Penrith have revealed captain Peter Wallace played without an anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee for two years after the tough hooker confirmed his retirement on Tuesday. Wallace will make an immediate move into the club's coaching ranks after a shoulder setback prompted him to call time on his 240-game NRL career this week. Panthers skipper Peter Wallace has called time on his 240-game NRL career. Credit:AAP However, it's the one final story of Wallace's toughness through ongoing knee issues that will typify his gutsy career. "It can now be revealed that Peter has played the last two years with no ACL in his knee after his last knee reconstruction actually failed," Penrith general manager Phil Gould said.<doc-sep>No matter which club you followed, whether you were from north or south of the border, you couldn’t deny that Peter Wallace was one of the toughest customers in the game. We already knew the veteran of 240 NRL games suffered a ruptured testicle in a 2008 State of Origin match – and played on. And we already knew he played the 2017 finals for Penrith Panthers with broken ribs. But it wasn’t until the Penrith skipper announced his retirement on Tuesday, just how determined, just how tough he really is. Despite the second-placed Panthers flying high, at second on the NRL ladder, Wallace announced his immediate retirement from the game in a career that started in 2005, with the rest of the 2018 season still to run on his contract. As the tributes flowed, it emerged the nuggety hooker had played for the past two seasons with no anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee – an injury that severely restricts lateral movement and stopping and starting, and for which most players are forced to resort to surgery. Penrith boss Phil Gould outlined on Sydney radio on Tuesday just how traumatic that injury was, and what it said about the toughness of the boy from the Blue Mountains. In 2014, Wallace ruptured an ACL and was successfully operated on, allowing him to continue an NRL career that was at that time already into its 10th season, Gould said. Then in mid 2017, Wallace suffered a groin injury that club doctors decided needed closer examination. “When they went for the X-ray on the groin he [the doctor] said, ‘I’ll just get an X-ray on the knee as well. It’s been a bit puffy lately’,” Gould recounted. “So they X-rayed his knee and and then they rang to say ‘look we’ve got some bad news, he’s done his ACL’. “Then the doctor rang back and said ‘Oh, we’ve relooked at this. There’s a bit of calcification there. He did it 12 months ago and he’s been playing without it [the ACL]’.” Gould explained that Wallace told club management he’d “just play on with it. Don’t tell anyone”. “So he’s been playing for two seasons without an ACL in his knee and various other injuries as well.” In an earlier statement Gould said he remembered Wallace playing on for 50 minutes in the game in which he tore the ACL. “Peter has been battling with injury for several years and has repeatedly played for the club with injuries that would keep the normal man home in bed. “He is a tremendously tough individual and his leadership has been wonderful for our club.” Determination forged by humble upbringing Peter Wallace was raised by a single mother at Blaxland, a small Blue Mountains town about 70 kilometres west of Sydney. His mother, Dianne, told News Corp in a 2008 interview she raised her son alone, working 40-hour weeks for 23 years to get by, making her boy “an independent young man … he’s always had to take care of himself”. Wallace has never met his father, who lives in Melbourne, and “doesn’t want to”, she added. Wallace played rugby union at high school and left after Year 10 to become an apprentice painter with the aim of earning money to help his mother. He kept playing league at weekends, until Penrith came knocking with an NRL contract in 2005. Wallace played two seasons there until a still murky falling-out that ultimately saw him go to the Brisbane Broncos. He played 139 games for the Broncos over six seasons, forming a successful combination with Darren Lockyer. He then returned in 2014 to the Panthers, where he played another 80 games. Peter Wallace’s 240 NRL games, 308 points and four State of Origin games may not qualify for him legendary status. But his toughness in one of the world’s toughest games probably should. Watch Peter Wallace in a ‘mic up’ against Canberra<doc-sep>Peter Wallace, one of the toughest NRL players in the modern era, says it will be sad not to be on the field but no less satisfying should the Panthers go on to win the NRL title without him. The Penrith captain was forced to retire on Tuesday due to injury, announcing the end of a career that included 240 NRL games for the Panthers and Brisbane and four State of Origin appearances for NSW. Retired: Penrith captain Peter Wallace. Credit:NRL Photos "I've always been able to play and train with injuries and a bit busted, but it's getting harder," said the 32-year-old, who had been sidelined in recent weeks with a shoulder injury. Penrith's general manager of football, Phil Gould, made the startling revelation Wallace had played the last two years without an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.