Castleford Tigers have announced the signing of Jake Mamo on a deal which will see him stay at The Mend-A-Hose Jungle until the end of the 2024 season.
Mamo, 27, has put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Tigers, starting from the 2022 season.
Beginning his career with his hometown Newcastle Knights in the NRL, Mamo joined Huddersfield Giants in 2017 prior to his switch to Warrington in 2019.
Mamo was coy when asked about his future club on Sky Sports on Wednesday night after scoring his first career hat-trick, but now one of the worst-kept secrets in Super League has finally come out.
“I’m really excited to get it done and I am happy to be coming to a club like Cas,” said Mamo.
“I’ve played against them for the last five years and whenever you go there, even though the crowd is against you, it is always a great atmosphere.
“I am pretty excited to be playing there with the crowd on my side for once! It is an exciting place to be at, a club with such good history.”
Whilst Mamo is looking forward to starting a new challenge next season, he remains focused on ending his time with the Wolves on a high.
“The fans of Warrington have been good to me, and I’ve got good friends here, so it is sad leaving but also there is a chance that we can do something good this year. I am enjoying it at the moment, and we are doing pretty well, so it would be really good to end the year with a bang.”
Nailing down a regular spot in the centres has been the key to his good form so far in 2021.
“I have bounced around different positions, even when I was at Huddersfield I played at centre, wing and fullback. For four years now I have played in various positions, and it can be a bit of a curse sometimes that you are kind of adjustable.
“I think what was needed for me was to cement a spot and play in the centre consistently. That consistency in that position has allowed me to learn the role and I am getting better with each game.”
In the next campaign, Jake Mamo will be working under incoming Castleford coach Lee Radford, and the Australian is keen to join up with him and the rest of the Tigers’ squad next season.
“It is always an exciting time for a club when a new coach comes in, it puts all of the players on notice, and you have to put your best foot forward. You usually see coaches in the first couple of years get a lot out of the players, so it should be exciting.
“There’s obviously some really good players at Cas that I have played against for a while now and I know a few of them, so I am sure I will enjoy my time there.
“I can’t wait to hear the fans chanting and shouting in the stands! It is a great stadium and I love playing there. I am going to bring more of what I have been showing this year and I will be ready to kick off the start of 2022 with a bang!”
Radford admits he is thrilled to have secured the signing of Mamo for next season.
“I am over the moon! Jake is a very athletic rugby player, and he plays with a smile on his face. The more I looked into his background, the more good things I heard about him. He is certainly going to give us strength on that edge going into 2022,” said Radford.
“The fact he can cover fullback and wing is great, but I think that he is a strike centre, he ticks a lot of boxes in the athleticism department. He has speed and you can’t coach that, and he has got it in abundance, I’m sure we can try to put him in as much space as we possibly can.”