PAUL MCSHANE has become one of Castleford Tigers’ most important players over the years since joining the West Yorkshire club midway through the 2015 Super League season.
Back then, the hooker was plying his trade with neighbours Wakefield Trinity, but with an uncertain future ahead of him, McShane was contemplating a move away from the game.
“At one point in the season I asked the coach ‘what are your plans, am I staying or going?’ And the coach at the time didn’t really know,” McShane said.
“With that, a bit of panic sunk in as I contemplated needing to look at work outside of rugby.
“I wasn’t performing well as a player and I was thinking I might have to find some other work and go part-time.
“I haven’t got a clue what I’d have done, all I wanted to do as a kid was to play rugby. That period made me realise I do want to be a rugby player.
“Ideally the plan is to finish at the end of my contract, I will be 35 or 36 then and I think it is time to finish then.”
Castleford boss Lee Radford also had some nice words to say about his captain.
“I actually played with Macca (McShane) at Hull when he joined for a month on loan, so I’ve known him for a while.
“We want him to be a threat out of dummy half. One area he is very tidy in is his long kicking game whether that’s for a 40/20 or on the tryline threading the ball through.
“We want him to be as energetic and tenacious as he can come Friday night. He’s in good shape, for his age he is in good shape.
“He has the ability to play big minutes for a nine which helps your interchanges.”