Former Australian international and Leeds Rhinos prop Keith Galloway will leave the Betfred Super League Champions with immediate effect after deciding to retire from the elite level of the game.

Galloway, 32, is currently recovering from an Achilles injury suffered last season having joined the Rhinos from Wests Tigers in 2016.



He gained five caps with Australia in 2011 and has made one State of Origin appearance for New South Wales. He made over 200 NRL appearances for Wests and Cronulla Sharks since making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2003.

Galloway was runner up in the Rhinos Player of the Year in his first year at the club which ended in the penultimate game of the season with an Achilles tendon rupture. He battled back from that injury in 2017 only to suffer another season ending Achilles injury in July. In total he made 43 appearances for the Rhinos in two seasons, scoring two tries.



Commenting on his decision, Galloway said, “It has been a tough decision but I know it is the right one for me and my family. Despite my two major injuries at the Rhinos, I have loved being part of this fantastic club. I have made friendships that will last forever and I have enjoyed living in Leeds. The time is right for me to move onto the next chapter of my life. I haven’t decided yet if I will play on at some level, if possible I would like to finish my time on the field on my terms but that will not be as a full time professional now as I look towards a career after rugby.



“I would like to thank Gary Hetherington and Brian McDermott for giving me the chance to play for Leeds Rhinos and all our backroom staff and players who have supported me throughout my time at the club. I will be backing the boys from here in Australia and will always remain a Rhino.”

Head Coach Brian McDermott commented, “Keith was able to come and speak to the boys himself whilst we were in Melbourne and it was important for him to do that. He has been a fantastic member of our squad over the last three years. Obviously having suffered two big injuries, you can talk about how he has dealt with adversity and been a lesson for all our squad in that sense but more than that, his quality on the field should not be underestimated. We are sad to see him go but he leaves with our best wishes for the future with his young family back home in Australia.”



Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington added, “Keith has been a model professional throughout his time at the club and will remain a friend of the Rhinos. We are actively looking to replace him as a senior player in our squad however that will only be if the right candidate becomes available.”



Keith made his NRL debut for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2003 while still attending high school, a few months before his 18th birthday. He made eight appearances from the bench in the second half of the 2003 season, scoring a try in his second match.



Starting the 2004 season on the bench, Keith scored the Sharks’ sole try in the opening game of the season, a 6-12 loss to Wests Tigers. He played in 14 games for the season, including some mid-season appearances in the starting side in the second-row.



In 2005 he regularly featured off the bench for the Sharks, but in the qualifying final match against St George Dragons he was promoted to starting prop, in what was his last game for the club.



He joined the Wests Tigers in 2006 and made 173 appearances for the side and scored six tries. He was selected for City in the City vs Country match on 8 May 2009 before the 2009 State of Origin series Galloway was named in the 40 man New South Wales preliminary squad but was ultimately not available for selection due to injury.



Keith was eligible for Scotland’s 2008 Rugby League World Cup campaign and was named in the Scotland training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup but in 2009 was named in Australia’s Four-Nations train-on squad.



In 2011, Galloway made his State of Origin debut, coming off the bench in game three of the series. By the end of that year he became the first Wests Tigers’ prop to be chosen in an Australian squad and he made his test debut against New Zealand, coming off the bench to score a try in the second half, in a game won easily by Australia. He went on to play in all four of Australia’s Four Nations matches. He was awarded the Noel Kelly Medal for Best Forward at the Wests Tigers for the year.