The 28-year-old had been a consistent and reliable presence for Manly across several years, but symptoms from multiple concussions, including one suffered at training in June, left him unable to return.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy body is in good shape, but my head is telling me it\u2019s time,\u201d Croker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had one too many head knocks, and the last one was the last straw. As hard as I tried to get back playing, I just couldn\u2019t as the symptoms persisted.\u201d Croker explained.<\/p>\n
MORE: Garrick confirms Manly departure with new club revealed<\/a><\/p>\n The Sea Eagles rake said discussions with those close to him, along with medical advice, helped him arrive at his final decision.<\/p>\n In some positive news, Croker will stay with the Sea Eagles in a new capacity, moving directly into coaching as the club\u2019s SG Ball head coach.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited about the next chapter in life and the transition into coaching, it\u2019s a big responsibility heading up the under-19s and helping the next crop of talent coming through.\u201d Croker said.<\/p>\n Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold praised Croker\u2019s character and work ethic and believes his shift into coaching is a natural progression.<\/p>\n Croker finishes his playing career with 129 NRL matches, debuting for Canberra in 2016 before joining Manly in 2018 and becoming a long-term fixture, with all but one of his NRL appearances coming as a Sea Eagle.<\/p>\n His final NRL appearance came in Round 15 this season on the Gold Coast against the Titans<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n