Dewsbury Rams legend Nigel Stephenson hopes this season's champion side gets the same recognition as the heroes of 1973

Nigel Stephenson, at only 22, was a key part of a Tommy Smales’ Dewsbury side which, incredibly, won the top-tier league title half a century ago. To this date, it remains the club’s sole league championship title.

Success, albeit in lower divisions, has materialised recently in the form of the National League Two title in 2006 and the Championship One title three years later.

How apt though, that in this special anniversary year, the Rams have given a courteous nod to Stephenson and co by securing more silverware with the League One trophy.

“To win anything, at any level, is great,” admitted Stephenson. “To win a championship is great.”

The Batley Carr-born centre helped himself to a try and a drop-goal as Dewsbury, against all the odds on Saturday, May 19, 1973, defeated a star-studded Leeds team 22-13 at Odsal in the Grand Final after a gruelling campaign in a division which contained a staggering 29 other teams.

Despite finishing eighth in the regular season, Smales’ men went on to defeat Oldham, Featherstone and Warrington in the play-offs before their historic win against Leeds.

Dewsbury had come out on top. It wasn’t meant to happen.

Stephenson would go on to win two more championship titles with Bradford Northern but, in his own words in an interview earlier this year, “the one with Dewsbury meant more because we were all local lads”.

The same could be said for current stalwart Paul Sykes.

“Say they have a reunion in 50 years’ time, Paul Sykes will be 91,” joked Stephenson.

The stand-off has had a distinguished career in rugby league, representing Bradford Bulls, London Broncos, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Featherstone, before finally moving to his hometown club in 2016.

At 41, Sykes still shows no signs of slowing down.

Stephenson said: “I was 22 when we won the title. They used to call me ‘Young un’, but Paul, at 41, that’s magnificent, I’m really pleased for him.

“I retired playing at 39 and played in four decades but the game is tougher and harder now.

"I imagine it is tough for him. But it looks as though he keeps himself fit. He is doing really well.

“The young lads in the team will look up to Sykesy and he’ll remember them and watch their careers progress and blossom throughout the rest of their careers.”

The class of 2023 has been orchestrated by Liam Finn, who starred in those 2006 and 2009 title triumphs.

Now, 14 years later, in his first full season as a head coach, he has, perhaps, laid the foundations for a burgeoning non-playing career.

And Stephenson believes there are similarities between Finn and the legendary Smales.

He said: “I am delighted for the coach because he’s done really well with them. He has done an excellent job.

"Liam Finn was a great footballer and footballers tend to make the best coaches.

“Tommy Smales was a footballer. He wasn’t a shouter and baller, he was a thinker and talker and I have a feeling that Liam Finn is the same, just talking to the boys, telling them what he wants and explaining how he wants them to do it and that has brought them their success.

“All credit to him because that goes onto his CV. In his first full coaching season he’s won a trophy and that’s exceptional.”

He added: “I was assistant coach at York and Bradford Northern, and I coached a bit at Hunslet, and was a player-coach at Huddersfield. Believe me, it is a lot harder than you think.

“It is easier playing than coaching because you try to explain to players and if they can’t do it, or don’t understand, you get frustrated.

"It’s a difficult job and a lonely job. I am delighted for Finny.”

Popular Nige, as he was commonly known, joined up with former team-mates - including Mike ‘Stevo’ Stephenson, Allan Agar, Stevie Lee, Dick Lowe and brothers John and Alan Bates - from that title-winning 1973 squad for a special reunion at the Rams in May.

And that band-of-brothers feeling is something which he believes will engulf this year’s successful Dewsbury team.

“I have still got all my medals,” he proudly said. “When you retire, the things that you remember are winning things and special matches.

"Whoever is playing in this team now will remember it for the rest of their lives.

“Every day I still see what happened 50 years ago.

"I think Tommy Smales has got a picture of him lifting the trophy at the bottom of his stairs. Most of the players will remember and have pictures up and remember it by just glancing at them every day.

“I would tell them to enjoy the memories. Enjoy the camaraderie. You are making friends for life.

"All the lads that I played with, it’s like we’re brothers. When we met up the other week it was like we had never been away from each other.

“It will be the same for the Dewsbury players of today.”

We look forward to this current crop of Dewsbury heroes - including 91-year-old Sykesy - being honoured in 2073.