Castleford Tigers have missed out on a prop from Wests Tigers, League Express can exclusively reveal.
That prop is youngster Tim Johannssen, who made his NRL debut for the Tigers against the North Queensland Cowboys last weekend.
Johannssen has played 12 matches with the Western Suburbs Magpies in The Knock-On Effect Cup in 2024, after making his NSW Cup debut in 2022 against the Newcastle Knights.
However, Castleford had been tracking him prior to Johannssen making debut, before the forward decided to sign a new two-year deal with Wests.
It has been quite the journey for Johannssen, who left rugby league last year only to return with local side Ryde-Eastwood Hawks in February.
Hawks Football Operations Manager Michael Frain claimed this was evidence of how well the NSWRL pathway was working.
“It’s a great example of how players can get into a club and move through the tiers and this can happen,” Frain told nswrl.com.au.
“It emphasises the quality of the Sydney Shield and (Leagues Clubs Australia) Ron Massey Cup competitions, which then get you noticed by the NRL feeder clubs (The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup) and away you go.
“The system works and Tim is living proof of it.”
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