Hull KR CEO on Tom Amone, the competition they fought off and why he’s set to ‘hit the ground running’

Tom Amone is in a position to ‘hit the ground running’ at Hull KR next season as he prepares to make the switch to Craven Park. That’s according to Rovers CEO Paul Lakin, who has spoken about the competition the club faced to sign him from Canterbury Bulldogs for the 2026 season.

Amone left Super League at the end of last season to join up with the Bulldogs, but he failed to make a first-team appearance over the opening few weeks of the season and opted for an immediate return to England. As such, the prop will spend the remainder of the season with Castleford Tigers before taking up a three-year deal with the Robins from 2026.

So far he has made two appearances for the Tigers, but he is living in Hull and has been in regular contact with Willie Peters and Lakin in regards to next year and beyond. Amone even made the choice to attend last Saturday’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Catalans Dragons to watch and cheer on his future teammates.

“Tom Amone is a big signing for us and he’s someone we thought was the best prop in Super League when he was playing for Leigh,” Lakin told Serious About Rugby League. “He’s someone that Willie knows well personally also and he’ll be replacing Jarad next year.

“We’ve already brought him over and he’s playing for Castleford, so that’s good for us that he’s in the Super League environment.

“He wanted to give himself the best chance to secure a spot with the Bulldogs and despite other reports there was a lot of interest in Tom Amone. We fought hard to get him.

“We think it’s a pivotal signing for us, he’s over here and living in Hull, which is great for us because we can speak to him on a week to week basis and he was at the semi-final at the weekend. He’d been to train for Castleford and then wanted to come and watch us, so that’s great and we feel like we can hit the ground running with Tom for next season.”

Hull KR CEO explains Jumah Sambou signing

Rovers have already managed to bring in Arthur Mourgue and Noah Booth, while Jumah Sambou is the only other man announced for next season. Unfortunately, though, the Oldham centre will miss the rest of the Championship season after picking up a hamstring injury that requires surgery.

Lakin admits Rovers have been watching Sambou for some time and they’ve signed him on the belief that he can thrive under the stewardship of Peters.

“Sambou is one we’ve had our eye on for a while,” the chief executive added. “He was in the St Helens academy and I think in his final year he got an ACL.

“He’s worked his way back through the Championship and he had a great year for Oldham in League One last year. He started well this year and played well against us in the Challenge Cup, so he’s someone we think if we can get him in our environment and culture, he could thrive.”