Hull FC full-back Jamie Shaul will call time on his Rugby League career at the end of the 2023 season having announced his retirement from the sport.
Shaul, 31, will end a professional career that began in 2013, having made 200 appearances for his hometown club and cementing himself as one of the Black & Whites’ stand-out performers of the Super League era.
As a back-to-back Challenge Cup winner, Shaul was the man who secured victory in Hull’s first-ever Wembley win in 2016 with his match-winning try – one of the most iconic moments in the club’s history.
The one-time England international leaves the club with a significant legacy, alongside fellow Challenge Cup winner Scott Taylor who will also retire at the end of the season.
Like Taylor, Shaul played school rugby at David Lister before rising through the youth ranks at community side Skirlaugh Bulls as a junior. Having joined the club’s academy, Shaul was named as the club’s U20s Player of the Year in 2012s and immediately caught the eye of supporters and Hull’s coaches alike.
He was handed his senior debut at the age of 20 by then head coach Peter Gentle, memorably scoring twice on the road against Wakefield, before scoring a hat-trick in his second match.
Shaul immediately became a key player in FC’s squad, with his electric pace and safety under the high ball being some of his most eye-catching traits.
In just his sixth competitive match for the Airlie Birds, he started the 2013 Challenge Cup Final at full-back, and although it was disappointment for Hull on that occasion, he would etch his name into the history books three years later with the crucial score on the Wembley turf in the 2016 final.
In what would become arguably Shaul’s finest campaign to date, he was rewarded for his impressive season with a place in the Super League Dream Team alongside five of his teammates.
In 2018, having secured his spot as one of the competition’s best full-backs, Shaul was handed his international debut for England, assisting two tries against France at the Leigh Sports Village.
Shaul spent the second-half of the 2022 season on loan at Wakefield Trinity and helped the side secure Super League survival, but returned to FC ahead of the 2023 campaign where he was rewarded with a season-long testimonial by the RFL for a decade of service to the club.
He made his 200th appearance for the club earlier this month, becoming one of only nine players to reach that milestone during the Super League era, alongside the likes of Richard Horne, Danny Houghton, and Kirk Yeaman – fellow Hull born stars of whom Shaul will be held in the same regard.
Shaul’s professional career in Rugby League will come to an end at the culmination of the club’s 2023 Betfred Super League campaign as he begins his journey exploring other opportunities away from the sport.
