Ben Roberts leaves Castleford with immediate effect
Ben Roberts. Castleford Tigers 42 v. Wakefield Trinity 24 - Betfred Super League XXII Round 9 - 14th April 2017
Castleford have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Ben Roberts to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
Roberts joined the Tigers in 2015 and made 78 appearances in total, crossing the line on 22 occasions.
The 33-year-old helped Daryl Powell’s side clinch the 2017 League Leaders Shield’ but injury has meant he has only featured once from the bench so far this season.
Roberts, who played primarily at stand-off for Castleford, has also had spells in the NRL with Melbourne Storm, Parramatta Eels and Canterbury Bulldogs.
However, both player and club have agreed to cut short his time at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle.
On the decision, Roberts said: “First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me and my family this opportunity.
“To the fans who have supported me and the boys for the last four years, I would like to thank you for making the experience of playing for the Tigers one that me and my family will never forget.
“To my teammates who I see as life-long friends, I wish you all the success for the rest of the season and beyond.”
Head Coach Daryl Powell added: “I think it’s fair to say it’s been frustrating for both Benny and ourselves that he hasn’t been able to get on the field as often as he’d like and unfortunately that looked increasingly unlikely.
“We therefore felt it was best to come to an agreement between ourselves so that we could all move forward. Benny has had some fantastic times at the club, particularly in 2017 when he played probably the best rugby league of his career.
“He really was pivotal to us being outstanding that season. In and amongst that, he’s found it really difficult physically to get onto the field and given his standing within the squad it’s also become difficult for us from that perspective.
“It’s been tough, but it’s an amicable agreement and I’d just like to wish Benny and his family all the best for the future. I know he’ll be wishing the same to us because he’s been a big part of the growth of the club over the past four years.”
