn't just about rugby. Mrs Hicks has been putting her teaching career back in Aus on hold. An opportunity has arisen to allow her to return home and get on with her life, hubby gets another crack at the NRL and Wire get an international quality replacement who is 6 years younger. What, just what, is wrong here? EVERYbody is happy!