Kieran Hayes delays retirement for another year

The veteran workhorse has been through highs and lows in his 15-plus years with the club and another premiership would be the icing on the cake.

Hayes’ re-signing for this season came as a bit of a surprise, as it did last year and the year before that.

He first flirted with the idea of retirement three years ago, at the end of the 2015 season, before he went on to win the CDRL’s prestigious Gold Medal award the very next year.

The achievement in 2016 was a testament to Hayes’ toughness on the field and his leadership off it, but also made him reconsider hanging up the boots.

At the time, he said being a leader to a young team with a bright future was too good an opportunity to pass up.

The Kangaroos have also announced the appointment of Eddie Sailor as under-18s coach in 2019.

Sailor will be looking to repeat his previous successes with the club, after coaching the Kangaroos under-18s side to a premiership back in 2014.

He returns to the club after a four-year lay-off and brings a wealth of experience and a large following of players from the local community.