He’s been Castleford’s Mr Versatile throughout 2016 – and although Grant Millington admits it’s been a challenge to play in multiple positions, he’s just delighted to be doing so for the Tigers and nobody else.
Whether it’s loose-forward, in the back row, the props or even a spell at stand-off, Millington has plied his trade all over the field this year, and generally remained one of Daryl Powell’s most influential players.
And ahead of tonight’s clash against Wakefield – when Millington will take up a more accustomed position for him in the front row – he says he sees a bright future for the Tigers, which he’ll be a part of having signed a long-term deal two years ago.
“I’ve been a bit of everywhere and it’s been a bit frustrating,” he tells TotalRL.
“I’ve played a few different positions and my game has changed a lot; I’ve taken the ball forward a little bit more since we lost Andy Lynch, as I’d usually be a bit of a ball-playing forward for this team.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing for Cas again though; I just love playing footie and love playing for Castleford, and some of the younger guys have stepped in and done a great job.”
The Tigers head into the final derby of their season with people still insisting they have ‘nothing to play for’ – but as somewhat of a veteran in these derby fixtures, Millington insists there is plenty more than simply pride on the line on Friday.
“People say there’s nothing to play for and all that but there’s some major bragging rights at stake on Friday night,” he says.
“They haven’t had the greatest start to the Super 8s but that all goes out of the window on a night like this. It’ll be intense, fantastic to play in and I can’t wait.
“We had a good week during the break and we’re nice and refreshed after a tough start which we handled really well. The thing we’re most proud of from it is our defence. Our attack has been great most of the year but we’re really proud of how we’ve defended in the Super 8s and we’ll build on that for the rest of the year.”
And long-term, even if the top four is beyond Castleford this year, Millington is eyeing up a huge future for the Tigers.
He says: “I’m here until 2018 and there’s an option for 2019 in the club’s favour, and it’s nice to have a bit of security in place for once.
“I’ve never really seen any reason to see if I could move on; the club is only going in one direction and I want to be part of the group that bring some trophies to this place.”
