Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary has revealed his desire to finish his NRL career on a high before he turns his focus towards next year's move to France.
The 32-year-old shocked fans last week when he announced he would be joining Super League club Catalans on a two-year deal. The move came just three months after he announced his retirement at the end of the 2024 NRL season.
Keary said his family is excited about the prospect of moving to the south of France but declared his current focus is on spearheading the Roosters premiership charge.
"It's something my family's really excited about," Keary said. "I'm excited to go on a journey with them but I haven't put too much thought into it.
"Once we finish here I'll have the chance to sit down and reflect a little bit and I'll think about what's to come."
It's been a whirlwind seven months for Keary. The playmaker initially signed a one-year contract extension for 2025 with the Roosters in February.
Luke Keary announces retirement
In April he announced his retirement at the end of this season before making the decision to continue his career abroad.
The idea was first floated by Roosters, and former Catalans, coach, Trent Robinson and was initially dismissed by Keary. The more he thought about it, however, the more appealing the idea of a new adventure became.
Now, he joins a long line of former Roosters including Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney to play for the club.
"Robbo came to me a few months ago out of the blue and just asked me," Keary said. "I didn't give it too much thought at the start but he encouraged me to have a chat to [Dragons coach Steve McNamara].
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"Once I had the chat, one thing led to another and it happened pretty quickly and I feel good about the decision.
"There's a few Roosters boys who have paved the way for myself to go over there. There's a couple of boys to lean on and Robbo's got a really good relationship with everyone over there so the family's really excited about it."
Unlike many players who move to England at the end of their careers, Keary's departure comes on his own terms.
The five-eighth remains at the top of his game and was a member of the NSW State of Origin squad throughout this series.
Keary has formed a potent partnership with emerging halfback Sam Walker and helped the youngster experience the best season of his career.
The Roosters are also riding high, sitting fourth ahead of Saturday's clash with the Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium.
So Keary could be forgiven for thinking he had one more year of NRL in him but the veteran said it never crossed his mind.
Match: Roosters v Sea Eagles
Round 21 -
home Team
Roosters
4th Position
away Team
Sea Eagles
5th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
"There's a big difference between playing here and going over there," Keary said. "The NRL's a different beast. I've got no desire to play in the NRL anymore, there wasn't too much thought of that for me."
Keary is one of a number of Roosters departing at the end of the season, with Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, Joseph Manu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sitili Tupouniua leaving.
It's a group of players who have enjoyed considerable success in the red, white and blue and many of them featured in the back-to-back premierships of 2018 and 2019.
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The players' looming departure has been a motivating factor all season as their teammates look to send them out on top.
While Keary's destination may have changed, Roosters skipper James Tedesco said the desire to lift the NRL trophy in October remains just as high.
"It was a good opportunity for [Keary]," Tedesco said. "The chance for him to travel with his family and have a great experience over there, I wish him all the best.
"There's a lot of guys who are leaving at the end of the year. We want to finish on a high and send the guys off on a good note."
