Castleford's biggest problem this season has been at fullback. Whether Ben Roberts, Jake Trueman or Michael Shenton have played there, it just hasn't clicked for the simple reason that none of these players are natural fullbacks. But now Castleford and Daryl Powell have finally made the move for a specialist No.1 in the form of Samoan Quentin Laulu-Togaga'e, currently plying his trade with Championship side Halifax - Castleford's dual-registration partners. At the age of 33, QLT (Laulu-Togaga'e's nickname for quite obvious reasons) knows this is his last chance to establish himself as a Super League player.
Could pay off
QLT has never played above Championship level in his career - he was at Sheffield for six years, Toronto for one-and-a-half years and Halifax for just six weeks. But in that time, the Samoan has established himself as one of the most exciting fullbacks in the second tier, impressing with his quick feet and ability to create something out of nothing. A good defensive organiser too, QLT is something that Castleford have been missing all season following the controversial departure of Zak Hardaker.
The Samoan international - who debuted for his country in 2010 - broke the Sheffield record in 2012 for the number of tries scored in a season with 35 and was also named in that year's Championship Team of the Year following a superb performance in the Eagles' 20-16 Grand Final victory over Featherstone.
QLT repeated these feats once more in 2013, again scoring 35 tries including one in Sheffield's 19-12 Grand Final victory over Batley. In 218 appearances for Sheffield, QLT scored an impressive 183 tries.
In November 2016, the Samoan moved to League 1 outfit Toronto and was a catalyst in the Canadian side's promotion to the Championship, scoring 22 tries in 31 games.
QLT then signed for Halifax in late April of this year following Gareth O'Brien's transfer to the Wolfpack, but only six weeks on and after scoring four tries in four games for Fax, QLT has now been snapped up by last year's Super League leaders Castleford.
Short-term solution
QLT has been given a six-month deal as new Director of Rugby Jon Wells likely scours the market for a long-term fullback solution for 2019 and beyond.
It is a contract with an incentive - play the best rugby of your life and you will earn another deal, one that is likely to take QLT to the end of his career.
It is always a good sign that a player chooses your club over another - the Samoan fullback apparently had an offer from Salford as well, but chose to sign for Castleford. It was a "no-brainer" according to QLT and that suggests the fullback is hungry to impress on and off the field. But, at the age of 33, QLT is certainly not a long-term fix to Castleford's fullback issue, yet he can play a key role in propelling the Tigers towards that top four in 2018. It is a move that can work out for both parties, plus, the Tigers have nothing to lose after the nightmares at No.1 this year.
