Tongue calls it quits

Canberra skipper Alan Tongue has announced his retirement from the sport at the end of the current season.

Tongue, 30, has spent his entire career with the Raiders after joining the club as an 18-year-old in 1998.

He went on to make 217 first grade appearances for the club as well as represent Country Origin and the Prime Minister’s XIII.

A statement from the Raiders said:  “Off the field Alan has spent countless hours in the community and has helped and touched hundreds of people with his kind heartedness and fantastic spirit for life.

“An outstanding leader Alan will be missed by the club in his retirement, but is always welcome at Raiders HQ or here at Canberra Stadium.

“A true clubman, Alan is one of the few remaining one club players and will be remembered among the Raiders greats.”

Making the annoucement, Tongue said: “Over the past few seasons I’ve sustained some injuries which have been hard to fully overcome and I know that if I continue to force myself to play with these, I’ll be paying for it in the short term by letting down my team mates, but more importantly in the long term by impacting my life after footy.

“For me family has always come first and this has been a huge factor in my decision and I am ready to move on to the next part of my life.”