Castleford Tigers have brought New Zealander Caleb Stanley in on trial over pre-season.
The 18-year-old is returning to Rugby League having come from a rugby union background, and is also reuniting with his uncle Bureta Faraimo.
USA international winger Faraimo signed for the Tigers in the off-season from Hull FC, and his nephew is also an outside back.
Stanley, who is based in the UK with his father working in the military, has been training with Castleford over the past couple of weeks.
“It’s kind of just happened after talking with the coaches and they were interested to see what I was like and I’m here now, it’s good experience!” Stanley explained.
“I started in league, (ages) 5 to 10 growing up and had to switch with league not as dominant where I had to move to. I went through union from 10 to 18 and now I’m back to have another go at league.”
Stanley has naturally been taking all the advice he can get from his uncle: “It’s a good help definitely!
“I think from his background in the NRL and his time here, it’s good to have him teach me in this position of centre/wing.
“He’s teaching me the basics really, everything I need to get through a game and then other stuff like the technical wrestling.
“Everyone has their bits and pieces, it’s more me absorbing what they’re saying because everyone’s been so supportive. I know I’ve been pushed by everyone with heaps of advice and I’m starting to feel confident.
“I think it’s about me being a sponge, just absorbing everything. I can take everything that I learn, retain it and be a better player overall.”
Tigers head coach Lee Radford said of Stanley: “Caleb has a real good pedigree from a rugby union perspective, and came to England with his dad who is in the military and hopefully we can find a pathway for him here.
“It’s brilliant that he has Bureta, it helps massively, we’re calling him ‘Mini B’ already! For an eighteen-year-old kid, he is a very big human being and I’ve been real impressed with the stuff he’s done so far, and he’s fit in really well.
“Hopefully he will get a run out in the pre-season friendlies, he could get a run out in the reserves.”
Castleford are currently out of training until the new year following a number of positive Covid cases in the first-team environment.
Photo credit: Melanie Allatt Photography
