In a season littered with injury woes and constant reshuffles, it’s fair to say Castleford centre Greg Minikin has been one of the club’s real surprise packages this year.
With Michael Shenton injured almost immediately from the get-go in 2016, Minikin has enjoyed more games than he planned for during his debut season in Super League, catching the eye on a number of occasions.
However, despite clearly taking to Super League like a duck to water, Minikin is far more modest about his own performances.
“Personally I think I’ve done alright, to be honest,” he says.
“With Michael Shenton being injured I’ve had a chance to play and I’ve played more games than I ever thought I would, so that’s been good.
“It’s been great, and guys like Shenny and Jake Webster have really helped me off the field. We’ve missed some key players and that’s always going to be tough but the guys who’ve stepped in have done a really good job.”
Minikin made his name at League 1 side York City Knights, before landing his big move last year, signing a three-year deal with the Tigers.
Time spent on dual-reg at Batley has also helped the youngster, and he admits that the transition from part-time to full-time was one which took some time to adjust to.
He admits: “It’s been tough adapting to full-time rugby.
“The game is a lot tougher in this league than what I’m used to but obviously training full-time has been great and it’s been fantastic for me.
“It’s a lot quicker and much more physical because there’s generally better athletes at this level, so that does make it tough.”
