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From Championship champion to Super League success? Why QLT deserves his Castleford chance

When Quentin Laulu-Togagae first arrived in England seven years ago, nobody knew how much of an impact he would have on the British game.

For Sheffield Eagles, he made three Grand Final appearances – registering two victories and two tries – starred in a Qualifiers campaign where the Eagles were a couple of wins away from the Million Pound Game and featured in a Championship Shield final.

A sublime record and when you throw two Championship Team of the Season appearances in there, you can see why Toronto Wolfpack took him to the Lamport Stadium last year.

Surprising nobody this time, ‘QLT’ was brilliant for the Wolfpack in their inaugural season as they were promoted to the Championship from the third tier.

Although things didn’t go to plan for the Samoan during Toronto’s Championship campaign – the Canadians brought in Gareth O’Brien – the elusive full back got a chance to show his worth at Halifax.

In his final game for Richard Marshall’s side, Laulu-Togagae came up with a game-breaking play against Featherstone Rovers at the Summer Bash.

The former Souths Logan star probed the defensive line until piercing a gap and feeding Ben Johnston over the whitewash with five minutes remaining, making the score 18-18. Shane Grady’s conversion and a Scott Murrell try sealed the win for ‘Fax.

And that brings us to the present day.

‘QLT’ has been named in Castleford’s 19-man squad to face Warrington Wolves, another club who were previously linked with him.

Laulu-Togagae’s signing could well be the spark the Tigers need as they look to go one better than last season and claim their first Super League title.

He’s 33-years-old and it’s fair to say his arrival in the top division has come later than most expected but the quality in his locker still remains.

An out-and-out number one, something Castleford have lacked since Zak Hardaker’s exit, could prove to be gold dust for the West Yorkshire club.

His record in the big matches, albeit in the division below, is impeccable.

He can turn a game on its head in the blink of an eye and he has been doing just that since 2011.

You would be hard pressed to find a player more deserving of a shot at Super League than Laulu-Togagae.

And one thing is for sure.

As always when it comes to QLT, it’s bound to be entertaining.

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