Danny McGuire has brushed aside any links to Castleford Tigers making a move for Hull FC forward Jack Ashworth. Love Rugby League have reported that the West Yorkshire club are in for the Airlie Birds’ prop, who is out of contract at the end of the season. They have been described as ‘confident of completing a deal.’
However, McGuire, who admitted his admiration for the player, stopped short of confirming those links. He also admitted a new signing could arrive at the club next week, with All Out Rugby League since revealing that signing to be Gold Coast Titans forward Joe Stimson – and not Jacob Host.
Speaking in his weekly press conference, McGuire was asked if anything is in the Ashworth links. He said: “Not that I’m aware of. He’s a player at another club. He’s a player that I admire, and I think he’s still got his best years ahead of him.
“He’s still young for a middle, but again, there’s nothing I’m aware of at the minute. English middles are few and far between, but he’s a Hull player now, and I can’t comment too much on that.
“We still want to add some depth there, but I’m happy with how our middles are doing. We’re always looking to improve and to try to strengthen the squad. That’s the nature of the game and the way the game is going.
“We’ve got a few areas where we need to look for a player in each area: a back, a half-back, a middle, and a back rower. That’s where we’re at with it at the minute, but there’s plenty of moving pieces going on.”
As for the quota situation, with Castleford having a spot free after the departure of hooker Judah Rimbu last week, McGuire continued: “There is a bit going on behind the scenes with Judah moving on, and we are looking to bring somebody in on quota to replace him.
“The paperwork is just taking a bit of time to get done, but I’m hoping somebody will be in by the early part of next week. It’s pretty much nearly done. He’s a middle or back row forward that has played a decent amount of NRL and has got some experience. That’s as much as I can give you.”