Castleford Tigers are believed to be interested in bringing Ryan Hampshire to the Mend-A-Hose Jungle as they plan their squad for 2016.
With Liam Finn’s departure to Wakefield confirmed midway through last week, Castleford are on the hunt for someone who can cover the halves with Ben Roberts and Luke Gale – and Hampshire appears to be a good fit.
With Sam Tomkins returning to Wigan next year, Hampshire’s chances at the Warriors could be limited, especially with the emerge of George Williams alongside Matty Smith in the clubs halves. They formed an impressive pairing in 2015, which led the Warriors all the way to the Grand Final.
However, any move from Castleford for Hampshire would be on loan, as Wigan are understood to be unprepared to let the versatile youngster leave on a permanent deal.
Hampshire could cover the full-back role at the Tigers too, although Luke Dorn will remain the club’s main man at the back in 2016.
A move for Hampshire would plug the gap left by Finn, and both Cas coach Daryl Powell and CEO Steve Gill paid tribute to the half-back last week.
“Liam Finn has been a superb player for the Tigers over the past 2 years, and has been a solid influence on the development of the team,” said Powell. “He is a high quality bloke who is a pleasure to work with. I wish him all the best in his future career.”
“Liam joined our club when we were in desperate need of leadership and direction within the team. Liam gave us this and as a result we finished fourth in the Super league and a Wembley Cup final appearance,” said Gill.
“We also finished fifth the season after, which was a first for our club. Liam is leaving with our best wishes and a big thank you for his contribution towards the Castleford Tigers.”
