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Alex Foster (rugby league)

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Alex Foster
Personal information
Born (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31)
Gloucester, England
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight15 st 6 lb (98 kg)[1]
Playing information
PositionSecond-row, Loose forward, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2013–15 Leeds Rhinos 8 1 0 0 4
2013(DR) Hunslet Hawks 1 0 0 0 0
2014(loan) London Broncos 20 4 0 0 16
2015(loan) Featherstone Rovers 26 9 0 0 36
2016 London Broncos 20 11 0 0 44
2017–21 Castleford Tigers 62 10 0 0 40
2017(DR) Oxford 1 0 0 0 0
2018(DR) Halifax 1 0 0 0 0
2022– Newcastle Thunder 12 3 0 0 12
Total 151 38 0 0 152
Source: [2][3]
As of 8 November 2022

Alex Foster (born 25 September 1993) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row, loose forward or centre for Newcastle Thunder in the RFL Championship.

He has previously played for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, as well as playing on loan from Leeds at the Hunslet Hawks, London Broncos and Featherstone Rovers. He spent the 2016 with the Broncos in the Kingstone Press Championship before returning to the top flight with the Castleford Tigers. He spent time on loan from the Tigers at Oxford in 2017 and Halifax in 2018.

Background

Foster was born in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

Playing career

Leeds Rhinos

Foster débuted in the Super League with the Leeds Rhinos during the 2013 season.[4] At the end of the season, he signed a 3-year deal with Leeds Rhinos.[4][5] In 2014, Foster made nine appearances with the Leeds Rhinos.[4]

In the 2014 season, he made 14 appearances and scored 3 tries. He has been playing as a second-row with Matt Cook. On 25 May 2014 against Hull Kingston Rovers at Craven Park, Hull, Foster scored 2 tries in a 48-16 defeat.[6]

London Broncos

Foster warming up for the London Broncos in 2016

After a spell with Featherstone Rovers, Foster signed for London on a 2-year deal.[citation needed] Injury meant that he was restricted to 20 appearances for the Broncos.[citation needed]

Bradford Bulls

In 2017, Foster agreed a deal with Bradford however the club went into liquidation and Foster was released.[7]

Castleford Tigers

In February 2017, Castleford head coach Daryl Powell confirmed that Foster had been offered a trial with the view of a 2-year deal at the end of the trial.[7] In April, it was confirmed Foster signed a deal until the end of the season with Cas (Heritage № 975) and was given the number 34 shirt.[8] In July, it was confirmed that Foster had signed a new deal.[9] On signing the new deal, he said, "I'm over the moon to sign here for another two years. It's a great place to be."[9] Foster was a replacement for Cas in the 2017 Grand Final and scored their only try of the game, becoming the first Castleford player to score in a Super League Grand Final.[10][11][12]

Foster demonstrated his positional versatility in 2018, starting at prop, loose forward, second row and centre at different points throughout the season.[13] He was rewarded for his impressive form in June with a new three-and-a-half-year contract.[14] However, in July, Foster was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury.[15]

In the 2019 season, Foster made 6 appearances and scored 1 try. His playtime was limited by a knee injury sustained in March, for which he underwent surgery later in the year.[16] Foster made his return to the team following the 2020 season's Covid-19 suspension, after spending 16 months on the sidelines.[17] In the remainder of the season, he made 8 appearances and scored 1 try.

Foster sustained a bicep injury in a pre-season friendly against Hull KR in March 2021.[18] He made his first appearance of the year in Castleford's Challenge Cup semi-final against Warrington on 5 June.[18] On 17 July 2021, he played for Castleford in their 2021 Challenge Cup Final loss against St. Helens.[19] In September, it was announced that he would leave the club at the end of the 2021 season upon the expiry of his contract.[20] Speaking about his time at Castleford, Foster said, "It has been one hell of a journey and I am so thankful to everyone involved, from the coaching staff to the fans, my teammates as well who have made my time here what it has been for me."[20]

Newcastle Thunder

On 17 Oct 2021, it was reported that he had signed for Newcastle Thunder in the RFL Championship on a two-year deal.[21][22] He made his first appearance and scored his first try for the club against Workington on 30 January.[23]

Club statistics

Year Club Competition Appearances Tries Goals Drop goals Points
2013 Leeds Rhinos Super League 8 1 0 0 4
2013 Hunslet Hawks Championship 1 0 0 0 0
2014 Leeds Rhinos Super League 0 0 0 0 0
2014 London Broncos Super League 20 4 0 0 16
2015 Leeds Rhinos Super League 0 0 0 0 0
2015 Featherstone Rovers Championship 26 9 0 0 36
2016 London Broncos Championship 20 11 0 0 44
2017 Castleford Tigers Super League 19 2 0 0 8
2017 Oxford Rugby League League 1 1 0 0 0 0
2018 Castleford Tigers Super League 16 5 0 0 20
2018 Halifax Championship 1 0 0 0 0
2019 Castleford Tigers Super League 6 1 0 0 4
2020 Castleford Tigers Super League 8 1 0 0 4
2021 Castleford Tigers Super League 13 1 0 0 4
2022* Newcastle Thunder Championship 3 1 0 0 4
Club career total [24][25] 142 36 0 0 144

(* denotes season still competing)

References

  1. ^ "Leeds Rhinos Players & Coaches 1st Team". web page. Leeds Rhinos. 2011. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  2. ^ Love Rugby League
  3. ^ RLP
  4. ^ a b c "Leeds Rhinos' Alex Foster joins London Broncos on loan". Retrieved 29 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Foster rewarded with Rhinos deal". loverugbyleague.com. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  6. ^ "The RFL". therfl.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Castleford Tigers bring in former Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls player Alex Foster on trial". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  8. ^ Gordon, James (5 April 2017). "Foster earns permanent Castleford deal". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Alex Foster: Castleford Tigers back row extends deal until end of 2019". BBC Sport. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  10. ^ Cartwright, Phil (7 October 2017). "Grand Final 2017: Castleford 6-24 Leeds Rhinos". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Castleford 6-24 Leeds: Grand Final 2017 – as it happened". Guardian. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  12. ^ "Danny McGuire guides Leeds to Grand Final success over Castleford". Guardian. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Alex Foster - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  14. ^ "Foster lands long-term deal". Castleford Tigers. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Castleford Tigers' Foster blow softened by injury boost elsewhere". www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  16. ^ Darbyshire, Drew (5 June 2019). "Castleford utility Alex Foster ruled out for the season". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  17. ^ Shaw, Matthew (29 March 2020). "Alex Foster gives insight into the painstaking boredom of rehab". TotalRL. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  18. ^ a b Craven, Dave (7 June 2021). "Frustration ends as Castleford's Alex Foster eyes Wembley". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Challenge Cup: St Helens beat Castleford 26-12 for first Wembley victory since 2008". www.bbc.co.uk.
  20. ^ a b "Alex Foster to leave the Fords". Castleford Tigers. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  21. ^ Gordon, James (17 October 2021). "Super League forward confirms Newcastle move". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Newcastle Thunder confirm Alex Foster signing". Newcastle Thunder. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Workington vs Newcastle Thunder". Sky Sports. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  24. ^ Love Rugby League
  25. ^ RLP

Further reading