NRL 2021: Brisbane Broncos captain Alex Glenn fears he may be forced to retire due to the NRL’s new rules

Broncos captain Alex Glenn feels like he could play on in 2022, but fears the NRL’s new rules may force him and others to retire prematurely.

Broncos captain Alex Glenn admits the NRL’s new rules may force him into an early retirement and fears he won’t be the last player to call quits before they want to.

Glenn is nearing a return from a calf injury that has seen him miss Brisbane’s past five games and put a dent in his quest to win a contract extension at the Broncos.

Off-contract this year, Glenn is weighing up whether to extend his NRL career to a 14th season in 2022 or hang up the boots.

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He turns 33 in July and is yet to receive any guidance from the Broncos as to whether the club is open to offering him a new deal, which would give him a shot at reaching the 300-game milestone.

After playing at least 20 games in each of his first 11 seasons, Glenn had a torrid year with injuries in 2020, managing only eight appearances in his first season as Broncos skipper.

Alex Glenn hasn't played since tearing his calf earlier this season. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The NRL’s push to increase the speed of the game has been met with mixed reactions from the players and Glenn fears it could cause him to retire before he is ready.

“I want to be honest with the club,” said Glenn, a Kayo ambassador. “I don’t want to drag them along if I keep getting injuries. I want to give this year a really good crack.

“Mentally, I could go on another year. But physically I want to make sure my body is right. I don’t want to be on and off the field. I want to be consistently playing my best footy.

“If I’m doing that at the end of the year I’ll be keen to go again, but I don’t want to make the call right now while I’m injured.

“To be honest, it’s the speed of the game (causing injuries). The demands on your body are so much higher than it was five years ago.

“You are pushing yourself to new boundaries and you have to back it up the next week.

Alex Glenn is weighing up whether to play on again next year. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“It’s a common denominator why teams are having so many injuries. The speed of the game is so fast now and it’s a contact sport. Sometimes you don’t have long enough to recover before the next game.

“You could say I’m getting older and don’t recover as fast, but the way I see it is the speed of the game, new rules and demands on players are causing injuries.

“It’s not just old fellas getting injuries, it’s young guys as well across all teams.”

Glenn has played 273 games for the Broncos since making his debut in 2009 and was renowned for his durability, rarely missing matches. There have been 42 players reach the 300-game milestone in the NRL, but Glenn believes that will be a thing of the past.

“If the game keeps going this way I don’t see many players reaching 300 games,” he said.

“I feel like the 200-game mark will be the 300 mark. It’s a very high demand on your body.

“These young guys can punch out five-six years really well, but later in your career your body will start taking a toll.

Alex Glenn believes the speed of the game is leading to more injuries. Picture: Che Chorley

“The game is enjoyable to watch, but from a player’s point of view it is very hard. You can only keep at that level for so long, in the future we’re going to see more injuries.

“It will become a young man’s sport. I don’t think we will ever see someone go to 36-37 like Cameron Smith did with the speed of this game. The game has been getting faster over the last 10 years with less interchanges. I don’t see it slowing down.”

Glenn missed Saturday night’s game against the Roosters and will sit out Brisbane’s Thursday night showdown with Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium. He hopes to return in the Round 13 game against the Dragons in Sydney and wants to have a strong second half of the season.

“Apart from this injury it has been a good year, considering last year which was terrible,” Glenn said. “Up until I did my calf, my body was amazing and headspace was good.

“We’re not winning many games at the moment but the vibe is a lot better than last year. I’m personally in a good state of mind.

“This wasn’t a big injury, you just have to be cautious with a calf injury. I want to get it right and have no more injuries for the remainder of the year.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Brisbane Broncos captain Alex Glenn fears he may be forced to retire due to the NRL’s new rules