Mitch Clark has a unique birth and upbringing. Though born in Pontefract, England on 30 March 1993, Clark grew up in New Zealand. The reason he was born in West Yorkshire is that his father, Trevor Clark - the former Leeds and Featherstone versatile front-rower - was playing for Bradford Northern at the time.
Clark began his time in Rugby League at Penrith Panthers, playing for the Sydney-based club at an under-20s level in the Toyota Cup competition in 2012 - before this competition was renamed the Holden Cup in 2013. At 20 years of age, Clark played for the Panthers in the 2013 Holden Cup Final against the New Zealand Warriors, where he scored a try in Penrith's 30-42 victory.
His form that season earned him a call-up to the Junior Kiwis side that would beat the Junior Kangaroos 38-26 in October 2013.
Move to England
Clark moved to these shores and to Doncaster specifically ahead of the 2015 season. In what proved to be a Championship season to forget for the Dons - they were relegated to League 1 - Clark registered 23 appearances, scoring three tries and earning three man-of-the-match awards. It was his time in South Yorkshire that influenced West Yorkshire side Bradford Bulls to bring him to the club for 2016. In doing so, Mitch was following in his father Trevor's footsteps.
In the 2016 season, Clark played 24 times, scoring four tries and yet again earning three man-of-the-match awards in what was a genuinely impressive season from the Kiwi.
In what had been yet another financially disastrous year for the Bulls, Clark had already agreed to a contract at the Super League side Hull KR for 2017. And, though the Robins were relegated at the end of 2016, Clark honoured his one-year deal with the club.
KR disappointment and move to Castleford
Troubled by numerous injuries while in his first year on Humberside, Clark managed to notch up just 15 appearances for the promotion-chasing Robins.
In his short stint at the club, Clark became something of a fans' favourite with his no-nonsense, typically robust style of play. Struggling for consistency, however, Clark fell behind in the pecking order in the Robins' pack and even found himself in action for KR's reserve side towards the end of the season.
It perhaps came as a shock for both Clark and many Tigers' fans that head coach Daryl Powell, therefore, brought him to the Castleford club that had just had their most successful top-flight season in their 91-year history.
But, upon signing Clark, Powell stated that he had been an admirer of the front-rower for a number of years and that the forward had a big future at the club. There can be no bigger incentive for Clark to kick on and produce the talent that everyone knows he possesses than a glowing recommendation from a boss who has turned Castleford from perennial strugglers to title-hunters.
Don't forget, Clark is only 24 years old; as a front-rower, he still has many years ahead of him. And, as a 6 ft, 106kg front-rower, Clark is a physically powerful human being. Moreover, with an abundance of talent - not least his neat footwork and wicked offload - as well as a willingness and determination to carry the ball as strongly as possible and a real hard-hitting defence, Clark could well become a fans' favourite at his new club too. Clark could well hit the form of his life at Wheldon Road in the near future.