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Almost two decades after topping the World with the Bradford Bulls, Brett Ferres is relishing life at the other end of the rugby league spectrum as he prepares to embark on a new adventure with the country’s newest senior club.
Goole Vikings have been making waves since they answered a call for League One expansion last year and were rewarded with a trip to London Broncos, who were relegated from Super League in 2024, in the third round of the Challenge Cup on Sunday.
Ferres, who lifted the World Club Challenge with the Bulls in 2006 and whose career also peaked in a home World Cup and a 2017 Grand Final win with Leeds Rhinos, is one a handful of eye-catching names brought into the club by their head coach, former Wigan and Hull FC star Scott Taylor.
The 38-year-old Ferres now juggles the sport with working long hours on the railways but says he has never regretted taking the decision to move into the part-time game, initially with Championship side Featherstone Rovers four years ago.
Ferres told the PA news agency: “I have always intended to keep playing rugby league for as long as I still enjoy it, and the chance to go part-time was a really exciting challenge for me.
“It’s not easy for part-time players – sometimes I go to training then have to jump straight onto a 12 hour night shift – but I’ve noticed that players at this level are in the sport for right reasons. It’s not for monetary value, it’s because they love playing rugby.
“I have some great memories from my career, especially getting the honour of playing my country, which was something I never expected to happen. But in its own way the challenge of helping to create something big at Goole is just as exciting.”
Ferres is joined by Jamie Shaul, a double Challenge Cup winner with Hull FC, at a club that has evolved with impressive speed from a side in the Yorkshire Men’s League to one given every chance of making an impact in a wide-open League One campaign next season.
“There’s a feeling of the unknown about it but it’s really exciting,” added Ferres. “As a club they’ve worked really hard in a short space of time to build a competitive squad that will hopefully pull off a few upsets.”
That could start on Sunday, with Broncos head coach Mike Eccles forced to name eight trialists in his 21-man squad for the Goole game as the club’s pre-season recruitment plans continue to be stalled by their quest to nail down a new owner.
“There’s no expectancy on us,” added Ferres. “Going down there is a good opportunity for us all to get together and go out and express ourselves. It’s a good learning curve and it’s a free shot, but I think we have a good chance.”
