After 14 years in the NRL this will likely be Jesse Bromwich’s last after the Dolphins captain revealed: “I’ve pretty much made my decision.”
The 34-year-old is one of the most respected players in the competition after winning three premierships with the Storm and making 34 appearances for New Zealand.
Bromwich joined the Dolphins last season and was appointed the club’s inaugural captain. But the veteran prop knows he will be ready to hang up the boots and move onto his surprising next chapter — carpentry — next year.
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“I think I’ve pretty much made my decision but I’m just waiting on a few things,” Bromwich told foxsports.com.au.
“But it’s looking like I’m going to finish (this year) so I’m really enjoying my last pre-season and really enjoying being an NRL player because I know next year is going to be a bit of a wake-up call…
“One that every player has to go through but one I’m ready for and looking forward to.
“I’ve been doing a carpentry apprenticeship for a while now so I’ll probably look to finish that off and jump straight into that after footy.
“I think initially I’ll have to get a few things fixed, then after that I can move onto the next phase of my life.”
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When asked how he feels about spending his days on a job site next year, Bromwich said: “I don’t really mind it.”
“It’s hard work but it’s quite enjoyable for me, it’s a low stress kind of job,” he added.
“I look forward to not taking work home with me, spending more time with the kids and making my family a priority,” he said.
“This job (as an NRL player) takes a lot. I’m more than willing to do it for another year and I still love it but there are other things to enjoy on the other side.”
Bromwich, who retired from representative football ahead of last year’s Pacific Championships, plans to stay in “beautiful” Queensland but is “not sure at the moment” if he’ll stay involved with the Dolphins. Although he did joke about knocking on the door of CEO Terry Reader.
He will “for sure” retire content with what he’s achieved in his decorated career. Premierships, internationals and captaincy at two different clubs make up an impressive highlight reel but playing with his younger brother, Kenny is what Bromwich will cherish the most.
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The two played a little footy together in the under 20s before becoming NRL teammates when Kenny debuted in 2013. They spent a decade playing together at the Storm and then signed with the Dolphins.
“I know that I’ve got everything I could out of my body,” Bromwich said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have my brother there the whole time and when I look back at the end of it, that’ll be the thing I’m most proud of. We were able to do some pretty cool things together.
“We weren’t able to play many games together as kids but as adults, we’ve been able to accomplish almost everything you can do in rugby league.”
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Bromwich’s retirement will force the Dolphins into appointing a new captain. That decision will be for Kristian Woolf, who will take the head coaching reins from Wayne Bennett in 2025, but there could be one particular player already on the radar.
“We’ve got a leadership group so any one of those guys can step in and do the job. It’s just up to ‘Woolfy’ whether he wants a long-term captain or someone to come in and look after it for the next few years,” Bromwich said.
“Someone like Tom Gilbert is who I see as a long-term captain but I don’t want to put too much pressure on the guy.”
With the clock winding down on Bromwich’s career, he was asked what he wants to get out of his final season in the NRL.
“The same as every year,” Bromwich said.
“Just go out there, try and start games the best I can and just put everything into it. I don’t really change too much, you start thinking ‘this is the last time I’m going to do this and that’, then it starts to deteriorate.
“So just try and lead the boys as best as I can and leave everything out there.”
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