George Hirst

George Hirst (born 27 May 2001) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or forward for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

He has previously played for Oldham in RFL League One and the RFL Championship.

Background Hirst was born in Batley, West Yorkshire, England.

Hirst played junior rugby league for Dewsbury Moor between the ages of 9 and 15, initially as a winger or fullback. He then spent two years with Dewsbury Celtic, before returning to Dewsbury Moor to play open age. He briefly joined the Castleford Tigers development system on a one-month trial, but otherwise had no professional academy background.

He represented England Community Lions under-19s against Scotland, Wales and Australia.

Hirst attended Leeds Beckett University for two years, where he played on the rugby league team as a prop. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, he took a break from the game while considering his future, but later returned to the amateur scene with Almondbury Spartans in the Yorkshire Men's League.

Playing career Oldham In November 2022, Hirst signed his first professional contract with RFL League One club Oldham, joining on a one-year deal from Almondbury Spartans. While playing part-time with Oldham, he worked as a delivery driver. In his first season with the Roughyeds, Hirst totalled three tries in sixteen appearances as a second-row or centre, and was voted third-place Supporters' Player of the Year. On 3 October, he signed a two-year contract extension with the club. From March, Hirst regained his place in head coach Sean Long's side and was described by The Oldham Times as "one of the brightest sparks" due to his "strong ball carries and hard-working playing style". The move saw Hirst step up to a full-time environment, though he would also be available to his former side on dual registration for 2025. He was assigned squad number 34 and made a handful of appearances for the reserves, however spent the majority of the season with Oldham.

Oldham (DR) Hirst returned to Oldham for their 2025 RFL Championship campaign on dual registration from Wigan. In his first season in the second tier, he made twenty-one appearances and scored two tries against Hunslet and York, as Oldham secured a fourth-placed finish.

Castleford Tigers On 16 February 2026, Hirst joined Castleford Tigers on a one-month loan from Wigan. He made his Super League debut on 27 February in Castleford's victory against Huddersfield Giants, finishing as top tackler and earning praise from head coach Ryan Carr. Injury to Alex Mellor afforded Hirst an extended run as starting er. After just his second game, Castleford announced the signing of Hirst on a permanent basis, agreeing a two-and-a-half-year deal. In April, he failed a head injury assessment against Hull and missed one week of action. On his return in round 11, Hirst scored his first try for the Tigers in their win against York Knights, though also received a two-match suspension after he was sin-binned for a high tackle.

Club statistics

+ Appearances and points in all competitions by year Club Season Tier Oldham 2023 League One 16 3 0 0 12 2024 League One 15 3 0 0 12 2025 Championship 21 2 0 0 8 Total 52 8 0 0 32 Wigan Warriors 2025 Super League 0 0 0 0 0 Castleford Tigers 2026 Super League 9 1 0 0 4 Career total 61 9 0 0 36