Castleford Tigers coach hails Tom Forber after debut as Wigan Warriors boss explains loan move
Castleford Tigers coach Ryan Carr was full of praise for ‘super impressive’ debutant Tom Forber, who has arrived at the West Yorkshire club on a short-term loan deal from Wigan Warriors.
The 22-year-old hooker linked up with Castleford on a one-month loan ahead of their game against Bradford Bulls on Thursday night, with the Warriors holding a recall option on Forber at any time following the first seven days.
Forber made his debut for the Tigers just more than 24 hours after meeting with coach Carr, delivering an impressive 80-minute display, making 28 tackles and providing an assist as Castleford claimed a 40-28 win over Bradford at the OneBore Stadium.
"Really good – he played the 80 minutes for us,” Carr said of Forber when speaking to Sky Sports post-match.
"He was super tough, super competitive and tackled everything that moved.
"To put into perspective, our starting hooker, I met him yesterday morning, we went through the whole play calls and game plan, and for him to put a performance like that together for us is super impressive, and it shows what type of kid he is and the character he has.”
Forber has made three appearances for Wigan so far this season, and Warriors coach Matt Peet believes Forber’s loan to Castleford is a move that works for all involved at this moment in time, giving the youngster a chance to get some valuable minutes under his belt at Super League level.
"Tom is sort of on the edge of our 17 at the moment, so an opportunity for him to play longer minutes at Super League level is probably better for his development,” Peet said when asked about Forber’s short-term loan move.
"He has not had many big-minute games since he came back from his injury, so we feel like that will be the best thing for him to help him work his way back into our 17 and prepare him for what’s to come.”
After playing his junior rugby for Rylands Sharks and Blackbrook Royals, Forber progressed through Wigan’s youth system before making his first-team debut in 2022.
The Warrington-born hooker committed his long-term future to the Warriors midway through last year, keeping him at the Brick Community Stadium until the end of 2030.