A/N - It's taken a while to get here, but we're finally at the last chapter. Thanks to those who have stuck with this the entire way through. Apologies for the rather lengthy delay after Chapter Seven, but I was struggling to continue writing as I really didn't know where to take the story and how long I wanted it to be. Taking time away from writing this did help in the end, and I've written the last few chapters back-to-back and rather quickly.
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By the time you're in your early thirties as a professional rugby league player, even with all the will in the world, eating correctly, keeping your body fit, and looking after it as much as humanly possible, you'll still have wear and tear from playing a physically demanding game. I'd been a professional for well over a decade and I was starting to feel more aches and pains with each passing month.
What I had to give plenty of thought to was my life post-retirement. I didn't want to reach my fifties and be in constant agony. I'd read enough horror stories of what previous generations put up with. At least head injuries and concussions were taken seriously and I would hopefully avoid the degenerative diseases that many of those who played before me had suffered.
And mostly, I thought about all my kids. Sure, some of them were now a little older, but the house was full of kids from toddlers to those now approaching their teenage years.
I eventually had four kids with Kyla as she loved being pregnant and carrying her brother's child. And let's be honest, Kyla and I loved to fuck, make love, and everything in between. We'd often joke that whenever I was in her arse, which had become a regular thing in recent years, it wasn't the right way to go about getting her pregnant. She loved feeling her brother painting her womb, and I loved knowing there was always a chance she'd be pregnant again. I never wore condoms with any of my lovers, and although she was on birth control, there was always a chance that would fail.
I had two kids with Aimee, and she'd now returned to work as both our kids were now of school age. She was a devoted mother, but like our relationship had been most of the time, we loved each other dearly but she could go over a week without needing anything more from me than a kiss and a cuddle on most days. But when she was in the mood for some love from her brother, the other five had to look out. And as she got older and even more confident in herself, she would love to leave me completely empty after a couple of hours of fun.
Kim and I had a couple of kids as we started trying not long after we were married. To our amusement, she must have fallen pregnant the first time we tried. As she wanted to focus on her career while being a mother, Natalie was happy to babysit, as was my mother. As for our marriage, it was as strong as ever. Kim loved wearing my ring, and she always introduced herself first as Mrs Kimberly Cole before adding that she was also a doctor. She'd never had any intention of keeping her maiden name.
Wendy had given me three kids and was the only one to have twins. We ended up having three daughters and she is an absolutely wonderful mother. Hitting her thirties turned up her sex drive to eleven, and I'd sometimes arrive home from training to find her waiting for me, the kids still at school or being kept occupied so I could be dragged to the bedroom so she could have her way with me. I'd never complain.
Rebecca had two children, both boys, and she doted on them something fierce. I did ask her occasionally if she wanted to try for a daughter. She'd smile, state she was auntie to all my other daughters, and that she was happy with our two sons and would focus on them. I think she was hopeful that at least one of them would end up being just like their father.
And finally, there was my mother. Despite all the kids in the household, nothing had changed regarding our relationship. She remained in our home. She remained in her bedroom. And her son was in her bed at least once a week. We still went out on dates. I would happily snuggle with her on the couch. And although she'd been through menopause, she was still keen to be intimate with her son. She was also a wonderful grandmother and was always offering to babysit some of the kids so I could spend time with one of my wives.
After that Grand Final win a few years back, and the subsequent successful Kangaroo tour, it was always going to be difficult to keep the successful run going. Many sides who have slowly built to a crescendo and finally achieved their goal usually have a hangover. Sustained success is bloody difficult, and even professionals can suffer dips in form, their eyes away from the prize once they've finally achieved the ultimate goal.
We didn't dip immediately. We didn't win the Minor Premiership the next season, but finished in the top four, and improved through the season until we made it to a third successive Grand Final. We played what felt like our arch-nemesis after so many years, the Brisbane Broncos.
We beat them by two points in what is considered one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time, the lead changing half a dozen times until I converted a last-minute try from the sideline.
Winning back-to-back Premierships was wonderful. Very few teams have ever won three in a row, and we never got the chance the next season as we were eliminated in the Preliminary Final. Since then, we've been consistently finishing in the top eight though haven't made a Grand Final since. We've seen players come and go. Others have retired. And when Brian decided to retire a couple of years ago, we knew that things were going to be different going forward.
I was sitting with my family over dinner one evening after pre-season when I cleared my throat. The kids were all at the other table so they probably wouldn't hear what I was going to say.
"I'm going to retire at the end of this year," I announced, "My body is crying enough. And after doing my ACL a couple of years ago, I know I've lost that step I used to take advantage of. I don't want to be in my fifties and physically struggling. If I retire at the end of this season, I'll still be rather fit and my body won't be completely falling apart. It's the right time."
No one asked me if I was sure. Mum took one of my hands and squeezed. Kyla and Kim both came to give me a kiss and a cuddle. "When will you make the announcement?" Mum finally asked.
"I'll tell the coaches, staff and players by the end of this week. No way it'll stay a secret, so I'll front the media before the start of the season so it's out of the way."
I waited until the end of the week before I approached our coach first and told him that I was going to retire. He wasn't all that surprised as he knew the ACL injury that I'd suffered had really knocked my confidence at the time, and although I'd recovered, I'd had to change my style of play and I'd never been completely comfortable since then.
When I told my teammates, there were plenty of handshakes and pats on the back. I'd now been captain of the side for years and was seen as a figurehead of the club as a whole. I knew that even after retirement I would remain linked to the club in some capacity or other. I didn't really have any interest in coaching but thought I could remain as a trainer or perhaps coach one of our development sides.
A week before the start of the season, the club announced that I would be holding a press conference. I was dressed in a suit and tie when I walked into the media room. My coach offered to join me, but I told him that I was okay and it was something I needed to do myself. Thanking the assembled journalists for coming, I took a piece of paper from my pocket.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here today with only me sitting before you. I'm unsure if there are any rumours out there, but I've felt it necessary to make this statement now so the club can focus on the season ahead while also taking steps regarding the future of the club.
After fifteen years as a professional rugby league player, achieving numerous milestones regarding my individual career, including a Dally M Medal, representing both my state and country, and winning a Clive Churchill Medal in a Grand Final, it is time for me to close the curtain on my career. I am announcing today that this season will be my final as a professional rugby league player for West Sydney Rangers.
I do not make this announcement with a heavy heart. Fifteen years is a long time to play professional footy. We all put our bodies through the wringer week in, and week out. I've suffered more than my fair share of injuries. I still have niggles each and every day. This is one of the toughest sports on earth, and I want to retire while I still feel that my body isn't on the verge of completely falling apart.
