NRLW trailblazer Ali Brigginshaw says constant speculation about her playing future is what pushed her into announcing her retirement.
The Brisbane veteran confirmed last month she would hang up the boots at the end of the 2026 season after a decorated playing career that began well before the NRLW's inception in 2018.
Brigginshaw shares the record for most NRLW games with Keeley Davis, has won three premierships, three State of Origin series and three World Cup titles.
But the star playmaker entered the 2025 season with questions about her future growing louder, following an uncharacteristically quiet Origin series for Queensland.
Ahead of this year's NRLW finals series, Brigginshaw pointed to the noise as the major factor in her decision to call time.
"Probably the pressure of people constantly asking when am I retiring, and (saying) surely she retires this year. All those questions, I guess it weighed on me," she told AAP.
"Every media article that's out there on Facebook and things like that (the comments) are like 'she should retire, she should do this', it's like people telling me what to do."
Brigginshaw will turn 36 in December and is the only player born in the 1980s to have made an appearance this NRLW season.
For comparison, the only older player in the men's competition this year was Daly Cherry-Evans, whose own future has also long been subject to intrigue.
As she prepares for Brisbane's grand final qualifier next weekend, Brigginshaw said she still felt physically capable of competing with the younger players.
"It was just hard to say it (retire) because my body feels great," she said.
"So I'm like, 'Why stop when your body feels the way it does and when I'm enjoying my footy more than ever?'
"But I think I can still offer this game a lot off the field. It's something that I'll always be involved in, in a coaching capacity, in the media, whatever it is."
Brigginshaw said finally making the call on her future had lifted a weight off her shoulders ahead of the Broncos' premiership push.
Brisbane's only loss for the season has come at the hands of the undefeated Sydney Roosters, with the Broncos set to host either Gold Coast or Newcastle in next weekend's preliminary final.
"Now that I've actually said it (I'm retiring), I think people have backed off and some people are just praising and being really supportive of me," Brigginshaw said.
"My team are so supportive, I'm lucky to have them I just feel like now I just get to enjoy the last couple of years.
"You'll see me having a laugh on the field and enjoying my mates' company and I think that's what it's all about.
"This game has given me so much and I feel really loved by the teams I play against, coaches, family, all of that, with where I'm at."
