George Lawler

George Lawler (born 1 September 1995) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

He has previously played for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League, and has spent time on dual registration from Hull KR at Newcastle Thunder and York City Knights in League 1.

Background Lawler was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, England.

Playing career Hull Kingston Rovers Lawler is a former West Hull amateur, George was a product of and another player that blossomed through the ranks of the City of Hull Academy, before he started spending more time with the Hull Kingston Rovers' first-team squad.

On 23 August, 2015, he made a try scoring début for Hull Kingston Rovers against the Widnes Vikings in an 8–12 victory in The Qualifiers.

It was revealed on 2 March 2016, that Lawler had signed a four-year contract at Hull Kingston Rovers following an impressive start to his professional playing career.

Lawler suffered relegation from the Super League with Hull Kingston Rovers in the 2016 season, due to losing the Million Pound Game at the hands of the Salford Red Devils in golden point extra time.

12-months later, however, Lawler was part of a Hull Kingston Rovers side that won promotion back to the Super League, at the first time of asking following relegation the season prior.

It was announced on 4 May 2018, that Lawler had penned a new three-year contract extension, to remain at Hull Kingston Rovers until at least the end of the 2021 season.

Castleford Tigers On 5 October 2021, it was announced that Lawler would sign for the Castleford Tigers on a two-year deal. For the 2022 season, he claimed squad number 10 which was vacated by the retiring Grant Millington.

Lawler made his Castleford debut on 11 February 2022 in the opening round fixture against the Salford Red Devils. He scored his first try for the club on 26 March against the Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup. During his first season he made twenty-three appearances, featuring predominantly as a or forward, but also filling in at . In June, he sustained a quad injury which kept him out for seven weeks. He played twenty matches in total for Castleford in the 2023 season as the club narrowly avoided relegation by finishing above Wakefield. In October, he signed a two-year contract extension with Cas.

On 3 April 2024, Lawler was hospitalised following a seizure at his home during the night. Initial scans indicated a small bleed on the brain and he remained in hospital for further testing and specialist involvement, with former teammate Jamie Peacock writing, "everyone in the rugby league world will be wishing him the best in his recovery." After three months of recovery and phased return to training, Lawler returned to the team for Castleford's victory against St Helens on 5 July, and was named in the Love Rugby League team of the week. In September, Castleford confirmed that neurological reviews had verified there was no brain injury suffered, and Lawler finished the season having made fifteen appearances.

Lawler was appointed Castleford vice-captain ahead of the 2025 season. He scored two tries in round 13 against Warrington Wolves and was named in the team of the week. In July, he scored a try in three consecutive rounds, against Huddersfield, Salford and Warrington, and was selected in the round 19 team of the week. On 23 July, he signed a new three-year deal with the club; director of rugby Chris Chester said, "George is a very influential player in the squad and consistently performs well. He's a player that leads with his actions on the field and is equally impressive off it." He was ever-present throughout the year, featuring in all twenty-eight matches for Castleford as the club finished 11th in the Super League.

Club statistics

+ Appearances and points in all competitions by year Club Season Tier Hull Kingston Rovers 2015 Super League 3 2 0 0 8 2016 Super League 21 2 0 0 8 2017 Championship 17 4 0 0 16 2018 Super League 3 1 0 0 4 2019 Super League 26 1 0 0 4 2020 Super League 15 0 0 0 0 2021 Super League 18 2 0 0 8 Total 103 12 0 0 48 → Newcastle Thunder (DR) 2016 League 1 1 1 0 0 4 → York City Knights (DR) 2017 League 1 1 0 0 0 0 Castleford Tigers 2022 Super League 23 1 0 0 4 2023 Super League 20 1 0 0 4 2024 Super League 15 0 0 0 0 2025 Super League 28 5 0 0 20 2026 Super League 14 5 0 0 20 Total 100 12 0 0 48 Career total 205 25 0 0 100