Former agent of Jacques O’Neill reveals his wage at Castleford Tigers

If there is one thing that has taken social media by storm in recent weeks it is Love Island.

The ITV2 show where contestants aim to find love in a villa for eight weeks is watched by millions, with those who take part enjoying a great spike in social media followers and fame.

That can, of course, go one of two ways – either negative or positive coverage, but former Castleford Tigers star Jacques O’Neill has had a majority of good exposure.

O’Neill left the villa midway through his stay, citing mental health reasons for his departure after it all got too much for him watching his then partner Paige Thorne talk to new boy Adam Collard.

However, rugby league failed to take advantage of the potential of O’Neill’s stay in the villa, with his former agent – Craig Harrison of Show Me The Money UK revealing the short-sightedness of those involved in the sport.

“This was the greatest opportunity for our sport to grab awareness of social media,” Harrison said on The Full Eighty Minutes podcast.

“But when he came out and he no longer had a contract it was all like ‘do us a favour’ and ‘can you do this for me?’

“Others would say on social media ‘what’s he done that for?'”

And, Harrison has revealed that O’Neill’s yearly potential in the world of social media would stamp all over a wage given in a rugby league career.

“His average earnings in rugby league will not amass to what he can earn in one year doing this, even for endorsing a product,” Harrison continued.

“He wouldn’t have been on a fourth of £140,000 at Castleford. He will earn more in one year than he would in a 15-year career. people say he would only be there for a year or two, so what?”

The journey to stardom has already begun for O’Neill with over 1.3 million followers on Instagram making the sport sit up and take note of the potential of such a program as Love Island.