Salford forward George Griffin agrees to join Castleford

Castleford have agreed a deal to sign George Griffin from Salford on a two-year deal from 2020.

Griffin, 27, has more than 150 career appearances and has previously played for Hull KR and London.

His deal includes an option for a further season.

Coach Daryl Powell said: “I have been an admirer of George’s game for a few years now and I am delighted he has agreed to sign for the Tigers from next season.

“He is a tough hard-working player who will add to an already very strong pack and help to improve certain areas of our team. His work rate and attitude are also first-class which are qualities you look for first in any player you recruit.”

It is another blow for Salford, who have already lost Josh Jones and Jake Bibby for next season, while Jackson Hastings is heavily linked with the exit door, with Wigan the most likely destination.

Griffin added: “I had some interest from other clubs but I thought this was the one for me. It’s closer to my family, which is what I wanted, but also because of the way Cas as a club is going for the future. It’s come on leaps and bounds over the last 10 years and I reckon it’s only going to get better.

“I know a few of the lads there who speak very highly of the place so I’m really looking forward to it. You can see from the outside that there’s a real tightknit unit there. There’s some superstars at the club but everybody just grafts hard and that’s what I want really. I want to come in, work hard and do my best for the team.

“I’m injured at the moment which is a bit frustrating because I was on a good run of games and really enjoying my rugby earlier in the year, but these things happen. I now just want to get back for the last couple of games and finish on a good note with Salford.

“One of my goals is to win some silverware in my career and like I’ve said Cas are on the up. They’ve struggled a bit at times this season with injuries in key positions and it’s really tight in the middle of the table but I’m sure they can be right in the mix come the end of the year.”

George will become the second Griffin brother to play for the Tigers – current Hull centre Josh played 21 games in 2012, scoring 14 tries.