Paul Smith hangs up his boots

Former Huddersfield forward Paul Smith has announced his retirement following Oldham’s defeat to Workington last weekend.

Smith, 35, scored a hat-trick in the play-off defeat in Cumbria, which brought down the curtain on a career that saw him play for Swinton, Rochdale, Halifax, Huddersfield and the Roughyeds.

He said: “I’ve had a good run and I’ve played at the top level, so I can look back on the last 14 years with satisfaction.

“It was good to have a final fling at Oldham, but it was a frustrating season because we didn’t fulfill our potential and we failed to win promotion.

“On the other hand I found it to be a friendly club, full of good people, and I enjoyed playing for Tony Benson and, at the end, for Martin Roden.

“I won’t be playing regularly again, but if an assistant coach’s job came up which also required me to register as a player I would have to look at it.”

Smith scored 13 tries in 69 Super League appearances for the Giants.