Luke Walsh sustained a significant ankle injury during the game at Hull KR in February that has prevented him from playing any rugby league and due to the injury has been unable to recover.

He has concurred with the opinion of multiple medical practitioners and has been forced to retire from his professional career.

Walsh, 30, arrived at the club last year and has been a key player of the 2017 season. He made 29 appearances, scoring 204 points (2 tries, 96 goals and 4 drop goals), with a 85% goal kicking percentage.

He previously played 140 NRL games with Newcastle and Penrith before joining Super League and Saints in 2014 where he scored 460 points in 63 appearances.

Luke Wash said: “I would like to thank the club for the support since I arrived, obviously the fans as well, all the players, I have made some good friends here and the coaching staff, especially Laurent Frayssinous who recruited me to the club. I wish all the best to the boys for the rest of the year and for the future of the club.”

Steve McNamara: “It’s always sad when a player has to retire early due to injury, Luke has tried everything possible to get himself into a position to play again but unfortunately that can’t happen. His commitment and contribution to the Dragons is something we as a club really appreciate.”

Club CEO Christophe Jouffret: “Walshy has been a great player for our club who always produced brilliant and consistent performances. His capacity to organize, his kicking game and his professionalism both on and off the field were second to none.”