Jamie Lyon retired in true Jamie Lyon fashion.

He thought back to all the fanfare surrounding Jason King when his long-time Manly co-captain pulled the pin and decided that that wasn't for him. So when journalists asked the obligatory 'are you going around next season?' question at the weekly media call at Narrabeen, one of the most laid-back characters in the NRL put it to bed there and then.

"That's the way I'd rather do it," Lyon told Fairfax Media. "Jason King, when he did his, was a bit more formal than mine. I probably would have liked the wife and kids to be there but I just wanted to get it over and done with, I suppose."

And so it signalled the beginning of the end for one of the greatest centres of his generation. Lyon, who will reach the magical 300-game milestone if he remains healthy for the remainder of the season, will finish up with at least two local premierships, a Super League title and a Challenge Cup victory.

Not bad for a country lad who, along with great mate Gareth Cleal, was almost deported the moment he arrived in the UK to begin his Super League career. "True story. We went over there, my wife was expecting our first and I went over with Gareth, Crusher's son," Lyon said.

"We didn't have the right visas and I was in the detention area where you wait and get questioned for hours. He got locked out and had to fly straight back to Sydney. It was a fair journey for him, a bit of a hiccup there."

There have been others. If there is a regret, it was the way he left Parramatta. However, his controversial decision to cut short his representative career was one he wouldn't change.

"I'm comfortable with that," he said. "People always ask me about it but I'm happy just playing club footy. It got a few more years out of me really. I had some ups and downs over the years, at Parramatta and then leaving to the bush and England.

"There would be a few changes there, I honestly regret the Parramatta one the most, how it all eventuated. There's obviously things I would have liked to have changed but that's all in the past. I guess you move on and learn from it and grow from it."

Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett tried to talk Lyon into one more season but to no avail. "I've been thinking about it for a while and now is the right time to retire," he said.

"I've got a couple of niggling injuries hanging around that have frustrated me more than anything. It's not just the physical things but the mental as well, I just feel the time is right."

Although his career started at the Eels, Lyon will be remembered as a Manly man. Not even a mammoth multimillion-dollar offer from the Titans could tempt him from the northern beaches.

"The Gold Coast were ringing my manager a few times but I never wanted to leave Manly," he said. "I love the place ever since I arrived here in 2006. I didn't want to go anywhere else."

The 34-year-old will leave several voids. There is already speculation Dylan Walker could return to the centres next year, while the club will also need to appoint a new skipper. So who does he think should lead the team out in his absence?

"Brett Stewart has obviously been there for a long time, he's a senior player," he said. "Steve Matai is another one, Cherry [Daly Cherry-Evans] as well. Down the track I can see Jake Trbojevic stepping in and doing a job as well. Even Nate Myles has leadership qualities.

"They all have their qualities, it's up to the coaches."

Lyon, whose love of pig-hunting earned him the nickname 'Killer', and a feature spread in Bacon Busters magazine, hopes to remain involved with the club in years to come.

"I'd like to stay in the game and with Manly if we can work something out if there's an opportunity there," he said. "If that doesn't come to fruition I'm not sure. I like my golf but I don't know if there is too much work in that."