Melbourne Storm prop Christian Welch has been forced into medical retirement due to a debilitating back injury

The 30 year old - who captained the side in the 2023 season - played for the Storm for 10 years, overcoming three ACL knee injuries and a ruptured achilles tendon to reach 163 first grade appearances.

Welch also represented Queensland six times between 2019 and 2021.

He suffered a recent concussion during a preseason camp - which reinforced it was time to exit.

Welch heads into a post-playing-career armed with a masters degree - he's said before a future goal is to be the NRL's CEO.

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