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Jacques O’Neill will return to Castleford next month after leaving the club last year to become a contestant on ITV’s Love Island reality show.
The 23-year-old, who went through the club’s academy and made 29 appearances before his departure, has re-signed an initial contract until the end of the current season.
O’Neill left the ITV show prematurely citing problems with his mental health, paying tribute to the club and its fans for helping him through the period afterward.
“The support from Cas’s fans when I left the show was absolutely huge for me,” O’Neill said.
“When I first came to The Jungle and everyone was there supporting me, it meant a lot.
“I just can’t wait to get back to playing the game I love and be back on the field with the guys.
“Hopefully, in the near future, I’ll be back to playing competitive rugby because that’s what I’ve been thinking of doing since I left Love Island.
“I have always wanted to play rugby again; It’s never been the case that I didn’t want to go back to that. It’s what I’ve loved doing since I was a kid.”
Castleford, who this week named Andy Last as the permanent successor to former head coach Lee Radford, received the first rejection to re-sign O’Neill following his departure.
I have always wanted to play rugby again; It’s never been the case that I didn’t want to go back to that. It’s what I love to do since I was a kid.
Jacques O’Neill
O’Neill struggled on the show before making the decision to leave, telling fellow contestants that he wanted to “get home and be myself again.”
Last said: “He is a player I have spent a bit of time with before his appearance on Love Island.
“He’s a bubbly character and he has qualities that I like in a player, so I’m looking forward to having Jacques on board.”
