Greg Eden happy to concentrate on playing after signing contract extension

The 31-year-old back is a proud product of the Tigers’ Academy and after moves to Hull KR and Huddersfield as well as a stint in the NRL with Brisbane Broncos, he has been back representing his boyhood club since 2017.Eden, who has been sponsored by Trinity House Orthodontics since 2018, has scored 101 tries in 98 games for Cas and is enjoying another good season with his hometown club.He told castlefordtigers.com: “It’s a bit of weight of the shoulders, you feel a bit of pressure going through contract talks, so to get it out of the way and done with is really good and I can just concentrate on playing for the rest of the year.

“I think I’m getting to that age now where it looks like I’ll probably finish my career here as well, so I’m going to try and go as long as I can and as long as my body holds up.

"It would be nice to finish here and that’s one of the main reasons for staying again.

“It’s surreal playing here because it’s my hometown club. After looking up to the players growing up, I used to come down and watch and wanted to be a part of it and now I’m on the other side of the fence, playing for them on matchdays, it feels really good.”Eden is now one of the most experienced members of the Cas squad and being a mentor to young players is something that he has taken on board.He explained: “I think that’s part of your role when you get older. Obviously, we’ve got young Jason Qareqare coming through, he’s quite similar to me with his speed and the way he likes to score a try. He can play full-back as well.

"It's down to the older lads to tip up as well as coaches. In training, if you see anything that they’re doing wrong, you just correct them on it. That’s what happened to me when I was coming through, and you feel like you’ve got to give back.”

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Eden believes head coach Lee Radford has given him a new lease of life after taking over this year.He added: “I’ve enjoyed it so far, it was a bit of a fresh start. I think that’s what happens when you’ve been at a club for such a long time. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for five years, but when you have, it’s a bit of a breath of fresh air when someone new comes in.”Radford said: “I’m really pleased Greg will be staying with us, to get him tied down and locked in is great.

"He made it clear he was keen to stay as well, and I think his try-scoring record for a winger is phenomenal, and I’ve really enjoyed working with him since I’ve come into the club.”