Wildcats keen to secure Sykes

Wakefield Wildcats will step up their efforts to tie down goalkicking stand-off Paul Sykes to a long-term contract.

Wakefield looking to thrash out deal for experienced half-back

Wakefield Wildcats will step up their efforts to tie down goalkicking stand-off Paul Sykes to a long-term contract following his man-of-the-match display against champions Leeds. The experienced 30-year-old, who played for England in the 2008 World Cup, has become a key player since joining the Wildcats on a loan deal from Bradford in March and contributed 14 points in their impressive 38-18 demolition of the Rhinos on Monday night. Sykes, who has formed an effective half-back partnership with Australian Tim Smith, is contracted to the Bulls until the end of 2013 but coach Richard Agar is hoping to secure his signature on a permanent deal. Wakefield are in negotiations with Sykes' parent club but the matter is complicated by the Bulls being in administration. "I'm not sure if anybody knows what's happening with Bradford," Agar said. "It's not just a straight-forward case of two parties being involved. "There are three parties involved and Paul is driving a really hard bargain. But hopefully we'll find some common ground and we'll get there. "Paul has taken a lot of pressure off Timmy. He offers a real steady hand for us at six . "I think defensively he's been impressive. He might have had some defensive issues levelled at him during his career but defensively he's been very strong for us. "He's happy in his surroundings and I think that is reflecting in his game. "He's been around the traps a long, long time. He knows how to play the game and they've formed a pretty effective partnership for us."