Chase is keen to recapture glory days at Tigers

The richly talented former England half-back made his name as a Castleford player from 2009-2013, winning Super League’s most illustrious individual honour, the Man of Steel award, five years ago.

A subsequent move to Salford Red Devils failed to pay off and Chase dropped out of the top flight at the end of last season, when he joined Championship outfit Leigh Centurions.

Chase endured some “dark days” after that and gave up the game for a while before Castleford, faced with a season-ending injury to stand-off Ben Roberts, came calling. Now the New Zealand born ball-player says he is “feeling the fire inside me” once again.

Not noted for his enthusiasm around the press, Chase greeted members of the media like old friends at a briefing called to discuss his return to Wheldon Road and did not shy away from how pleased he is to be back, nor how bleak things had become since the previous time he pulled on a Castleford jersey.

“It feels like I never left Cas,” said Chase, who could come into contention for Sunday’s visit of Catalans Dragons. “I am looking forward to it, I am excited.

“A lot has changed – the squad has got a lot stronger – but it feels like a lot hasn’t. There is a lot of good things, a lot of positives and a lot of things to get excited about.”

Salford had hoped Chase would be a key figure in their transition from also-rans to trophy winners, but he hit his best form only in patches and admitted he “fell out of love” with the game. That continued at Leigh, leading to a flirtation with the idea of hanging up his boots and heading back Down Under.

“I hadn’t been happy with rugby,” Chase admitted. “I hadn’t been enjoying playing, I kept trying to pick myself up and be as happy as I could, but obviously it wasn’t to be so I stepped away from the game. It has refreshed me and done me a lot of good.

“While I’ve been off I’ve been thinking and the last time I really, really enjoyed playing was at Cas, down at the home ground. There’s no crowd better than this one and no stadium better when you are playing here on a Sunday afternoon or Friday night.

“Just thinking of the times when I was really happy when I was here, I miss those times. I got a chance to come back and I was never going to let it go. I am lucky and grateful to get a second chance to come back to Cas and enjoy some rugby.”

Having left in a big-money move, Chase stressed: “I am playing the game for the right reasons. The opportunity here is purely about playing, not what I could get material-wise. It is about feeling that fire inside me again, it is all about rugby league and coming in and enjoying it. I needed that break from the game to make me realise that.”

Despite that, Case insisted he does not regret leaving at the end of 2013. He said: “Sometimes you have to step away from something to make you realise how much you actually love it and that’s what has happened to me. I don’t regret what I have done, it has made me realise how special this place is.”

Chase said he only decided to play on two weeks ago and would have turned Castleford down had they approached him any earlier.

Coach Daryl Powell has yet to reveal whether he will feature on Sunday, but with Mike McMeeken (fractured ankle), Jake Webster (ankle) and Joel Monaghan (dislocated shoulder) all having been hurt in last week’s defeat at Salford, it seems likely Chase will be thrown straight in.

“I am not match fit, but mentally I am in the best shape I have ever been in,” Chase said. “It is like being a young kid, I am just happy about everything. That’s the sort of frame of mind I am in. Physically I have got a bit of work to do, but you can get through anything if you are mentally right. There is some hard work to do, I am aware of that, but I am looking forward to it.”

With Castleford on a four-game losing run, Powell is looking forward to seeing Chase back on the field. He said: “I spent a bit of time with Rangi when I was first at the club and he was still here.

“He is a pretty talented player and if we can get him back anywhere near that we know we are going to have a player that can make things happen.

“He is a great signing for us. I don’t see it as any gamble; having spoken to him and looked into his eyes, I think there’s an integrity and a truth about him that means he is in a good place.”