Tom Briscoe announces his retirement at the end of the 2026 Season

Legendary Hull FC winger Tom Briscoe will call time on a stellar 19-year professional career at the end of the 2026 season having announced his retirement from the sport.

The 36-year old, who is widely considered as one of the British game’s finest wingers of the modern era, will bring the curtain down on his senior career that started in Black & White back in 2008, going on to make an astonishing 471 appearances to date, scoring 232 tries.

With seven senior honours to his name having enjoyed success with both Leeds Rhinos and Leigh Leopards during his years away from West Hull, Briscoe sits in the higher echelons of Super League’s various all-time record charts, as the competition’s ninth highest try-scorer of all-time, as well as enjoying a fine international career with England.

Briscoe will bring the curtain down on an outstanding playing career following FC’s final fixture of the season, aptly against the Rhinos at AMT Headingley where he enjoyed arguably the prime years of his career on the field.

Despite being Featherstone born, Briscoe made his name in West Hull, joining from amateur side Featherstone Lions in 2008, making his senior debut for the Airlie Birds at the tender age of 17 in the opening fixture of the campaign.

And it didn’t take long for the young outside-back to make an impact on his side, scoring his first try as an Airlie Bird against Castleford at the then KC Stadium in his fourth appearance in the irregular hoops.

But Briscoe arguably first raised eyebrows about his potential talent when he scored a memorable brace in his first Hull Derby outing against cross-city rivals KR in West Hull, including an unforgettable length of the field try, accompanied by iconic commentary by David Doyle-Davidson – “He’s gone eighty metres – what a try! – a fixture in which he would become the third highest try-scorer of all time, only behind Kirk Yeaman and Ivor Watts, and level with Clive Sullivan MBE with 12 tries against the East Hull club.

From that point on, Briscoe’s fledgling career would increase pace at lightning speed – he played a crucial role in Hull’s run to the 2008 Challenge Cup Final, their first appearance at the newly renovated national stadium, including a starting spot in the memorable semi-final win over Wakefield in Doncaster.

It would be an interchange spot for Briscoe at the national stadium, as Hull came agonisingly close to ending their hoodoo in North West London against the Saints.

Briscoe had made a name for himself in Black & White in only his first season at senior level, and from there, his spot on the wing was cemented for the next five seasons as a mainstay in the FC side.

He was already one of the competition’s top performing outside backs, achieving try tallies of 16,21, 22 and 17 between 2009 and 2013, and finishing the season as the club’s top try-scorer in three of those campaigns, as well as a Super League Dream Team appearance, alongside teammate Kirk Yeaman, in 2011 at arguably the height of his powers in a Hull shirt.

It was during the turn of the decade that Briscoe arrived on the international scene, running out in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Four Nations competitions, as well as the 2013 Rugby League World Cup on home soil – he scored 11 tries in total for his nation, and aptly made his final appearance for England at the KC Stadium against Fiji.

Sadly, his time in a Black & White jersey came to an end in similar vein to how it began – with defeat at Wembley Stadium on a disappointing day in 2013.

However, after bringing his time to an end in West Hull, Briscoe found incredible success in West Yorkshire in a remarkable nine-season spell with the Rhinos.

After finally getting his hands on the Challenge Cup in his debut season, he would go back-to-back with Leeds the following season, putting in one of the iconic final performances in the history of the competition, running in an incredible five tries against Hull KR and claiming the Lance Todd Trophy.

It was treble glory for Leeds that season, as he went on to claim the League Leaders Shield and a Grand Final ring in October – a title he would claim again in 2017, as well as another cup title in 2020.

He brought to an end a stellar spell at the Rhinos at the end of the 2022 season, but success followed him west down the M62 to Leigh Leopards – similarly to his debut season in Leeds, he claimed another yet cup title in his debut season with the club, once again against the Robins, scoring a crucial score in the 17-16 win – a try which saw him become the all-time top try-scorer in the fixture with eight across six appearances.

But, the pull of West Hull was too great for Brisc not to end his senior career where it all began, as he returned to the MKM Stadium mid-way through the 2024 season.

A further 64 appearances to date have followed since his return over the past two-and-a-half years, where he has played a key role in helping to develop the likes of up-and-coming stars Lewis Martin and Harvey Barron – two of the game’s brightest young wingers.

Alongside his career on the field, Briscoe has spent the past six seasons preparing for life off the field by completing a PhD in Sports Science at Leeds Beckett University, earning the title of Doctor.

He will finish his playing days in West Hull as the club’s ninth highest appearance maker and third highest try-scorer of the modern era, cementing his place as a Hull FC icon.

On the decision to call time on his playing career, Briscoe said: “It’s a decision that’s been coming for a while, but it’s been really tough to come out and publicly announce my decision to retire after 19-years. I feel like this is the right decision for me and my family, and I’m ready for the next chapter in my life now.

“I started here as a young boy – and if you’d have told me I would still have been here nearly twenty years later, I think I’d have laughed at you.

“It’s been an amazing journey – the highest of highs that you can achieve in this sport, and some tough moments along the way too. I’m incredibly proud of what I have achieved, and I’m privileged to have been in the position I’ve been in in this sport for so long.

“I feel like I’ve given everything I can to the sport, and to the clubs I have represented along the way. To look back and know I have achieved childhood dreams makes me feel incredibly lucky.

“It feels poignant that my final game at home will be against Warrington this weekend – the same fixture that started my professional career, and the last game of my career will be between Hull and Leeds – two clubs I’ve got the most history with. So it feels like the starts have aligned a little bit.

“And to bring the curtain down at the club where it all started is a great way to bring things to an end – it feels like a full circle moment.

“I don’t know what’s next for me – I’ve got a few options lined up, but I’m excited for whatever that opportunity may be.”