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Paul Newlove, still the game's most expensive player, has announced his immediate retirement at the age of 32.
Newlove has played only five games for Castleford after joining them from St Helens this winter because of a foot injury.
"Paul has done his best for the club," the
Castleford chief executive Richard Wright said.
"He's been playing through the pain barrier, but it has proved impossible to remedy the situation."
Newlove limped off in the second half of Sunday's defeat by Salford, bringing to an end a career in which he scored 347 tries in 476 games for Featherstone, Bradford, Saints and Castleford.
A Great Britain regular for a decade, he set a world record transfer fee when he moved from Bradford to Saints in 1995 in a deal valued at £500,000.
Other European rugby league news:
Scott Logan has left Hull to have treatment in Australia for a persistent ankle problem.
The prop joined the club in 1991, but since breaking his leg last year, has had two seasons ruined by injury.
Hull have taken the Leeds prop Nick Scruton on a month's loan. Another Rhino, Liam Botham, is joining the London Broncos for a month and will go straight into their side to play Castleford on Friday night.
Super League clubs will vote on whether to allow the French club, Union Treiziste Catalane, into the competition for 2006 at their meeting in Warrington today.
The Perpignan-based side looks certain to get the go-ahead, with the leading clubs behind them.
Huddersfield have reiterated that they will vote against them, however, and Widnes have suggested that they should only be admitted into a competition expanded from 12 to 14 clubs.
- INDEPENDENT
