Leeds Rhino Stevie Ward was ready to retire from rugby league

Stevie Ward admits that he contemplated retiring from rugby league after dislocating a shoulder against Hull.

The Leeds Rhino suffered the injury during his team's 18-16 victory, which earned them a spot at this year's Grand Final at Old Trafford.

However, the 23-year-old forward made a miraculous recovery to take his place in Manchester, just eight days later, when the Rhinos beat Castleford 24-6.

Ward played all 80 minutes of the final and made 40 tackles but, just one week earlier, his chances of playing in the match appeared hopeless.

Ward had missed the 2015 Grand Final because of a serious knee injury and he feared the worst again when he hurt his shoulder at Headingley.

The second-rower said: "There were moments in the early hours of Saturday morning when I was giving in.

"I was giving in and moving on. I didn't think I could go through another process, coming back from injury and missing a final.

"To have my shoulder still out at 9am on Saturday morning in that pain - morphine wasn't touching it - I probably couldn't think straight.

"On Sunday night I had it in a sling. I got up and tried to move it around and I thought 'there's a week in this to get back'.

"I knew I had to make the decision then on the Sunday. I picked my belief up and made the decision that I'd play and then everything came in around that.

"That mindset helped me pick it up this week to help play in a Grand Final and put a performance in.

"I knew from Monday I'd play. Obviously, I had to prove my fitness and get in the team but I wasn't missing it.

"To be in this position right now, going from the complete opposite end of the spectrum in rugby league in a week, is surreal. It's a bit of a shock. The top feels so much better from the bottom."

Ward admits he was concerned by the injury during Saturday's game and, at one point, was seen holding his shoulder in obvious discomfort.

He added: "I landed on it a bit funny and it didn't like it. I was a bit wary of it the whole game.

"There's always a danger of making it worse and a danger of me going out with a bad left shoulder and doing my right knee.

"It's sore now. I couldn't really feel it at the end of the game but it's starting to pick up now.

"I've played all my life with sore shoulders. I can remember playing bulldogs at school at 11 years old and dislocating my AC joint.

"Two weeks later I put pads on and put bubble wrap over my left shoulder and ended up playing for Churwell Chiefs against Fev Lions - so this is just another episode."