"We're proud that Boyd is a Group Three product,'' Mr Bridge said of the Old Bar-born Cordner.

"He played his first game of footy with the (Old Bar) Pirates in the under sixes and one of his last games as a junior was with Taree Red Rovers under 16s.

"Boyd's done everything in the game - played and captained his country and state, won premierships and State of Origin series, but he never forgot where he was from. He's always been approachable.

"Boyd's a credit to his family, his club and the game. On behalf of Group Three I wish him all the very best in retirement.''

Mr Bridge revealed that he almost secured Cordner as the special guest at this year's Group Three season launch, however, this clashed with commitments he had with the Sydney Roosters.

"We'll do our best to get Boyd here for one of our functions in the future,'' he promised.