Wigan Warriors loan man praised by Castleford Tigers coach after impressive Super League debut
Wigan Warriors forward George Hirst made his Super League debut on Saturday night, helping Castleford Tigers pick up their first win of the league campaign.
The 24-year-old linked up with the Tigers midway through February on a one-month loan deal from the Warriors, and made his first appearance for Ryan Carr’s side in their 34-8 win over Huddersfield Giants on Saturday evening.
Hirst was impressive on his Super League debut, too, playing the full 80 minutes in the back-row. He was Castleford’s top tackler on the night with 33 to his name, with nine of those coming from marker position. He also racked up 96 metres from 12 carries.
Speaking after the game, Carr paid tribute to the club’s trio of debutants.
"George Hirst playing his first Super League game was a proud moment for him, and I’m stoked we could get the win for him,” said Carr.
“Ashton Golding playing against his old club, those two guys have been here for 10 days with us, so when you put that into perspective, a starting left edge back-rower playing 80 minutes in his first-ever game of Super League, and he’s been here for 10 days, and Ashton Golding is the same. It was a nice touch to see him get a try on his club debut.
"Jack Ashworth was another club debut for us, so we’ve given away a lot of milestone jerseys in the first three weeks of footy, but that’s the exciting part about it, that we’re going to continue to grow and continue to build.”
Carr said he was pleased to secure his first win in Super League since taking the reins at the OneBore Stadium ahead of this season.
"Really good – that’s what we play for, we play to win, and we play for this feeling,” he added.
“I’m really happy for my team, and I’m really happy for everyone in the club because there has been a lot of work going into getting to this point where we’re at, and there is going to continue to be a lot more work.
"But to see a smile on their face with all the hard work they’ve done throughout pre-season is enjoyable, but it is one win, so we’ve got to keep making sure we perform consistently every week now.”