Leigh forward Dayne Weston is to retire after just two more games because of injury, the club have announced.
The 30-year-old prop recently said he planned to retire at the end of the Super League season but has been forced to bring that forward because of an urgent need for ankle surgery.
Weston, a key figure in the Centurions’ promotion to the top flight last year, is set to play his final game against Catalans Dragons in Perpignan on July 1.
Coach Neil Jukes said: “Dayne will be going in for an extensive and brutal operation on his ankle immediately after the Catalans game.
“We have tried to manage this injury for a few months now but given the hard grounds and the extensive rehab being undertaken the operation is imminent.
“It’s been a tough few days for Dayne as the dawning realisation comes that his playing career is almost over, but he has dealt with it as a true professional.”
Weston, who will also be available for Thursday’s trip to Widnes, has been offered a role on the Centurions’ backroom staff for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, the club have continued their recruitment for 2018 by announcing the signing of Warrington’s Wales centre Rhys Evans.
The 24-year-old, who has been ruled out for the rest of the current campaign with a shoulder injury, has agreed a three-year deal and will join the Centurions for pre-season training in the autumn.
Bridgend-born Evans, who has scored 42 tries in 105 games for the Wolves, previously played eight times for Leigh during a dual-registration agreement in 2011.
Jukes said: “I worked with Rhys years ago and saw at first hand the qualities he had. Since then I have watched his career blossom at Warrington and when the opportunity came to bring those qualities to Leigh Centurions it was a no-brainer.”
Evans’ signing comes a week after the club completed a deal for former New Zealand international Bryson Goodwin.
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