Laybutt Brings Down Curtain on Professional Footy

Cult hero and Townsville Blackhawks stalwart, Kyle Laybutt, has announced his retirement from playing professional rugby league due to personal reasons.  

With an illustrious rugby league career spanning over a decade, Laybutt made 124 appearances in the Queensland Cup, 2 NRL matches for the Cowboys, and most notably, he has 14 Tests under his belt with the PNG Kumuls at the national level. 

Laybutt clarified that he wasn't retiring completely from playing rugby league, but he wanted to focus on some personal pursuits, and if an opportunity arises in the future, he would accept the offer. 

“I'm not retiring. I've just stepped away from the Blackhawks this year (2025) and don't want to relocate to play, so I'm just playing local footy,” he explained. 

“I've been approached by a few clubs but just with life at the moment, I don't want to move towns to continue playing. 

“However, I'll return to the Blackhawks if they want me to play for them in the future. Right now, I just want to focus on my life and see how things turn out."

The 29-year-old said he would concentrate on local or amateur footy in the meantime while trying to deal with personal matters before returning to professional football, if an opportunity comes knocking at his door in the future.