Lee Gilmour set for Wakefield Wildcats return at age of 37

Former Great Britain international Lee Gilmour is getting ready to resume his career at the age of 37.

Jamie Peacock (Leeds) and Adrian Morley (Salford), who both turn 38 this year, are the only Super League players older than Gilmour, who began his professional career as a teenager with Wigan in 1997 and went on to play for Bradford, St Helens, Huddersfield and Castleford before moving to Wakefield, initially on loan, last year.

Gilmour, who played in the Wildcats' last 13 matches of the 2014 season to take his total of Super League appearances past 400, joined the club's coaching staff in the winter but remained on the playing register to provide back-up for head coach James Webster.

Now, with injuries to Webster's small squad, the Dewsbury-born second rower is stepping up his training and is poised to make his return just after the busy Easter period.

"Lee has started training," Webster said. "He had a really big knee operation in the off season, which wiped him out for a while.

"With the amount of people we had in his position, he was thinking 'I'll start training a bit later than I probably need to'.

"I reckon in two or three weeks, Lee will be getting closer to being able to play. He's keen on doing it, we'll see how he goes. It's really hard mentally and physically after Easter and, if all things go well, he will be available.

"He's a guy who has played 500 games but he's still fit and he still knows how to play. Realistically we got him as a coach first and back-up player second. He understands that. We'll see how he pulls up over the next few weeks."