Castleford Tigers snap up Papua New Guinea international forward

Castleford Tigers have swooped to sign Papua New Guinea international Jeremiah Simbiken ahead of 2025.

Back-rower Simbiken joins the Tigers from Queensland Cup champions Norths Devils having starred in both their Grand Final win against Redcliffe Dolphins and their NRL State Championship triumph against Newtown Jets in the season just gone.

The 24-year-old had previously featured in the Q Cup for the Dolphins’ second string side having initially penned a three-year contract with the NRL club back in 2022.

Having never featured in the NRL though, his debut for Cas will bring his official first-grade bow at club level, scoring 42 tries in his 90 Q Cup appearances.

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Born in Goroka, Simbiken made his international debut against Wales during the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup, and now has five caps for the Kumuls on his CV.

He joins fellow countrymen Liam Horne and Sylvester Namo at The Jungle in 2025 as well as fellow new recruit Judah Rimbu, with the quartet having won the Pacific Bowl together last month.

Castleford’s Director of Rugby Danny Wilson said: “We have been tracking Jeremiah for a while.

“Danny McGuire (head coach) wanted to bring in an exciting second-rower, he is a fan of his game, and so we like what he brings to our side – tries AND tackles.

“His tackle percentage rate was mid-90% last season and that gets Brett Delaney (assistant coach) excited too!

“He has great experience, and it helps that he knows some of our lads already, so we look forward to getting him into camp, getting him up to speed with the new coaching approach we have in place and getting the best out of him in a Cas shirt.”

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