JUSTIN Hodges will make the ultimate sacrifice of early ­retirement to free funds for the Broncos to retain Sam Thaiday, Alex Glenn and Jordan Kahu.

The Sunday Mail understands this season will be Hodges’ last in the NRL, with Brisbane’s finals charge giving him the perfect chance to depart as a premiership winner.

The Maroons veteran is contracted until the end of next season, but Brisbane’s salary-cap position has become so delicate that if Hodges plays on the club could lose off-contract duo Glenn or Kahu.

Glenn is in terrific form and is in the prime of his career at 26, while Kahu, at 24, is a special talent rated by coach Wayne Bennett as a successor to Hodges at right centre.

Thaiday is in the final stages of brokering a three-year deal, but the Glenn and Kahu talks have dragged on as the Broncos explore ways to reward the pair under the salary cap.

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media_camera Justin Hodges is set to retire a year early. Picture: Liam Kidston

Hodges is aware of the situation and, as club captain, is determined the Broncos will keep Glenn and Kahu. He has also confronted his own footballing mortality in recent weeks, telling close friends at the Broncos he is finding it increasingly difficult to recover in time for games.

By pulling the pin a year ahead of schedule, Hodges would free up about $400,000 in the salary cap.

That should be enough to retain Glenn and upgrade Kahu, who is on a basic deal.

Hodges initially planned to see out the final year of his deal and in May, just before the start of this year’s State of Origin series, he told the Broncos he was activating a one-year option in his favour to skipper Brisbane next season.

Bennett then called a meeting with Hodges and while neither party has divulged what was discussed, Hodges changed his mind and he agreed to decide his future after Origin.

That time has arrived and while Hodges has yet to formally notify the club of his plans, Bennett is planning for life without his skipper.

Bennett would never ruthlessly discard the 33-year-old but he believes that it is best to retire a year early rather than a year too late.

Hodges’ good mate, former Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer, faced a similar conundrum at the start of the 2011 season. On form, Lockyer had the ability to play on, but Brisbane’s most-capped player resisted the temptation to extend his career into 2012.

“I know how Justin feels. It’s difficult,” Lockyer said. “What it comes down to is having the courage to let go.

“In my case, I wanted to leave the game knowing I was still playing well and that I had something left in the tank, as opposed to getting to the finish line and thinking geez, I’ve just stumbled over the finish line.

“You look at Hodgo the way he’s playing, he has things going on in the back of his mind but he is still performing well.

“There is a wonderful opportunity for him. Maybe he’s thinking if the Broncos win the premiership he can go out on that note, if not, there might be one last opportunity for him next year.

“For his own mental state of mind, making a decision about what he wants to do – either this is it or go again – will help him in being able to get on with things.”

It is understood one NSW-based club has Hodges on their radar, but the Maroons centre will not play for an NRL rival.

Hodges has fielded interest from Super League clubs but his manager George Mimis said the UK market was not as attractive to NRL stars as it once was.

“The landscape has changed dramatically,” he said.

“Every economic variable has gone against their game. There are probably only four or five clubs that could afford to pay a marquee player outside the salary cap.”

Hodges admitted recently he has considered working at the Broncos as a backs coach, another sign he is planning for life after football.

Originally published as Hodges to retire, free funds for others