COUGARS stand-off Paul Handforth admits he is undecided about whether he will be playing at Cougar Park beyond this season.

The 33-year-old playmaker is coming to the back end of his career and has not ruled out the prospect of continuing for another year.

Talks with player-coach Paul March have been put on hold for the time being and Handforth’s main priority is helping the club to promotion.

The former Wakefield and Castleford player said: “I haven’t sorted anything out for next season yet.

“I’ve spoken with Paul and we’ve had a little chat but I need to see what his plans are.

“I’m 33 now and if there are young half-backs coming through then I don’t want to hold them back.

“Then again, if Paul thinks I can be a valuable asset to the side, then it’s something to look at.

“There isn’t any other club I would want to play for. We have a great set-up, a great set of lads and great fans.

“I said to Paul we would wait until the end of the season and make a call on it then.

“We’ve got young Adam Brook and Liam Darville, but they probably do need a more experienced head in there.

“Paul came to me about three or four weeks ago and I said ‘look Marchy, I’m not going to be running off and signing for anyone else’.

“I said ‘let’s get this year out of the way and then sort it from there’.”

Handforth admitted Cougars got what they deserved in last Sunday’s Promotion Final at Oldham but he is determined to make amends in this weekend's visit of North Wales Crusaders.

He said: “It’s disappointing because the best team won, without a doubt.

“They ran harder and they tackled harder than us. Should we have been playing them?

“I don’t think so because they finished top and have been the best team all year.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down now but it’s going to be tough.

“You get yourself up for a game and you prepare to win, but we’ve got a home game now against North Wales.

“We’ve had two close games against them – they have won one and we have won one – but we’ve just got to get back on the horse and stick together.

“It’s in our own hands. We didn’t come up with a performance at Oldham but like I said, I don’t think the set-up is right.

“We’re now playing a side who have just had a week off, despite finishing lower than us in the league.

“But it’s still there for us and we’ve been through so many ups and downs this season that I’m sure we will be able to bounce back again.

“We’ve gone through a number of obstacles and this is just another one on the journey.”