Surprised McShane reaching for top four success

New Castleford hooker Paul McShane admits his move to the Tigers came as a surprise, but is relishing the opportunity to join a club in search of a top four place.

McShane, who has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club, says he is looking forward to a fresh start.

“It was tough at Wakefield this year,” he said.

“The deal with Cas wasn’t supposed to be until next year, I was fully committed to the Wakefield cause and I would have been happy to see out the year there, but the club thought it would be best that I moved on now and it gives me a bit of a head start for next season.

“We had already agreed a deal for next season, but Wakey decided to get some fresh faces in and that meant me heading off to Cas earlier than expected.

“It was a little bit of a surprise, but I’m really excited to get stuck into this new challenge now.

“It’s a great place to be. The standards are very high and they’re a very tight knit bunch, as you can probably tell with the results they’ve been producing.

“But they’ve welcomed me with open arms and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

The 25-year-old, who is yet to make his debut under Daryl Powell, said he believes his new side can produce a top four finish this campaign, but is aware of the measure of the task ahead.

“To be joining a club who’s pushing for the top four and a place in the Grand Final is something I’m really looking forward to,” said McShane.

“It’s going to be tough but it’s nice to start with two home games. Hopefully we can start well and the crowds can get behind us and the concept as a whole.

“I think the top four is definitely achievable. They’ve been up there for a lot of the year and hopefully I can add something to the team in the Super 8s.

“There’s only two points between us and fourth so hopefully we can claw that back and get ourselves into the semi finals.