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Zak Hardaker makes Castleford move permanent

The 25-year-old full-back has joined from Leeds on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a £150,000 transfer fee.

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Castleford have completed the permanent signing of England full-back Zak Hardaker after paying a £150,000 transfer fee to Leeds.

The 25-year-old joined the Tigers on loan from the Rhinos in the winter and has played a major role in their rise to the top of Super League.

Castleford, who earlier this month gained more than £200,000 in an out-of-court settlement from Sale for winger Denny Solomona, say Hardaker’s new four-and-a-half year contract will begin on Saturday and will take him through to the end of the 2021 season.

“Signing Zak is a huge deal for the club,” said Tigers coach Daryl Powell, who gave Hardaker his breakthrough as a teenager at Featherstone.

“For quality players and indeed International players to come to Castleford and then want to stay and commit their long-term futures here, I feel says a lot about us as a club.

“Zak is continuing to improve as a player and I believe he will continue to do so over the coming seasons. I look forward to working with Zak and helping him firstly to do something special with Castleford and then grow as an international player and play in the World Cup at the end of the season.”

Hardaker, who scored 67 tries in 155 games for Leeds, has quickly recaptured the form that earned him the number one jersey for England in the 2015 Test series with New Zealand and was recalled for the mid-season international against Samoa.

“I am really thankful for the opportunity that Daryl Powell and Steve Gill gave me to come to Castleford at the start of the season,” Hardaker said. “To get the chance to stay here, I just jumped at the offer.

“I have fully enjoyed my time here so far and I think we have a couple of exciting years ahead of us. It was an easy decision to stay here once I got the offer.

“The fans are amazing. It’s quite a close-knit community and the fans are so loyal. It’s great for myself to be around the club and I really enjoy playing for the people of Cas.”

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