FORMER Super League, England and Great Britain halfback Paul Sykes has called time on his career at 45 – after spending the last eleven seasons at his hometown club Dewsbury, for whom he has topped 200 appearances to take his overall career tally past 550.

Also retiring is ex-top flight and England secondrow Brett Ferres, 40, who over the last two years, has helped Goole establish themselves in the professional ranks.

By featuring eleven times for Dewsbury last year, Sykes set a new Rugby League record by exceeding the 26 seasons completed by Gus Risman, the former Salford, Workington, Batley, Wales and Great Britain back.

He made his debut for Bradford, where he came through the Academy, in 1999 and also represented London Broncos, Bradford again, Wakefield and Featherstone before joining Dewsbury in 2016.

Sykes, who played for England in the 2008 World Cup, had a spell as interim Dewsbury player-coach in 2022, and earlier this year was added to the RFL Roll of Honour in recognition of his lasting contribution to the sport.

Ferres, who represented England in the 2013 World Cup semi-finals, has played more than 450 matches over a senior career which started in 2005 at Bradford, where has also emerged from the Academy.

He later played for Wakefield, Castleford, Huddersfield, Leeds, with whom he won the Super League title in 2017, Featherstone and Doncaster before joining Goole.

Other Championship players to confirm their retirement are Batley duo, hooker Alistair Leak and secondrow Lucas Walshaw, Rochdale pair, outside back Tom Ashton and forward Jordan Andrade, Whitehaven hooker Callum Phillips and Workington captain and prop or loose-forward Stevie Scholey.