Kyle Amor, one of the modern greats of Cumbrian rugby league has announced his retirement with immediate effect.
Now 35, Amor had joined Widnes Vikings for the current Championship season but has been dogged by injuries.
He has played in ten of the club’s 12 games so far but has been increasingly plagued by problems with his shoulder and knee.
Widnes head of operations Chris Hamilton said: “He has sat down with me and John Kear and we have decided this is the right thing to do for both the club and Kyle himself.
“Kyle has been at the top level of the game for a long time and, of course, it I disappointing for his playing career to end this way, but we thank him for his efforts on behalf of the club and wish him well for the future.”
Amor had planned to finish at the end of the year after he made a final appearance for a Cumbria side in a match at Whitehaven’s LEL Arena against Wales.
In recent years he has also built a growing reputation for his pundit work on various tv channels where his affinity to Cumbria and pushing the county’s rugby league potential is often seen to the fore.
Amor started his career with hometown club Whitehaven where he made 25 appearances in his debut season of 2009. He was chosen as Young Player of the Year in the Championship and signed a contract with Leeds for the following season.
After a loan spell at Wakefield he joined Leeds first team squad for the 2012 season and in two years at Headingley made 79 appearances and scored 11 tries.
He then joined St Helens in 2014 where he went on to play more than 200 games, winning Grand Finals in 2014, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
He finished his full-time career on loan at Warrington in 2022 before linking up with Widnes in the Championship this season.
Explaining his decision to retire right away Amor said: “Unfortunately in recent months I have found it incredibly difficult to manage my injuries and meet the demands of playing rugby at this level.
“After much deliberation I have made the difficult decision to retire from the sport that I love.
“This is a decision that has not come lightly but I feel it is the right thing to do.
“The club is in a great place both on and off the field and I wish the Vikings all the success with their future endeavours.”
