“Head and heart aligned”: Why the 42-year-old NRLW star feels now is the perfect moment to retire at the end of the season
After 22 years in rugby league, Steph Hancock will officially retire at the end of the NRLW season.
Though Hancock has previously retired and then come back—humorously noting she’s had “more comebacks than John Farnham”—this time, at 42, she is certain it’s the right moment.
Why? Hancock explains, “I want to be able to walk when I’m 50… which is only eight years away,” with a laugh.
Her decision underscores her colorful personality and storied career. To appreciate the significance of her retirement, it helps to know her background, which she shared on the Fox League Podcast during Women in League Round.
Hancock’s rugby league journey began early, influenced by her father, Rohan, a Queensland and Australian representative forward. Her earliest rugby league memory is watching old footage of him playing in the State of Origin.
“I used to love watching his old VHS tapes,” Hancock recounted. “I remember an Origin game where ‘Choppy’ Close’s elbow came down, and it was a full-on brawl. Dad ran out after Artie Beetson in that first Origin, and I always thought it was so cool.”
Rohan also played a crucial role in Hancock’s initial foray into rugby league. When she was eight, she joined a junior team coached by her father and made an immediate impact.
“Mum plaited my hair, I wore a headgear, and after scoring four tries and kicking two goals, the boys were shocked to learn I was a girl when I took off my headgear,” she said.
Her playing career was cut short at under-10s due to her gender, so Hancock explored other sports, excelling in athletics. She competed in the World Junior Championships and trialed for the 2000 Olympics.
Hancock’s rugby league career was reignited by a charity event she organized. After raising almost $10,000 during a local drought, she set up a women’s football match that drew significant interest.
“This game got so much attention that Killarney and Warwick teams formed and played Toowoomba, who were competing in Brisbane,” Hancock explained. “I had no idea there were actual women’s football games being played in Brisbane.”
The Toowoomba coach noticed Hancock and invited her to join the Brisbane competition. With her parents’ support, she accepted and soon received an offer to join the Australian Jillaroos squad for the 2003 World Cup.
“That’s when my career really took off,” Hancock said.
