Castleford forward signs new deal

Castleford Tigers forward Jacques O’Neill has signed a one-year contract extension to stay at the club until the end of the 2021 season.

O’Neill signed for the club as a 16-year-old from Cumbria. He worked his way up and made his debut for the club in 2019.

He has made five appearances for the club so far in 2020.

Reacting to the news, he said: “I’m really happy to sign a contract extension, I wasn’t really looking anywhere else and I’m getting more and more game time too, I’ve been here since I was 16 and I’m delighted to have another year with Castleford.

“Hopefully, I will impress a lot and things go well, for both the club and me, that the next contract extension would be a long one.”

Head Coach Daryl Powell added: “Jacques is a go-getter, he’s tough as they come and he can play a couple of positions and I’ve been working hard with him to try and get him to play in the middle at #13 and he has taken to that really well, and as a hooker he is good as a backup to Paul McShane.

“He’s a developing player with a lot of work to do and he needs to make sure he continues to strive hard to achieve his potential. Attitude wise he is spot on, he gets after things, he needs to stay focused and I’m sure he will, and he will end up being an outstanding rugby league player.”