Castleford Tigers have made three signings in a week in the shape of young halfback Jacob Hookem, young forward Bailey Dawson and now a third young player in the shape of Ilikaya Mafi formerly of Hull FC.
The 19-year-old Mafi used to play rugby union and explained how he transitioned to the 13-man-code.
“I was playing rugby union from the age of 11 and then when I moved to Hull, I joined West Hull rugby league and since then I’ve been hooked. I then came through from Scholarship to Academy at FC,” he said on the club’s website.
“I was playing union in Oxford for a local team and then I played league on and off in Essex after moving there, but when I moved to Hull that was when I committed to playing league.”
Once again, backroom staff duo Rob Nickolay and Danny Wilson were key as with Hookem and Dawson. Meanwhile, former skipper Michael Shenton has played his role:
“It was good at Hull working with Rob Nickolay and Danny Wilson who came to Cas as well. Michael Shenton helped me a lot as well with developing my game in both offense and defence. I’m excited to be getting around a professional environment and learning from all of the players here.”
