Super League rivals agree to allow Rankin to head back Down Under
JORDAN RANKIN has been granted a release from his contract by Castleford Tigers and his parent club Huddersfield Giants in order to return home to Australia.
The 28-year-old joined the Tigers on loan from Huddersfield in 2019, with Joe Wardle going the other way in a swap deal.
He remained at Wheldon Road for the 2020 campaign and was given the number one shirt, going on to play every Super League fixture this term before the season was shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Rankin played a key role as the Tigers reached the Super League play-offs in 2019 and said: “I’m disappointed to be cutting my time short here in the UK but my family comes first and that’s
always been first and foremost for me.
“I want to thank both clubs for giving me the opportunity to play, to play in Super League and I’ve really enjoyed it, my time at Cas especially. I’ll always have fond memories of playing at the club and I’ll always appreciate that I was given the chance.”
Rankin made 29 appearances and scored 10 tries during his time at Castleford and the club’s director of rugby Jon Wells says the Tigers were fully supportive of his request to return home with his family.
“I would like to thank Jordan for his effort and commitment to the Tigers since he joined us in February last year,” said Wells.
“He has been nothing but a total professional on and off the field and I know this has been an incredibly difficult decision for him to take.
“Jordan recently approached Castleford and his parent club, the Huddersfield Giants, with a request to return home to Australia for personal reasons, a request that the club supported.
“Both parties have agreed to cancel the loan agreement in place and Jordan will leave us with immediate effect in order that he can return home as quickly as possible.”