Castleford Tigers man opens up on future and talks potential exit

Castleford Tigers man Luke Hooley admits he’d be happy to stay at Bradford Bulls, where he is currently on loan. Hooley joined up with the Bulls last month after struggling to force his way into Danny McGuire’s Wheldon Road plans.

Since then he has made six appearances for the club, with a try and 16 goals coming along the way. His debut came in the Challenge Cup loss to Salford Red Devils, but he has since helped the club to four straight wins in all competitions and that included a victory over Sheffield Eagles in the 1895 Cup semi-finals.

As such, the Bulls can look forward to a 1895 Cup semi-final against York Knights, but it remains to be seen if Hooley will still be with the club to be involved. The full-back’s loan was for two months initially and that means he will be due to return to the Tigers unless an extension agreement can be reached between the clubs.

With Tex Hoy starring in the number one slot for the Tigers, game time looks set to be hard to come by for Hooley in Super League and therefore remaining at Bradford might just make sense. That’s something the 26-year-old is more than open to as well, insisting he would be keen to stay until the end of the season if it made sense to do so.

Castleford Tigers’ Luke Hooley talks future plans as loan deal comes to an end

“There’s a lot going on but ultimately I hung around for someone to get injured,” Hooley said to West Yorkshire Radio Rugby League. “Fletcher Rooney was playing well and then so was Tex Hoy.

“I’m 27 this year, I can’t hang around much more – I’m not an 18-year-old kid anymore. I just wanted to play. I stayed around five weeks and then just said I wanted to go on loan and play.

“That’s how you enjoy your rugby again. I’ve had two seasons in Super League and both were very tough and inconsistent.

“As long as I’m playing, I am happy whether that’s going back to Cas and hopefully getting a shot there or, if not, then I’d love to stay here and enjoy my time at Bradford.

“If everything is right on both ends and everyone is happy then I would be happy to come here for the rest of the season and then see what happens in the future.”

On his time at Bradford so far, Hooley added: “It’s been very easy to fit in, it’s been enjoyable. The lads are such an easy bunch to get on with and there’s no egos there.

“There are lots of big names but everyone is on the same wavelength and aiming for the same goal.”