Minkin unfazed by England talk

Greg Minikin has been tagged as a future England international but the Castleford centre is keeping his feet on the ground.

Minikin had a breakout first year in Super League, crossing for six tries in 17 appearances in 2016 after joining from York.

His displays in the centres and on the wing at the Jungle caught the eye of many, and earned him a contract extension in October.

But Minikin is unfazed, and describes the England talk as a tad “strange”.

“It’s a bit strange really, I don’t know about that,” the 21-year old admitted to Love Rugby League.

“It’s obviously nice to get a bit of recognition but I’ll just keep my head down and do as well as I can this year.

“My first year at Cas was good, it was tough. I struggled to settle in at first but it was good.

“I didn’t expect to get as many games as I did but I got in the team and managed to stay in it so it was alright.”

Minkin prefers to play in the centres but has featured before on the Tigers flank.

The youngster is enjoying learning off England three-quarter and Castleford captain Michael Shenton.
 
“It’s massive for me with Shenny, he’s a great bloke and he’s helped along the way,” Minkin said.

“He’s always giving me tips and helping me out, I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Castleford is targeting a top four finish this year in Super League and Minkin believes the club has the squad and all-round depth to do it.

“We’re definitely aiming for a top four spot, especially with some of the blokes ‘Powelly’ has brought in,” he said.

“It’s that competition of places again and we’ll have a great squad all year, so definitely aiming for a top four finish.”