George Lawler
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 September 1995 Kingston upon Hull, Humberside, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 13 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Second-row, Loose forward, Hooker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 5 June 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
George Lawler (born 1 September 1995) is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop, second-row, loose forward or hooker 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
[edit]Lawler was born in Kingston upon Hull, Humberside, England.
Playing career
[edit]Hull Kingston Rovers
[edit]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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[3]
Castleford Tigers
[edit]On 5 October 2021, it was announced that Lawler would sign for the Castleford Tigers on a two-year deal.[4][5] For the 2022 season, he claimed squad number 10 which was vacated by the retiring Grant Millington.[6]
Lawler made his Castleford debut on 11 February 2022 in the opening round fixture against the Salford Red Devils.[7] He scored his first try for the club on 26 March against the Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup.[8] During his first season he made twenty-three appearances, featuring predominantly as a prop or second-row forward, but also filling in at hooker.[1]
Lawler scored his second Tigers try against Huddersfield on 10 March 2023.[9] In June, he sustained a quad injury which kept him out for seven weeks.[10] 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.[11]
On 3 April 2024, Lawler was hospitalised following a seizure at his home during the night.[12][13] 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."[14] 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,[15][16] and was named in the Love Rugby League team of the week.[17] In September, Castleford confirmed that neurological reviews had verified there was no brain injury suffered, and Lawler finished the season having made fifteen appearances.[18]
Lawler was appointed Castleford vice-captain ahead of the 2025 season.[19] He scored two tries in round 13 against Warrington Wolves and was named in the team of the week.[20][21] 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.[22] 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."[23][24] He was ever-present throughout the year, featuring in all twenty-eight matches for Castleford as the club finished 11th in the Super League.[1]
In round 13 of the 2026 season, Lawler made his 100th Castleford appearance and marked the occasion with a try.[25]
Club statistics
[edit]| Club | Season | Tier | App | T | G | DG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 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 | ||
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Player Summary: George Lawler". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers' Club. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- 1 2 "George Lawler - Playing Career". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ "George Lawler: Hull KR back-rower signs three-year contract extension". BBC Sport. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ↑ "George Lawler: Castleford Tigers sign Hull KR back-rower". BBC Sport. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ↑ "George Lawler: Castleford Tigers clinch signing of Hull KR forward for 2022 Super League season". Sky Sports. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ↑ "Tigers reveal 2022 squad numbers". Castleford Tigers. 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ↑ "Super League: Castleford Tigers 16-26 Salford Red Devils". BBC Sport. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ↑ "Challenge Cup: Castleford Tigers demolish Leeds Rhinos". BBC Sport. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ↑ "Super League: Huddersfield Giants 36-6 Castleford Tigers - Coachless Cas beaten". BBC Sport. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ↑ "Tigers player and injury update". Castleford Tigers. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ↑ "George Lawler: Castleford Tigers back-rower extends contract". BBC Sport. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Harber, Tony (5 April 2024). "Castleford Tigers player George Lawler in hospital after scans reveal bleed on his brain". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "George Lawler: Castleford Tigers prop in hospital with brain bleed". BBC Sport. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Jamie Peacock: RL world behind Lawler". Super League. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Peter (28 May 2024). "Castleford Tigers' ex-Hull KR star George Lawler set for return to training after bleed on brain". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Craven, Dave (20 July 2024). "Castleford Tigers' Joe Westerman hails George Lawler's comeback from "scary" ordeal". The Mirror. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Darbyshire, Drew (8 July 2024). "Wigan Warriors, Castleford Tigers provide 7 players in Super League Team of the Week". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Walker, Callum (23 September 2024). "Castleford Tigers give update on George Lawler following seizure earlier in the year". TotalRL. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Darbyshire, Drew (14 December 2024). "Castleford Tigers' leadership group confirmed as Danny McGuire makes surprise captaincy call". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Wire tee up Wembley date with win against Cas". BBC Sport. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Round 13 Team of the Week". Super League. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Round 19 Team of the Week". Super League. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Lawler signs new three-year deal at Castleford". BBC Sport. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Harber, Tony (24 July 2025). "Chris Chester delighted with new deal for 'influential' George Lawler". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Cook try gives Leigh victory over Castleford". BBC Sport. 5 June 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
