Castleford Tigers coach Daryl Powell has admitted that the club would already be interested in making Larne Patrick’s loan deal from Huddersfield a permanent one.
Patrick joined the club last week on a season-long loan from the Giants after it became clear no new deal would occur at Huddersfield for the forward.
And Powell admitted he’s delighted to get the former Wigan loanee in at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle, saying that he’s the kind of player they’d sign permanently.
“Yeah, he’s the sort of player we’d be interested in,” Powell said.
“He’s a quality player and gets a great opportunity straight away to show what he’s about.
“I’ve watched him play for a long time and he’s always one of those players you’re wary of, whether in the back-row and running lines or his footwork in the middle, he’s a pretty strong player.
“I think he’ll make a big impact for us.”
Patrick himself admitted the chance to join a club who are competing for trophies in 2016 was a huge reason for his switch.
“I’m delighted to be at such a passionate club who are now a formidable team who are pushing for silverware,” he said.
“I’ll be doing my best to help the team achieve their goals this season.”
Tigers CEO Steve Gill commented: “I’m really pleased that we have been able to conclude this loan signing with Larne at such an important time of the season. We have been a bit low on troops in recent weeks, so for us it is a really good time.”
Meanwhile, Powell afforded an injury update on his squad last week, admitting some of his key men are still some way from full fitness.
The Tigers have been without half-back Ben Roberts and fullback Luke Dorn for an extended period now, and Powell said they are still not quite ready for a return yet.
“Benny has had a further scan which has shown there’s still some damage in there, and it’s taking a long time.
“In terms of timescale, unfortunately I just don’t know – it’s an ongoing thing.
“Luke is around three or four weeks away potentially, and Frankie Mariano is another three weeks too.”
Oliver Holmes missed Sunday’s game against Hull KR due to a recurrence of the knee injury he suffered earlier in the season.
