Former NRL Grand Final winner set for debut at new club after disappointing Super League spell

Former New Zealand international Kevin Proctor is set to return to action for the first time since suffering relegation with Wakefield Trinity this weekend.

Proctor was heralded as a star signing for Trinity ahead of the 2023 campaign but it saw the end of the 24-year stay in Super League as they were relegated, four points adrift at the bottom.

Under the now-departed head coach Mark Applegarth, they won only four games all season, which included a 15-match losing streak.

The ex-Melbourne Storm and Gold Coast Titans back-rower featured 21 times for Wakefield, and despite hinting mid-year that he could stay on and was keen to remain in Super League, he opted to make the move to French Elite Championship side Carcassonne at the end of the season.

Former NRL Grand Final winner Kevin Proctor set for debut at new club after disappointing Super League spell

Carcassonne are currently top of the French Elite Championship with eight wins from nine games. Their squad also includes former Wigan and Catalans full-back Morgan Escare.

The 34-year-old is in contention to make his first appearance against Avignon this weekend after arriving at the club in December. His debut in France has been delayed by a suspension he picked up at the end of his time at Wakefield.

Proctor missed the final game of the Super League season after a dangerous contact charge, following an incident that saw him sin-binned against Leigh Leopards in a defeat that confirmed Wakefield’s relegation.

The French Elite Championship is on red alert regarding suspensions after controversy surrounding Australian half-back Corey Norman last season.

Norman, who still had a lengthy ban to serve after sticking his fingers up the backside of an opponent while playing in Super League for Toulouse, was allowed to play in France for Lezignan after serving less than half of his ban in the UK.

That meant when he later signed for London Broncos part-way through the 2023 RFL Championship season, he still had matches on his ban to serve before he could return to action.

The French Federation were rapped in a meeting with International Rugby League, who re-iterated that bans must be upheld across domestic competitions.

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