<doc-sep>Panthers skipper Peter Wallace has traded the Steeden for the clipboard, retiring from the NRL effective immediately to join the Penrith coaching staff. The veteran hooker has dealt with chronic knee injuries throughout his career, restricting him to just 78 appearances for the Panthers since 2014, including just nine games this season. Tough to the bone, Wallace played the past two seasons with no ACL in his knee after a failed reconstruction. But the enduring toll of training and playing weekly finally caught up to his ageing body, pushing him to call it quits at 32 years of age. MORE: George Burgess earns England recall in Wayne Bennett's 19-man Test squad Penrith boss Phil Gould confirmed Wallace has joined the coach's box with a special tribute to the club great. "Peter Wallace has informed the club and his teammates of his decision to retire, effective immediately,'' Gould said in a statement. "It's an incredibly selfless act from Peter. He always had great faith in the young players coming through our system here at Panthers and has played a huge part in their development as both footballers and people. "Peter has been battling with injury for several years and has repeatedly played for the club with injuries that would keep the normal man home in bed. "It can now be revealed that Peter has played the last two years with no ACL in his knee after his last knee reconstruction actually failed. Management and coaches knew of his condition, but he didn't want anyone else to know. I can also remember him staying on the field for 50 minutes in a game where he had completely torn his ACL. He is a tremendously tough individual and his leadership has been wonderful for our club. "Peter will immediately take up a position on the coaching staff in our club. His experience and relationship with our players will be a wonderful asset for our program at Panthers. I can see Peter enjoying a long-term future in coaching at Panthers.'' Yes. Peter has joined our coaching staff and I believe he has a long term future in that role. Great man Peter Wallace. Incredibly selfless act. He is a great supporter of the young players in our club and has helped enormously with their development. https://t.co/4zEnAeiZnv — Phil Gould (@PhilGould15) June 11, 2018 Wide World of Sports' The Mole reports Wallace will tune his body in a limited training capacity in case the club needs to send an SOS towards the back end of the season. The former Bronco used the representative period to come to a decision, delivering a text message to his teammates on Monday afternoon to spread the news and avoid an emotional face-to-face breakdown. In the Origin picture at this time last year, Wallace was all but assured to rejoin the Origin ranks until a groin injury shattered his hopes. A year on and the Penrith leader finds himself again on the sidelines, this time managing a tendon issue in his shoulder that he picked up in Round 10 against Newcastle. In his place, boom rookie Sione Katoa has done a sensational job in an already-depleted spine that has lost fullback Dylan Edwards for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. It leaves James Maloney with even bigger leadership shoes to fill, but going off his record in the first half of the season, the club is in good hands at the top of the table. Wallace tallied 239 games for both Brisbane and Penrith, making four appearances for NSW and Scotland with two City appearances to his name.<doc-sep>
PENRITH hooker Peter Wallace has decided to retire from rugby league due to chronic injury issues. The veteran of 240 NRL games for Penrith and the Broncos will join the Panthers coaching staff. Wallace played four games for the NSW Blues and two games for City between 2008 and 2009, as well as four tests for Scotland in 2013. LIVE Stream every game of every round of the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership on FOX SPORTS. SIGN UP NOW > The halfback and hooker debuted for the Panthers back in 2005, playing 20 games in his first stint for the club, before moving to the Broncos in 2008. Wallace played 139 games for Brisbane before returning to the Panthers in 2014 and finished with 101 games for the club. “Peter Wallace has informed the club and his teammates of his decision to retire, effective immediately,” Panthers General Manager Phil Gould said in a club statement. “It’s an incredibly selfless act from Peter. He always had great faith in the young players coming through our system here at Panthers and has played a huge part in their development as both footballers and people. “Peter has been battling with injury for several years and has repeatedly played for the club with injuries that would keep the normal man home in bed. “It can now be revealed that Peter has played the last two years with no ACL in his knee after his last knee reconstruction actually failed. “Management and coaches knew of his condition, but he didn’t want anyone else to know. I can also remember him staying on the field for 50 minutes in a game where he had completely torn his ACL. He is a tremendously tough individual and his leadership has been wonderful for our club. “Peter will immediately take up a position on the coaching staff in our club. His experience and relationship with our players will be a wonderful asset for our program at Panthers. I can see Peter enjoying a long-term future in coaching at Panthers. “He has enjoyed an outstanding playing career. He now moves into the next stage of his life and Panthers will always be here for him.” Get the ultimate NRL experience on your phone with the new FOX LEAGUE App. Download it NOW for FREE on iOS and Android!