BIENEK EYES FRESH START
New Castleford prop relishing chance to impress after leaving Hull FC
THE highlights reel of teenage London Broncos prop Lewis Bienek swatting off opponents at will and rampaging through defences like they were simply not there certainly caught the eye a few years ago.
It was no surprise the marauding front- row had his pick of Super League clubs to choose from before eventually joining Hull FC in March 2018.
However, blasting through the likes of part- timers Swinton Lions and Dewsbury Rams in the Championship is one thing, doing likewise at the elite level is something altogether different.
After a difficult time at the Black and Whites, where he made just eight first- team appearances, Bienek acknowledges that but he is confident he can finally make the step- up as he starts afresh with Castleford Tigers in 2021.
“I think to come through with a bit of an early reputation, it can put a lot of pressure on you to try and maintain that,” he told The Yorkshire Post.
“There was hype. But obviously I’d never played Super League; I’d only been at Champ’ level and when I signed for Hull I was also only 19 so for me it was a big step.
“I moved away from home for the first time, too. I lived away from home for the whole time and I maybe did get a bit homesick and I found it a bit difficult in that respect.
“But now, after three years at Hull, I think I’ve learned from that; I’ve settled down a lot and matured a lot earlier and I’m coming into this season now able to focus just on the rugby.”
Bienek, who hails from Sidcup in London, was released by Hull having played just one game with them in the last two seasons.
Nevertheless, Castleford coach Daryl Powell – renowned for getting the best out of players – was quick to offer the forward a chance to kick- start his career.
Looking back, the Ireland international is not disheartened by how his time at the KCOM Stadium panned out and explained: “Sometimes you just don’t fit the group as much as you’d hoped.
“Obviously, I got injured in my first pre- season there which was tough and before I came back I was on loan at Batley.
“That year was hard but coming into the following pre- season I thought I went well.
“Before I’d got a pre- season game done, though, I was out on loan at Leigh for the year ( in 2020). Then Covid came and I was coming to the end of my contract so it was frustrating.
“It was a good opportunity for me at Hull but I never really got going there or got any traction.
“That’s obviously all behind me now, though, and I definitely learned a lot from that experience and being at different clubs and learning off different players.
“I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in with these boys at Cas now and making a dint into getting some games done.”
It is worth remembering, too, that Bienek is still only 22, a relative pup for a front- row, a position that often sees players reach their pomp around the age of 30.
With that in mind, he has plenty of experienced props to work with, including Liam Watts – the England hopeful who Lee Radford initially hoped Bienek would help replace at Hull – as well as Australian veteran Grant Millington, Grand Finalist George Griffin and long- serving Nathan Massey.
After starting pre- season training, he added: “I’ve plenty to learn and I’ve picked up a lot already these first few days.
“It’s a great opportunity to try and break into the first team and learn from those sorts of players.
“It’s still early days but I think Daryl just wants me to be powerful; come on, do some big carries and bring what I did in my early days ( at London) in to Super League so I push through.
“Cas are a good club, always competitive and it’s somewhere I feel I can settle.”
Bienek has only signed a 12- month deal but Castleford have an option for a second year.
He has moved to the town close to their Wheldon Road ground to “be in it” and now hopes to “prove” his attributes. He clearly has the potential to earn that second year and deliver on all of that early promise while adding to the growing list of Super League players who have emerged from London. Dan Sarginson, Louie McCarthy- Scarsbrook, Mike McMeeken – the second- row who spent five seasons at Castleford before moving to Catalans Dragons for 2021 – and Tony Clubb have all represented England after moving up from the capital.
“It’s shown that people who have come from London can have those opportunities, have a full career and really be at the top of their game,” said Bienek.
“It’s definitely something to look up to.
“Hopefully I can replicate that and push on with it.”
And create a new Super League highlights reel in the process.