STEPHEN FERRIS RETIRES AT 28

"Ulster and Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris is retiring from the game at the age of 28 because of an ankle injury"

BBC STORY

Shame he was a class act in his peak and never nice seeing young players having to retire but in the end health is more important.

Terrible, what an unlucky player in terms of injuries and the timing around those injuries

Yeah mentioned on a few other thread. Really unfortunate but not a surprise.

Absolutely world class player when fit. Has had a career many could only dream of but he had the potential to do so much more if he'd stayed fit.

Best player Ulster produced in the pro era and one of the best Irish players too. Best of luck to him.

Such a sad end,he was up there with the best players Ireland have ever produced.If he had been able to play a full career I think he'd be held in equal esteem as players like PoC and BoD,he had no weaknesses in his game.

Strange I thought it was the knees that were the problem.

Sad ending to a great, if all to frequently injury disrupted, career. And not at all a surprising anouncement.

Been a thought in the back of my mind for a while now, but never wanted to acknowledge it.

All the best to him for whatever he does. Such a shame to see someone so talented withdraw from the game early on. It's a shame that he was such a superman on the field, but he's been felled by an ankle injury. Not really a fitting way for such a gladiator to go.

From an English perspective, I still think he's one of the great Irish backrowers. Even though he left the tour early, he really put a stamp on the 2009 Lions. It's a testament to the way that he played the game that I really used to fear playing Ireland in the Six Nations whenever his name was on the team sheet.

Only 28?  Seems like he was around forever and that's some feat considering he wasn't around all that much (in playing terms).  So he certainly made an impression, and there was a comfort when he played that the mood of the team would be a tad more menacing and less willing to take backward steps.  

Only a few weeks ago when he returned briefly for Ulster, he caught a poor opposition player and drove and drove and drove him backwards at a speed of knots.  Wonderful to watch his physical force but the thing that really caught my attention was that he still seemed to be attentive to the opposition player's safety.  That's the thing that struck me most.  He was making a statement yes but he held the player tight and upright and just drove to make the point, not to hurt.

Of course the other moment remembered will be that other statement drive against Australia and Genia.  "We're here..and we mean business"

Real shame to see him retire, but to be fair you can't blame him. Sadly I think he will end up as one of those all time greats that never really got a chance to prove it.

SecretFly wrote:
Of course the other moment remembered will be that other statement drive against Australia and Genia.  "We're here..and we mean business"

There were so many other great cameos moments - I remember this huge hand off he did on Rocky Elsom when Ulster were playing Leinster, Rocky was a real talisman and he was just flung to the floor like a ragdoll.

The double charge and hand off on Lobbe against Argentina. Charging into that huge Georgian prop against Clermont and putting him on his backside.

Another was Ulster v SA in 2010, I think - Pierre Spies had peeled off the blindside of the scrum and though he was clean away only for Ferris to catch him from behind with one hand and haul him to the ground. Given Spies was known as the fastest forward in world rugby it was some effort. Just glimpses of his talent and physical gifts.  

Apparently Ferris was the fastest Ulster player in training this season and was hitting PBs in most tests. Its really unfortunate to think of what he could have achieved if his body hadn't of deserted him so young.

hate seeing talented players retire through injury . great player

Real shame that. Top class player. Best backrow player to come out of Ireland in my memory going back to the late 80s in my book.

Whats the injury?

Could we see a return with enough rest?

Only have to look at chaps like Steve Thompson, JW & Juan Smith to see how time can heal.. and he has 5 years left in him in normal conditions.
He hasn't played that much rugby... 35 games for Ireland, 100 times for Ulster in what 10 years as a pro? Add in B side matches, age grade etc during the beginning and thats only say 15-16 matches a year. .. perhaps his body can recover???

There are more things in life of course....

Too many injuries, taking too long to recover from.
Probably medical advice that the operations will become, or already have become, more problematic than helpful and therefore thoughts of how mobile he wants to be in later life are balanced out by how much he wants to push his recoveries in the present.

Terrible news for him. I was really hoping for him when it looked like he was coming back this year. Defo a player cut short in his prime due to injuries. Wish him all the best and am pretty sure that he will make a handy coach at one stage as he could really read the game.

I agree fly, in the end there are other things in life, sometimes its simply not worth it.

Juan Smith however has had an awful time though with injuries, so much so the cheetahs let him go as they didn't feel he was even worth investing in... on a pay by play contract... now look at him at Toulon!

Rugby players are well paid if they retire through injured mind.. as long as they have the necessary insurance (big if I guess). Steve Thompson got back 500k EUR for retiring early... although had to pay it back when he returned!

I think it was an ankle injury which finished him - after 18 months and 2 surgeries it hasn't recovered so presumably the prognosis is it isn't going to.

Aside to this he has had long standing knee issues and a lack of cartilage in one knee, Not sure if this is a factor in his decision or not.

I'd love to think he may make a shock return but can't see it.

Gutted for him. He was for me our best player int he grand slam year. POC/BOD/ROG got the major plaudites for winning that trophy, but for me he was in many ways our Bakkies Botha - a hard hard man who led from the front and whose work in contact and at the breakdown was the difference in tight games. Wish I had seen him play in person more.

