Exclusive: Jesse Sene-Lefao opens up on Castleford exit after contract talks failed

Jesse Sene-Lefao came to the Castleford Tigers in 2017 with an unending enthusiasm and boundless energy.

He left at the end of 2021 in exactly the same manner, leaving his imprint on the Jungle in a manner very few have before him.

Sene-Lefao ended up making over 100 appearances for the Tigers in that five-season spell, scoring 16 tries, but the Samoan international feels he didn’t achieve everything he wanted to.

“I felt like I achieved a lot at Cas but I also had goals set really high coming over here,” Sene-Lefao told Serious About Rugby League.

“My goals of trying to complete that whole package of doing everything at the club, I didn’t reach.

“But the things I got to do and the stages I got to perform on and the community I was involved with were awesome.

“I’m really grateful that I got to experience it all.”

For Sene-Lefao, it is tough to look at the Tigers as they are gearing up for the Lee Radford age as well as the goodbyes that he had to say the players and staff.

“The only reason why it was so difficult is because they are calling it a new era.

“I did have some talks with the club about extending, but we couldn’t work it out.

“I think it was the group of players that I left behind, to keep a team together for that long is hard in terms of finances, so we all sacrificed a bit just to be together.

“That’s why it was so hard to say goodbye, because of the transition – it’s a whole new start for a lot of the boys.

“It’s just a big change, they’ve got a strong squad and I wish them all the best, but I’ve got big things to achieve to here at Featherstone.”