Castleford Tigers grant release to full-back Jordan Rankin

The 28-year-old joined the Tigers on loan from Huddersfield Giants in 2019, with Joe Wardle going the other way in a swap deal.

He remained at Wheldon Road for the 2020 campaign and was given the number one shirt, going on to play every Super League fixture this term before the season was shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Rankin holds the record for the youngest player to play in the NRL after he made his professional debut with Gold Coast Titans aged 16.

He has also featured for Hull FC and Wests Tigers during his career while his form this campaign had helped put Castleford joint top of the table.

Rankin played a key role as the Tigers reached the Super League play-offs in 2019 and said: “I’m disappointed to be cutting my time short here in the UK but my family comes first and that’s always been first and foremost for me.

“I want to thank both clubs for giving me the opportunity to play, to play in Super League and I’ve really enjoyed it, my time at Cas especially.

"I’ll always have fond memories of playing at the club and I’ll always appreciate that I was given the chance."

Rankin made 29 appearances and scored 10 tries during his time at Castleford and the club's director of rugby Jon Wells says the Tigers were supportive of his request to return home.

“I would like to thank Jordan for his effort and commitment to the Tigers since he joined us in February last year. He has been nothing but a total professional on and off the field and I know this has been an incredibly difficult decision for him to take," said Wells.

“Jordan recently approached Castleford and his parent club, the Huddersfield Giants, with a request to return home to Australia for personal reasons, a request that the club supported. However, it has become clear that Jordan could not give us a time frame for any return to the UK due to circumstances beyond his control.

“This is something the club would have needed in order that Daryl [Powell] could prepare his squad for return to play later this year. Regrettably, then, both parties have agreed to cancel the loan agreement in place and Jordan will leave us with immediate effect in order that he can return home as quickly as possible.

“The Tigers would like to wish Jordan and his new family all the very best for the next chapter in their lives.”

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