NRL premiership winner Daniel Mortimer announces his retirement from playing career

It's round two of the Peter McDonald Premiership and Orange CYMS are playing at 'The Graveyard', the colloquial name given to Wellington Cowboys' home ground.

Minutes into the game, CYMS captain-coach Daniel Mortimer collides with his barnstorming second-rower Ethan Bereyne.

The result?

17 stitches and a concussion for the halfback, and a slight bruise for Bereyne.

It's there and then that Mortimer decided 2022 was to be his final playing year in rugby league.

"It was always going to be my last year and people say when you know you know," he said.

"Copping that big face knock with 17 stitches (cemented the decision)."

Then only a few weeks later, fellow former NRL player Nathan Stapleton suffered a paralysing neck injury during a rugby union game for Boorowa Golden Oldies at West Wyalong. Orange Emus' Andrew Regan was then involved in a similar incident around the same time. For Mortimer, it made the decision easier.

"It just started to become a bit more real about when's the right time to give it away, that helped my decision having those things happen at one time, it was going to be my last year anyway but that cemented my thought," he said.

"Now where I'm at, I've done everything I wanted to do.

"It was all about finishing where I started and playing with my brothers. There wasn't anything else I wanted to achieve in footy so you have to weigh that up, I'm ready to move onto the next chapter."

When Mortimer inked a two-year deal with CYMS for the 2020-21 seasons, it was a special homecoming.

2021 was without a doubt one of their best seasons, finishing with the minor premiership until COVID came around and ruined chances at the major award.

For Mortimer, not finishing with a premiership is something that'll leave him disappointed but this season's preliminary final finish wasn't what he expected.

"Last year we had a great opportunity but I'm really proud of this year," he said.

"We lost eight of our starting team from last year and I was quite nervous at the start of the year about whether we'd make finals or not.

"However, a lot of young boys really bought in, we scraped together a team and even with injuries, went one short of the grand final in a combined competition. It was a really rewarding year more so as a coach than a player.

"Not many people get their fairy-tale farewell but I had some bloody good times, I go away very content with what I've done in the game."

And part of being content for Mortimer has come from the amount of club juniors he brought into the side this season, with the majority well and truly justifying their selection.

"That was something I was always really focused on, giving young boys a crack," he said.

"One reason I think we punched above our weight this year was because of a lot of those boys became stars after we debuted them last year and put faith in them.

"Players like Liam Kennedy, Pat Williams, Josh Board, Curtis Cantwell, a number of those boys we gave a crack this year and they delivered.

"It's a good lesson for any rugby league club, you've got to look after your juniors. We were half a game from a grand final in a combined competition, it was a big achievement. I'm really proud of the boys and while it wasn't an ideal finish I'm sure the club's in good stead going forward."

After sitting in the hot seat for two strange COVID affected years and then going close to claiming the inaugural Peter McDonald Premiership, Mortimer has had a whirlwhind start to his coaching career.

So it leaves a question of whether he sees a future in coaching.

"It does interest me and it has interested me," he said.

"I've really enjoyed it - it's a whole different reward because you're not just responsible for yourself, you're responsible for the team performance.

"The commitment to footy is a big one and right now it's time for me to give my family commitment. I've got two little girls and it's not that fun to come home from work and then having to say goodbye to go to training.

"I'm looking forward to spending more time with my growing family because I've been involved in footy for a long time - I won't know what to do with myself but it'll be nice."

It's no secret Mortimer will look back on his time in the NRL with a particular focus on one year: 2013.

A premiership victory with the Roosters was just rewards for someone who trained his hardest to get to that point.

And when reminded that the 10 year reunion is coming up, Mortimer can't believe how quick it's been.

"10 years, jeez that's flown," he laughed.

"A few of the boys have already started a group and are already tossing out ideas for a reunion. I don't think it'll be an afternoon get together, it'll be a good few days."

"Dad (Peter Mortimer) having won of a few grand finals himself, he said after the grand final 'the best thing about winning it is the reunions', so I'm looking forward to it, it'll be good to see everyone.

"That's come and gone very quickly, 10 years, it's crazy."

After a stint in Super League from 2017 to 2018, Mortimer made the move back to the Gold Coast.

There was a belief that he'd return there after completing his coaching with Orange CYMS but the halfback isn't so sure now, such is the enjoyment of working with his father.

"We're not too sure on the plans yet, I'm working with dad at the moment and loving it so that's thrown a spanner in the works because we were set on going back to the Gold Coast," he explained.

"We might extend our stay and pursue this for a little bit more but we're still yet to make our decision.

"I didn't want to lead the club on either but after my big facial injury this year that put a few things in perspective and I was pretty content to let the club know that's me done."

When it comes to professional rugby league players, not many have the opportunity to finish with the club they grew up loving.

Some prefer the city lifestyle, and for others it just might not work out.

But for Mortimer and CYMS, it was the perfect combination.

While it isn't quite the fairy-tale ending of a premiership with his junior club, Mortimer said playing back at home made him remember exactly why he loves the sport.

"I just want to say how happy I am to finish with CYMS, it's great to just finish with that bush rugby league mentality again," he said.

"When you do play professionally for a long time I did lose that bit of love for the game, sometimes you forget why you do it in the first place with the pressure of contracts and performance. Coming back to Orange reinvigorated my love for the grassroots game.

"Blokes like Mick Downey who was strapping me up this year and was there when I was 16 strapping me up, others like Fleur Vardanega and Al have reminded me what it was all about again which was a really nice way to finish."

Mortimer agreed there's a part of him that missed the connection that comes from a country rugby league community when playing in the city.

"Footy's the passion as a kid and you want to make it a lifestyle but sometimes with pressures of performance it becomes a job naturally," he explained.

"I've always loved the game but you forget why you fell in love with the game and a lot of that is to do with the people around it who give up their time, like the volunteers.

"That's been the most rewarding part for me, finishing up around that environment, remembering why we do love the game and why it's such an important community game - the game itself is fantastic but the people around it is what makes it. It's nice to finish like that."

And as for any advice he'd give a youngster aiming to follow the same pathway from country footy to the NRL?

"Think of the big picture, try and remind yourself why you're doing it and why you love the game," he said.

"It's a whole different game to go from playing country footy to move away, there's some really tough times and you've got to push through but never forget why you love the game and the things that made you fall in love with the game.

"There were times I forgot about that but as I said it's so nice to finish at CYMS and the last few years have reminded me of all that."

With his time split between sitting on the sidelines and playing in the arena, Mortimer was able to get a view from both perspectives over the season.

Having run his eye over most teams, he's landed a prediction for the Peter McDonald Premiership this weekend.

"I'm going to tip Forbes, coming off that second half (against us) and that underdog small town mentality will play into it a lot," he said.

"They'll have all of Forbes there and they were very impressive in the second half. I know Dubbo CYMS have stumbled in that last block previously so that underdog small town mentality might see Forbes deliver something special."

And as for the grand final, it's no surprise to see he's tipping the minor-premiers but he's not writing off his old mentor Trent Robinson to keep pulling out old tricks.

"I think Panthers are still the favourites but I feel if there's a team to do it it'd be the chooks," he said.

"Robbo's a master of timing his run and he's done it again. If it's not the Panthers, it's the Roosters that'll do the job."