Castleford Tigers recall shunned overseas star Mikaele Ravalawa from Championship loan

Castleford Tigers have recalled Fiji international Mikaele Ravalawa from his loan spell at Championship outfit Doncaster.

Ravalawa was among Cas’ top signings ahead of 2026, signing a three-year deal as he arrived at The Jungle following a successful NRL career.

Still only 28, the winger – who was born on the Galoa Island – had scored 67 tries in 101 first-grade appearances Down Under.

The bulk of those games came in a St George Illawarra Dragons shirt, and with a handful of games also played on loan for South Sydney Rabbitohs last season, big things were expected of the overseas ace.

But he has not delivered so far for the Tigers, scoring only four tries in 12 appearances across all competitions for the Super League club.

Castleford Tigers recall shunned overseas star Mikaele Ravalawa from Doncaster loan

At the back end of last month, Ravalawa was shipped out on a season-long loan deal to Championship high-flyers Doncaster.

He has gone on to play just two games for the Dons though, and has now been recalled by parent club Cas, who remain without head coach Ryan Carr: stood down amid internal matters.

Ravalawa scored a brace on debut for Doncaster as they beat fellow play-off side Oldham, but was then not on the scoresheet last weekend as Richard Horne’s side scored a whopping 120 points unanswered against North Wales Crusaders.

The Dons now sit fifth on the Championship ladder, and have four games remaining of the regular season before they enter the play-offs, starting this evening (Wednesday) as they make a long midweek trip up to Cumbria to take on Barrow Raiders.

Instead of being involved in that second tier clash, Ravalawa will now return to contention for Cas, whose next Super League encounter sees them visit Hull FC on Friday night.

The Tigers have won just one of their last seven games, and sit 11th on the Super League ladder, with five games still to play before their 2026 campaign reaches its conclusion.

This weekend’s opponents Hull are just two competition points worse off than the Fords, who will again be led by Director of Rugby Chris Chester at the MKM Stadium as Australian head coach Carr’s absence goes on.

Following the trip to Hull, Cas’ remaining games in 2026 are as follows: St Helens (A), Catalans Dragons (H), Bradford Bulls (A), Huddersfield Giants (A).

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