FORMER Castleford Tigers star Jacques O’Neill wants a shock return to Super League.
Speaking on Sky Sports this afternoon, the Cumbrian outlined a desire to return to the sport where he made his name before appearing on reality ITV2 hit show Love Island
But, if he does return, which club could he potentially sign for?
Castleford Tigers
Perhaps the most obvious choice would be Castleford, given his affinity with the West Yorkshire club. O’Neill progressed through the Tigers’ academy to the first-team and left on good terms back in the summer of 2022. With Castleford having the first option to sign O’Neill if he does return, the Jungle would seem the perfect place for the 23-year-old to rekindle his love for the game. O’Neill has made a number of posts on Instagram and Twitter when watching the Tigers play – either live or when watching on TV – and he still remains an avid fan.
Barrow Raiders
Hailing from Cumbria, O’Neill was actually invited to play for the region in an international friendly against Jamaica in October last year as part of a rugby league return before the Rugby League World Cup. The 23-year-old turned down the invitation, but there would be little standing in O’Neill’s way if he wanted to give Cumbrian rugby league a crack. After a year out of the game as well, starting in the second tier would perhaps be the correct level in order to get back to full fitness before potentially making it back to Super League. The Raiders would also be able to tap into the extreme social media potential in getting O’Neill to play at Craven Park.
Leigh Leopards
Leigh owner Derek Beaumont is always on the look out for new blood as head coach Adrian Lam and head of rugby Chris Chester look to their first season back in Super League. O’Neill is great friends with new Leigh signing Oliver Holmes, with the two often meeting up in Manchester for a catch up. With Beaumont keen to push the Leopards further into the public eye, the pull of bringing in someone with over 1.3 million followers could prove too much for the Leigh man to ignore. It’s not like the 23-year-old isn’t a good rugby league player either; he was a Castleford favourite at the Jungle.
