St George-Illawarra Dragons’ Corey Allan has stunned the world of rugby league by announcing his retirement at the age of just 27: after revealing he turned down a switch to Super League too.
Allan was off-contract at the Dragons after spending two seasons with the club, the first of which saw him miss entirely due to an ACL injury suffered in training.
However, he was expected to continue playing going into 2026, but has instead decided to call time on his career after admitting he felt it was the right time to hang his boots up despite still only being in his 20s.
Most interestingly of all, Allan revealed in his retirement post on social media that an offer to move to England materialised after his release from the Dragons – but that he wasn’t ‘100 per cent in’ for a switch across the world to continue his career, leading him to instead decide to retire.
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“As the year is about to end, what better time to announce that I’ve decided to finish playing professionally,” Allan posted on Instagram.
“The opportunity to head overseas was alluring but I didn’t want to do anything I wasn’t 100% in for, so I’m content with my decision.
“I’m so grateful to have been able to live out my dream and until this day I have nothing but gratitude and happiness when I look back at what was.”
Castleford Tigers are among the clubs looking for an outside back to finish their 2026 squad, as revealed earlier this week by Love Rugby League. They had held talks with Allan about a possible switch, but will instead now have to turn their attention to other targets after the 27-year-old opted to retire.