Teenage Castleford fullback Bailey Hodgson has quit the English Super League club to sign a three-year deal with the Newcastle Knights.
The highly talented 18-year-old, who is the nephew of Canberra Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson, will link with the Knights immediately and will be part of the club's top 30 squad next season.
He will arrive in Australia on Saturday and go into mandatory hotel quarantine for two weeks before arriving in Newcastle.
Hodgson made his top grade debut for Castleford only last month in a game against Hull Kingston Rovers, just 10 days after his 18th birthday.
He is highly rated in England and has been on Knights head of recruitment Clint Zammit's radar for a couple of years.
"He's a young player with a heap of potential and we'll be giving him the time and resources to grow into the player we believe he will become,"Zammit told the Newcastle Herald.
With Kalyn Ponga firmly entrenched as the club's number one fullback, Hodgson could find himself vying for a spot in the centres but the Knights won't be rushing his development.
He is the second English teenager to link with the Knights for 2021. Huddersfield 19-year-old Dominic Young is also on board for the next three seasons after signing with the club back in August.
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