Renouf Atoni has been brought in from Wakefield Trinity and Jack Ashworth from Hull with both backed to give the Tigers some of the go forward they have been missing in the last few years.
New Zealander Atoni, 30, has signed a two-year deal with Cas. He previously played in the NRL and New South Wales Cup for Canterbury Bulldogs and had a season with the Roosters’ feeder club North Sydney before joining Trinity in 2023.
He has had some injury problems while with Wakefield, for who he has made 35 Super League appearances and was also part of their Championship-winning squad. But he quickly became a fan favourite at Belle Vue and Tigers director of rugby Chris Chester is a big fan.
He said: “Renouf has been a stand-out performer for Wakefield and he will add size and power to our existing forward pack.
“I know Renouf will love his time working with Ryan Carr and playing for the Castleford Tigers over the next two years.”
Atoni told the Cas website: “My agent and I reached out to Chris (Chester) and he seemed pretty keen. So we had a conversation and I’m pretty excited with the vision he has for the club. I jumped at the chance to come over,”
“I’m really keen to get over and rip in. I know for a fact how passionate the fans are about the rebuild of the club.”
Atoni will be joined at Wheldon Road by another experienced forward in former St Helens and Huddersfield player Ashworth, who has a Grand Final winners’ medal and has played more than 100 games in Super League.
“Jack adds some much-needed size to our forward pack for 2026,” explained Chester.
“He’s athletic, has good leg speed and plays the game tough through the middle. His versatility is also a big plus for us, having played both in the middle and back row.”
Ashworth said: “It’s a fresh start and with the rebrand and players they’ve signed it’s an exciting time for the club, and it’s a privilege to be part of the journey.
“I’ll give everything I have each week and hopefully I can pass on some help along the way to others while continuing to improve myself.
“I know the fan base is proud and passionate, and I am looking forward to meeting everyone.”