He said his decision to hang up the boots was tough in hindsight, after his father's day desire to have a photo with him and his kids with the Canberra Raiders Cup trophy was finally full-filled.

"I'm going to have to re-think the decision now I think," Rutland said as a joke.

Rutland admitted it had been a long time between drinks since he last tasted premiership glory, especially losing the grand final to the Queanbeyan Kangaroos last year by one-point in extra time, but said improved discipline from his teammates this year made all the difference.

"I think that helped. The boys turned up week in, week out for two hour sessions, and the commitment brought us a long way."

His work load in the match was inspirational, and he said before the match he had a personally goal of leading the forward pack from the front, adding his adrenalin lifted even more when the game hit extra time.

Rutland said getting older in age and helping his wife Kaylee raise a young family were his reasons for retiring, but he said he was interested in coaching, and would be in talks with the club so see what he might be able to do.

"The body, the family life and balancing the whole lot was why I had to retire," he said.