Mason Lino closes in on new club as Wakefield Trinity exit looms

Wakefield Trinity half-back Mason Lino is set to bring his time with the club to an end later this year – with a move to local rivals Castleford Tigers looming on the horizon.

Lino is off-contract at Wakefield at the end of this season. He is in his sixth season with Trinity having joined them in 2021 from NRL side Newcastle Knights.

But a longer stay at Wakefield now appears to be diminishing in probability. Love Rugby League has been told that the 32-year-old has had interest from multiple Super League clubs over a move away from the DIY Kitchens Stadium in 2027.

And it is Castleford who are firming up as favourites to sign the Samoan international on a deal from the start of next season, making Lino the latest player to switch between the two great rivals. They have been in talks with the half-back and remain hopeful they can do a deal.

The Tigers are embarking on a major rebuild of their squad next season. That has been headlined by the signing of former Australia and New South Wales hooker Damien Cook, who has joined Castleford on a two-year deal from St George.

They have also signed Dragons outside back Mat Feagai, Leigh duo Robbie Mulhern and Ben McNamara as well as Hull KR prop Jack Brown. Tyler Dupree and Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e, initial targets for 2027, have already signed for this season on long-term deals.

And Lino could now be the next to sign on the dotted line – with head coach Ryan Carr admitting on Wednesday that there is set to be a big turnover in players as the Tigers aim to move up the Super League pecking order.

Castleford expecting ‘many’ changes in 2027

When asked if he envisaged many new players coming in, Carr said: “There’ll be many. Yeah, a lot. We’re running with a small squad for many reasons.

“There’s a lot of long injury lay-offs and players who have moved on from our club. We want to get to a squad of around 30 so we can create depth in our club. If you get injuries you need to maintain that consistency in performance and we need to better with that and recruitment is part of that.”

Lino’s potential arrival would likely spell the end of Daejarn Asi’s time with the Tigers. They already have Tom Weaver under contract for next season and Lino could be a direct replacement for Asi, who joined Castleford on a two-year contract which expires at the end of this season.

Where next for Wakefield?

As for Wakefield, they have both Jake Trueman and Jack Sinfield under contract for next season – but Lino would be the second big spine player to depart Trinity if, as expected, Tyson Smoothy returns home to Australia at the end of this year.

Smoothy has asked for permission to return home after just one season with Wakefield for family reasons. He is expected to be granted a release, with Wakefield already pursuing options in the hooking department as a contingency. They also have promising hooker Harvey Smith on their books.

But Lino’s departure would leave them arguably short in the spine, and they would likely head into the market for fresh blood.

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