DEWSBURY RAMS veteran Paul Sykes has been hailed “a true marvel of the game” after committing to his 28th professional season.
Sykes has already broken the all-time record for longevity, surpassing the number of successive campaigns played by the legendary former Salford and Workington back Gus Risman in 2025.
But the hunger still remains and Sykes will play in the Championship next season, by the end of which he will be 45.
His career began in a different millennium, making his debut for Bradford Bulls in 1999.
He has made more than 500 appearances in total, almost 300 of them in Super League across two Bradford spells, six years at London Broncos and a stint at Wakefield Trinity.
Sykes has played for Great Britain and England, for whom he was in the squad for the 2008 World Cup.
Originally a fullback, he was one of the country’s top centres at his peak before enjoying an elongated final act as a seasoned halfback in the lower divisions.
Following a year with Featherstone Rovers, Sykes joined Dewsbury ahead of the 2016 season, already aged 34.
But he’s gone on to make 197 appearances, including 11 last term in League One.
Rams head coach Paul March expressed his awe, saying: “He is a true marvel of the game.
“His physical condition is a testament to his dedication, and his rugby brain is second to none.”
In a Rugby League World interview in 2022, Sykes insisted there was no secret to his longevity.
“My pace might have slowed down a bit but it’s all still up there in the head where you need it most,” he said.
“You’ve just got to still be enjoying it. In my case, since I was a young boy of five or six years old, rugby league is all I’ve ever done. I’m still enjoying it and as long as I’m enjoying it I’ll probably keep going.”