FORMER York City Knights player-boss Paul March has confirmed he is to hang up his boots at the end of the coming season.
The 34-year-old scrum-half, currently player-coach at Keighley Cougars, has intimated he will only play a bit-part role on the field this year, with Wales international Danny Jones and new recruit Paul Handforth now likely to take the half-back roles at the Championship outfit.
“I will cover for them... but I’ve played in Super League at hooker as well so I could always come off the bench in that position too,” he said.
“This is my last year playing and I will just utilise myself where I’m needed.”
March’s twin and fellow former Knight, David, meanwhile, admitted contemplating retirement last year but a desire to reach 400 career appearances has kept him going.
He believes he has “about ten” to go to reach that milestone, though this figure probably includes friendlies and possibly academy games as the official rugby league statistics put him on 345 first-grade appearances.
The brothers played for York in 2008 and 2009, with Paul sacked in the summer of 2009 and moving to Hunslet, and David following him to the Hawks at the end of that term.
Both made their first-grade debuts for Wakefield in 1997.
Paul played 109 times for the Wildcats and 129 times for Huddersfield before dropping into Championship One with York. He played 37 times for the Knights, 52 times for Hunslet and, since moving to Cougar Park in 2012, 42 times for Keighley, making a career total of 369.
David played 204 times in a decade at Wakefield, 43 times for York and, so far, 98 for Hunslet.
He did not play in the Hawks’ 26-0 New Year’s Day friendly loss to Featherstone.
Ex-Knights Luke Stenchion, Brooke Broughton and Aaron Lyons did make debuts that day for the south Leeds club, who, like the Knights, are looking to bounce back up to the Championship this year following relegation last term.
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