THERE was a time when Wigan Warriors winger Dom Manfredi was being tipped for England honours – that’s how good his form was at one stage.
Debuting for Wigan in 2013 – despite hailing from Leigh – Manfredi quickly became one of the most talented wingers in Super League.
But, over the course of nine seasons, the winger found himself being bogged down by serious injuries, not least the ACL issue he faced back in 2016.
Despite that, Manfredi continued to battle, but hung up his boots for good partway through the 2021 Super League season after being told that he would need a complete replacement of his left knee.
For the 29-year-old, the realisation of never being able to play rugby league again was ‘strange’, but now he is thriving in a new line of work.
“At first, it was very strange because all I had known was Wigan Warriors and rugby league,” Manfredi told League Express.
“As I didn’t know what path to go down I didn’t put too much pressure on myself to find a new career straight away and gave myself time to think and look at different opportunities.
“Now, I’m currently working as an operations manager at a steel stockholder in Manchester. Out of the careers I was looking at this one jumped out a mile looking at how well the business came across on first impression and the potential progression there.
“The role is working pretty good for me as there are lots of transferable skills from playing rugby league and being involved in that kind of environment. I’m 13 months in now, I’m enjoying the challenge and looking forward to seeing where it can go!”
Despite retiring due to injury, Manfredi is keen to look at the positives of his rugby league career rather than what forced him out of the game.
“I could sit here and moan about how tough and unlucky I had it but I’d rather look at the positives I took from being so low and still finding a way to get through it.
“That’s something I’ll always take from my career just as much as winning trophies.”
Manfredi still likes to keep fit by taking his dog for walks and going to the gym, but he doesn’t think he will ever become a professional sportsman again.
“Since retiring from rugby I’ve still been very active,” Manfredi continued.
“I get myself to the gym after work most days and I’ve invested in a road bike so I’ve had a crack at cycling and I’m always out with the dog walking.
“In that respect, I’d struggle to find time to commit to another sport on top of that.”
