Danny McGuire names ‘under the radar’ Castleford star as unused sub explained

Danny McGuire heaped praise on his Castleford Tigers side after their win at Hull on Friday – but singled out Zac Cini after admitting the overseas star has ‘flown under the radar’ all season.

The Tigers were worthy winners at the MKM Stadium on Friday evening, winning 22-14 with an impressive display that could yet prove a catalyst for the second half of their season.

Among their star performers was Cini, who shifted from centre to fullback in the absence of Tex Hoy and produced a stellar display.

And McGuire admitted he has been thrilled with how Cini has performed throughout the whole of 2025 across a number of positions since making the move from the NRL.

“I thought he was good,” McGuire said post-match. “He’s been really good for us all year. He’s flown under the radar.

“We’ve given him a bit of time to settle in and adjust to the country and it was a shock to the system at the start, he’d admit that. He’s played tough through a few knocks and bruises and I’m really happy with what he’s contributing to the team. He’s shown he can comfortably play fullback.”

McGuire also admitted he felt sorry for youngster George Hill, who was an unused sub on the evening, explaining that the decision was due to the fact Castleford’s senior forwards were able to cope better due to more stoppages.

“I don’t like doing that to a player,” he said of Hill.

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“The subs and rotation didn’t pan out how we planned. We always try to plan for that but the middles were great. There were plenty of stoppages which doesn’t tire teams out.

“Tom played the first 50 minutes and we had intentions to take him off in the first half. We rotated our experienced players on for the back end. But George will get plenty of opportunities.”

But McGuire admitted he was thrilled with Castleford’s overall performance.

He added: “I thought we handled the atmosphere and all the stuff that comes with playing here. I thought we did everything right. I could sense it’s been building. Our preparation and practice has been really good and I was confident we’d play well. The players did their talking out on the field.”

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