Justin Olam: Footy star who learnt to play with a water bottle full of sand instead of a ball is forced to make heartbreaking decision to quit the NRL
Wests Tigers centre Justin Olam has announced his immediate retirement from the NRL after struggling with a long-term knee injury.
The decision means the premiership-winning centre won’t be available to play for the Papua New Guinea NRL team when they historically enter the competition in 2028.
Olam had been a trailblazer for rugby league in the Pacific nation, starting out playing in his local village with a sand-filled water bottle before becoming the first player to graduate from the PNG Hunters Queensland Cup side to the NRL.
At his peak, Olam was the most devastating ball-running centre in the NRL, helping Melbourne Storm to the 2020 NRL premiership and winning Dally M Centre of the Year a season later.
His career never quite hit the same heights after joining the Tigers for 2024 in a swap deal for Shawn Blore, with a persistent knee injury largely to blame.
The injury required the 31-year-old to undergo platelet-rich plasma injections last season and undergo off-season surgery over the summer.
Wests Tigers centre Justin Olam has announced his immediate retirement from the NRL after struggling with a long-term knee injury
Olam, 31, has been a trailblazer for rugby league in the Papua New Guinea, starting out playing in his local village with a sand-filled water bottle
The hard-running centre won a premiership with the Melbourne Storm (pictured, in the 2020 NRL Grand Final against Penrith)
Olam barely participated in the 2025 Tigers’ pre-season as a result of the injury and did not feature in the opening three rounds of the season.
He announced on Friday he had played the last of his 117 NRL games.
‘I came here hoping just to play one game, and I’ve been blessed a hundred times over to have played more than 100,’ Olam said.
‘Hopefully, I can inspire a young kid, whether here or back home in PNG, to chase their dreams.’
Olam’s final game was the Tigers’ round-22 loss to North Queensland at Leichhardt Oval last season.
The Tigers plan to honour Olam in Sunday’s round-four clash against Warriors, as well as during the fixture against his former club the Storm on May 11.
‘He will go down as one of the greatest – if not the greatest – players to represent PNG,’ Tigers coach Benji Marshall said.
‘It’s been an absolute privilege having Justin at our club, and we wish him and his family all the very best in the next chapter of their journey.’