Sad day for rugby when you here two top players in Stephen Ferris and Craig Clarke have to retire

The Juan Smith example is a good one. I think injury prone players should take a year or two off and then see how the body is. Its hard for the body to heal if its always being pushed hard. It might be the case that some players will never be able to recover properly but I've no doubt some would.

Stephen Ferris, from his own lips, (speaking on RTE) seems to be as comfortable with his choice as you can probably be about these things.  He's thinking long time and was advised medically that the ankle wasn't going to improve.  
So perhaps rather than torture himself going through more exploratory operations and more actual surgery, and more recuperation time, and more time spent trying to maintain fitness and bulk and all the other markers he'd need to keep reaching to keep his body at a level that would allow him to play again in a year or two years or three years, he's decided to allow his body to win the battle against his mind.

I remember Rob Kearney saying how absolutely frustrated and useless he felt when he was out of action a few years ago.... and that was a relatively short time of a few months.  I remember too how Paul O'Connell spoke about the loneliness of trying to keep going, keep fit, keep engaged with the objective of playing again when he was out with his groin infection, an infection that kept coming back to bite him often when he felt he was making progress.

I think Ferris must be just exhausted waiting on the sidelines for a full recovery that he knows in his heart wasn't going to come.  I think it'll actually be a bit of weight off his shoulder now and he'll be able to more fully plan ahead the rest of his life.

It's such a shame we were and are deprived of him for so long because aside from his ability and physicality he really has outstanding mental strength that few players possess. It's a resource that runs through teams like Leinster and Toulon and we need it, we really do. Thats what we'll miss most. He was born to win things.

He'll have a couple months off and be snapped up by Toulon a la Juan Smith.

SecretFly wrote:Stephen Ferris, from his own lips, (speaking on RTE) seems to be as comfortable with his choice as you can probably be about these things.  He's thinking long time and was advised medically that the ankle wasn't going to improve.  
So perhaps rather than torture himself going through more exploratory operations and more actual surgery, and more recuperation time, and more time spent trying to maintain fitness and bulk and all the other markers he'd need to keep reaching to keep his body at a level that would allow him to play again in a year or two years or three years, he's decided to allow his body to win the battle against his mind.

I remember Rob Kearney saying how absolutely frustrated and useless he felt when he was out of action a few years ago.... and that was a relatively short time of a few months.  I remember too how Paul O'Connell spoke about the loneliness of trying to keep going, keep fit, keep engaged with the objective of playing again when he was out with his groin infection, an infection that kept coming back to bite him often when he felt he was making progress.

I think Ferris must be just exhausted waiting on the sidelines for a full recovery that he knows in his heart wasn't going to come.  I think it'll actually be a bit of weight off his shoulder now and he'll be able to more fully plan ahead the rest of his life.

Crabs is preventable so he's only got himself to blame.     

Ferris is a player like Juan Smith or Richard Kahui that you wish could've played more games because you want to see the top players in action. It's certainly cruel luck what happened to him and the despair he must have felt as time and time again his body broke down doesn't pay to think about: it's despairing.

I agree Fly, while I admire his determination and persistence, it can be in no doubt that he left no stone unturned to get his body back to fitness and able to play again. That's what makes this decision, whilst a sad one knowing that all his attempts were in vain, in a way a decision where he can find peace of mind. He won't be wondering what if I did this, what if I did that? He did all that he could and it just wasn't to be. That would've been demoralising at the time but now it will tell him that the decision is the right one and he has a new and longer chapter in his life now. May he enjoy it.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:

I remember too how Paul O'Connell spoke about the loneliness of trying to keep going, keep fit, keep engaged with the objective of playing again when he was out with his groin infection, an infection that kept coming back to bite him often when he felt he was making progress.

Crabs is preventable so he's only got himself to blame.     

  Nice one,...  smartazz!

rodders wrote:Yeah mentioned on a few other thread. Really unfortunate but not a surprise.

Absolutely world class player when fit. Has had a career many could only dream of but he had the potential to do so much more if he'd stayed fit.

Best player Ulster produced in the pro era and one of the best Irish players too. Best of luck to him.

Agree, it's a shame. He was one of those very physical players who left everything on the pitch. Every game. Wonder if this is one of the causes of his serious injuries?

doctor_grey wrote:

rodders wrote:Yeah mentioned on a few other thread. Really unfortunate but not a surprise.

Absolutely world class player when fit. Has had a career many could only dream of but he had the potential to do so much more if he'd stayed fit.

Best player Ulster produced in the pro era and one of the best Irish players too. Best of luck to him.

Agree, it's a shame.  He was one of those very physical players who left everything on the pitch.  Every game.  Wonder if this is one of the causes of his serious injuries?

Maybe indirectly. A player spends a lot more time training than he does playing and if Ferris approached training with a similar disregard for what his body might have been telling him it cant help long term

Best of luck to him. Such is the life of professional sports people... they do earn nice sums of money but it can also all end instantly.