Former Bulls hero Stuart Spruce is considering postponing his retirement as a player yet again.

The 32-year-old Widnes Vikings full back, in the second season of a second spell with his home-town club, announced in March that this would be his last season, so Sunday was expected to be his final visit to Odsal.

But the Great Britain international, who was in his sixth season with the Bulls before injury caused what turned out to be a premature retirement in the middle of the 2001 campaign, is playing so well at the moment that he could be persuaded to play on in 2004.

Bulls team-mate Jimmy Lowes said of Spruce: "Stuart has been one of the best full backs of his generation. He is a great talker on the field and a devastating runner."

Widnes coach Neil Kelly is keen to begin negotiations on a new one-year deal, and the full back admitted today: "If I stay free of injury and continue to enjoy rugby as I am at the moment then playing next season is a possibility.

"Also I have been coaching our under-16s for the past nine weeks, and they are responding great, so maybe playing and coaching is an option too. After all, everybody keeps telling me that you are a long time retired."