Ex-Leeds Rhinos captain Kallum Watkins leaves Gold Coast Titans

The NRL outfit confirmed on Saturday Watkins, 29, has been granted an immediate release for "personal reasons".

Watkins joined Gold Coast last June and was contracted until the end of 2021, but played only eight times for the Australian club.

Reports in Australia say he has returned to England to be with his father, who has contracted coronavirus.

Titans coach Justin Holbrook told the club's website Watkins will be a big loss.

“Kallum has only been here for a short time, but he is an immensely popular guy in the playing group,” Holbrook said.

“Every day he exhibited the qualities the club wanted from him – namely his leadership and his professionalism.

“I am mostly just bitterly disappointed for Kallum – firstly that he has to endure this awful situation with health concerns with family members and secondly that he has had to walk away from his dream of proving himself in the NRL."

Holbrook added: “He worked incredibly hard in the off-season and that hard work was evident in the form we saw from him at the start of the season – in the trial against the Broncos, and then our two premiership games against Canberra and Parramatta.

“For him to have to walk away now just as he was getting back to his best is devastating for him and for us as his friends.

“But family always comes first, and we would never stand in Kallum’s way of doing what is best for his family in a very difficult time.

“He leaves the Titans with our thanks and best wishes, for him and his family.”

Watkins scored 110 tries and 85 goals in 222 Super League appearances for Rhinos from 2008-2019.

He was appointed captain at the start of 2018, but suffered a season-ending knee injury that May.

He returned for the 2019 season, but was granted a release from the remaining year of his contract midway through the campaign.

Though Watkins, who has played 25 times for England, was initially due to leave Leeds last autumn, his departure was brought forward after he secured a deal with Gold Coast.

There will be no shortage of interest from Betfred Super League clubs in the three-time Grand Final winner, but finding a new club will not be straight forward with the sport shut down due to Covid-19 and players facing pay cuts across the competition.

At the time of his departure Watkins declined to rule out re-signing for Leeds if he ever returned to the European game, but the form of Konrad Hurrell and Harry Newman's emergence at Super League level means Rhinos are not in the market for a centre.