Castleford Tigers recruitment update as Joe Stimson debut timeline shared

Castleford Tigers will hand Joe Stimson a debut on Saturday evening against the reigning Super League champions, Wigan Warriors – with Danny McGuire admitting there may not be any more mid-season recruitment at the club.

The Tigers have signed former Gold Coast forward Stimson on an 18-month deal and after arriving at the club last week, he will come into contention to feature in their 17 against Wigan.

McGuire admits he has been thrilled with how Stimson has settled into life at Castleford, and that he has no hesitations about throwing him in at the deep end against Matt Peet’s Warriors.

“He’s been really good,” McGuire said. “He got on a plane last weekend and he’s a good kid who’s keen to make an impression. He’ll get an opportunity to show that on Saturday night.

“It came about really quick, we had a couple of options and he was the one that wanted to get on a plane in the next hour. That shows the commitment and desire to the opportunity.

“I’m excited for him to run out for us and show Tigers fans what he can do. He’s very spirited and his expectations are he’ll commit to the team and do his best for his team-mates.”

Stimson is the latest in a long line of mid-season arrivals at Castleford as they look to refresh their squad following a disappointing start to 2025.

And McGuire revealed that while the Tigers remain active in the market and open for opportunities, Stimson could well be the last arrival this year.

When asked if there were more transfers in the pipeline, McGuire said: “I’m not sure. Like I always say, there’s always stuff happening and a lot of it is retention for next year but we’ll see how things pan out.

“We’ve a few injuries so there’s always potential to try and bring people in but at the minute, the lads who played last week will get a chance to respond.”

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