Wigan seek Withers replacement

Wigan will step up their search for a new full-back following the shock news that Michael Withers has played his last game.

Withers, 31, who joined Wigan at the start of this season after eight

successful years at Bradford, has been forced to retire after failing to recover

from a knee injury.

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With incumbent full-back Chris Ashton switching codes at the end of the season

and joining Northampton, the Warriors will be without a specialist number one

and have already been linked with former player Shaun Briscoe, now at Hull and

out of contract later this year.

Withers admitted he was devastated after breaking down in training this week

but insisted his long-term health had to come first.

He said: "It's heartbreaking to have to end my career in this way. I need

another operation which involves fracturing the knee to overcome the problem

which is similar to the one Andy Farrell went through some years ago.

"It would be a year before I was right again and even then it would involve

great care."

Withers made only seven appearances for Wigan, his last coming in the 20-18

victory over Leeds at Headingley in April.

He added: "I would like to thank Wigan, and especially the medical team who

have worked so hard to help me. I am just so sorry their efforts have been

unrewarded.

"Wigan are a great club and I feel sure they have a great future. I'm just so

sorry not to be part of it."

Withers was something of a folk hero at Bradford, where he played under current

Warriors boss Brian Noble.

He scored 108 tries in 170 appearances for the Bulls after joining them from

Balmain in 2000 and won three Grand Finals and two Challenge Cup finals during

his time at Odsal.

He won the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match after scoring a

hat-trick of tries in the 2003 Grand Final win over Wigan.

Australian Junior Player of the Year in 1994, Withers represented Ireland in

the 2000 World Cup courtesy of Irish grandparents and was called into the Great

Britain squad for the 2001 Ashes Series, although he never played.

Noble said: "Michael is devastated and so am I. I worked with him for a long

time at Bradford and he has been a credit to the game.

"But we can't argue with the medical people, and sadly this is the end of the

road for Michael.

"It was hoped the operation he had in April would be successful and that he

would play for us again this season.

"But he broke down at training and now needs major surgery which means he

can't play again."

Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay said: "We feel so sorry for Michael but it just

shows what a tough sport rugby league can sometimes be.

"We thank Michael for the effort he has put in to try to get back into the

game, but his own health must come first."