Sam Wood is determined to turn over a new leaf and make the most of his fresh start with York Knights.
Wood is one of 15 signings made by the Knights as they prepare for their first season in Super League and he’s in the running to make his league debut for the club this evening against Hull KR in the season opener.
And, he’ll be determined to catch the eye after enduring something of a nightmare season in Castleford Tigers last time around. He was selected to go into the 2025 season as skipper by then head coach Danny McGuire, but the Tigers struggled for form and so did Wood, with centre eventually losing his spot in the side for a short spell.
He still had a year to go on his Castleford deal, but he insists his departure was nothing but amicable, with a move seeming to suit all parties.
“It was very challenging and I’m better for those challenges,” Wood told Serious About Rugby League about last season. “It didn’t quite go my way last year performance-wise at the start of the year.
“I hit a bit of form towards the back end of the year but it’s all about York now and I thank Castleford for those two years, I really appreciate that but now I’m looking forward to playing for York.
“We just came to an agreement that it was probably best for me to move on personally and progress my career. I’m fine about it and I thank Castleford for the past few years.
“I had a great opportunity to captain the club as well which I’ll always be grateful for. We shook hands and moved on, no animosity, nothing like that. It’s just a new opportunity for me and the club.
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“They’ve got great leadership here already, there’s people like Liam Harris, Jordy Thompson, Paul McShane, Josh Griffin, Paul Vaughan, they bring experience and I just want to add to that group. I just add in where I can.”
Wood then is one of a host of players in the York fold who could feel as though they have a point to prove this season with the Knights and that might just make Mark Applegarth’s side a dangerous proposition as they progress through the Super League campaign.
“I think there’s always that added edge to it,” Wood added. “Everyone wants to prove people wrong and there’s lads coming from the Championship who have never really played Super League before so they’ll be wanting to make a mark and prove a point in Super League that they should be here. It’s a really exciting time for the club.
“Internally between our four walls we’re pretty confident but we want to surprise some people and prove some people wrong. That’s our aim for the year and we want to be as competitive as anyone in this league.”
