Gareth Widdop departs Castleford Tigers by mutual consent with newly-recruited duo backed to fill void
Gareth Widdop kicking a goal for Castleford Tigers - Alamy
Castleford Tigers have confirmed that experienced half-back Gareth Widdop has left the Super League club by mutual consent.
The 34-year-old arrived at The Mend-A-Hose Jungle ahead of last season from fellow Super League club Warrington Wolves, scoring one try and kicking 37 goals in 21 appearances for the Tigers.
“The club would like to thank Gareth for his hard work during his time at Wheldon Road and wish him well for the future,” a Castleford statement read.
Luke Hooley, Rowan Milnes backed to fill void left by Gareth Widdop at Castleford Tigers
Castleford director of rugby and operations Danny Wilson said the club saw Widdop’s departure coming towards the end of last season, hence why they have recruited full-back Luke Hooley from Leeds Rhinos and half-back Rowan Miles from Hull KR.
Wilson said: “I would like to thank Gaz for his contribution to the club across his time here and wish him well for the future.
“We as a club had conversations at the back end of the season and foresaw the departure coming.
“We brought in Luke (Hooley) and Rowan (Milnes) to fill that void for 2024 and I think their arrivals will do just that.”
Widdop’s next destination has yet to be confirmed.
The Halifax-born made almost 200 appearances in the NRL for Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons between 2010-19, surpassing 1,000 points in the competition.
Widdop then made the switch to Super League ahead of the 2020 campaign, going on to spend three seasons with Warrington, scoring 20 tries and kicking 47 goals in 49 games for the Wolves.
And the former England star spent last season with Castleford, helping the Tigers avoid relegation and secure their Super League status for 2024.
Widdop won 32 caps in total on the international stage – four for Great Britain and 28 for England. He represented England in the 2013 and 2017 World Cups as well as being selected on the Lions tour of the southern hemisphere in 2019.
READ NEXT: Super League ins and outs for 2024: Every confirmed signing and departure