Former Hull KR youngster Elliot Wallis ready to make most of Castleford Tigers lifeline

The 22-year-old's time in the game appeared to be up when he left parent club Hull KR and loan side Bradford Bulls on the same day in April 2021.

A short stint at Midlands Hurricanes followed before Wallis took a complete break from the sport.

After taking up boxing full-time and helping out in a food bank alongside a leadership and management apprenticeship, Wallis has returned with a greater appreciation of what the game offers him.

Part of Lee Radford's first-team squad for 2023, the outside back is out to convince the club to activate the second season option in his contract.

"I thought I'd finished with rugby league," said Wallis.

"I took a long break from it and realised how much I missed it. I went away, worked a normal job and grew up a bit.

"I wasn't really sure which direction I wanted to head in and thought I'd tried so hard and put too much time into it to let it all go.

"Now I'm getting a bit older, I'm really looking forward to breaking through. I want to poke my nose into the first team and get myself another deal."

Wallis caught the eye playing for Castleford's reserves last year after calling in a favour from his former City of Hull Academy boss, now a coach at the Tigers.

"One day, I sent Danny Wilson a text message telling him that I thought I'd changed and wanted another crack," added Wallis.

"They allowed me to have a go in the reserve grade. Straight away it just felt right.

"There was a bit of rust in terms of the speed of the game but I felt comfortable and ready to come back."

Wallis will compete with the likes of Greg Eden and Bureta Faraimo for a starting spot this year after being handed the number 26 jersey.

He has learned from the mistakes that cut short his time at Hull KR and saw him released by Bradford just weeks into his season-long loan.

"It shouldn't really be too soon but I think it was for me," said Wallis, who made his Super League debut for the Robins as an 18-year-old.

"I struggled a bit gelling with older people as a young person and listening and taking on information. I wasn't a great learner.

"It was a steep learning curve. At the time, I was probably a bit salty about it.

"Then I went to Bradford on loan and just wasn't ready to make that push. I wasn't getting the game time I wanted and didn't have the patience.

"I feel like I've got that now. My time away has made me realise that I've got to go all in."