Constantine Mika joins Keighley

Keighley have signed former Samoa international Constantine Mika on a deal until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old forward has made more than 150 career appearances for Newcastle Knights, Hull KR, Toulouse and Villeneuve.

Mika won one cap for Samoa while he was playing in the NRL in 2010 and then represented the Exiles two years later whilst he was at Hull KR.

Keighley coach Rhys Lovegrove said: “Con is someone I know pretty well and played with during my own career.

“It is a pretty common theme with the sort of people that I want to bring into this organisation, especially at the level of player that Con is, that they have to have a fundamental understanding of who I am as a person and how I coach.

“Obviously Con does having played with me at Hull Kingston Rovers and from a performance perspective on the field, he offers a level of tempo and ability that is rare in League One.

“But he also gives a level of controlled aggression, the ability to run over blokes and stop people defensively in terms of big collisions, that again is rare in terms of our competition.

“And that is the aspect that I’m looking forward to the most is having Con and his physicality on the field to both nurture and add to the culture we are building and developing at this club.

“The systems we have implemented as a coaching team and the culture that the players have brought together means that it is really difficult to recruit players and the right characters to bring into the group.

“And it is hard in terms of people who are determined to get better, work hard, and bond with the group we already have so for a player of Con’s ability to become available and come into the club is really huge.”

Mika will wear the number 35 jersey for the Cougars.