Jacob Miller (rugby league)

Jacob Miller

Personal information
Full name	Jacob Miller
Born	(1992-08-22) 22 August 1992 (age 32) [1] Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) [1]
Weight	13 st 3 lb (84 kg) [1]
Playing information
Position	Stand-off, Scrum-half
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2011–13 Wests Tigers 9 2 1 1 11 2013–14 Hull F.C. 24 6 9 0 42 2014(loan) → Doncaster 5 2 0 0 8 2015–22 Wakefield Trinity 200 62 17 10 292 2023–24 Castleford Tigers 52 6 0 1 25 Total 290 78 27 12 378 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2022 Combined Nations All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [2] [3] [4] As of 19 September 2024

Jacob Miller (born 22 August 1992) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who most recently played as a stand-off or scrum-half for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the NRL, and for Hull F.C. and Wakefield Trinity in the Super League. He has also spent time on loan at Doncaster in the Championship. He has played at representative level for the Combined Nations All Stars.

Background

Miller was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Hailing from Ocean Shores, ^[5] Miller played junior football with Mullumbimby Giants, winning a premiership with the Giants in the under 18s competition in 2007. He was a pupil at Mullumbimby High School before he moved to Sydney and was a pupil at Matraville Sports High School when he was chosen as halfback for the Australian Schoolboys in 2009. ^[6]

On a scholarship with the Sydney Roosters from age 14 onwards, Miller was released from the club as they had Todd Carney, Braith Anasta and Mitchell Pearce able to fill positions in the halves. ^[7]

Playing career

Wests Tigers

Miller made his début with the Wests Tigers in round 4 of the 2011 NRL season, playing from the bench, and getting on the field with 20 minutes to go. ^[8] He was only 18 at the time, and coach Tim Sheens said, "If you're good enough, you're old enough. And I think he's good enough." ^[7] Two weeks later he made his first appearance in the run-on squad, playing as halfback in a match against the Gold Coast Titans, ^[9] standing in for injured Robert Lui.

Besides NRL appearances, Miller played in the Wests Tigers' Toyota Cup team. He scored 5 tries and 128 points for the season, and was named as halfback in the competition's Team of the Year. ^[10]

In round 4 of the 2012 season, Miller, after a late call up, scored his first NRL try. However, it was to be his only first grade appearance for the year. He finished the year by playing a "starring role" as Wests Tigers won the Under-20s grand final 46–6 against the Canberra Raiders. ^[11] He then kicked six goals as he played five-eighth in the Junior Kangaroos squad that beat New Zealand 48–16. ^[12]

Beginning the 2013 season as the Wests Tigers first choice of halfback, Miller started in the first 4 games of the season before being dropped to reserve grade for Braith Anasta. ^[13]

Hull F.C.

Weeks later it was announced Miller had been released and signed for Hull F.C. on a 2+1⁄2-year deal. ^[14]

It was announced Miller would leave the club at the end of the 2014 season.

Wakefield Trinity

He was subsequently signed by Wakefield Trinity for the 2015 season. ^[15] Miller played 200 matches for Wakefield Trinity over a seven-year period.

Castleford Tigers

In October 2022, Miller signed for the Castleford Tigers, joining on a three-year deal from local rivals Wakefield. ^[16] He made his Castleford debut in round 1 against Hull FC, scoring a try and being voted Fans Man of the Match. ^{[17] [18]} He scored a try and a drop goal against Hull KR on 21 April, ^[19] and a further try against the Leeds Rhinos at the Magic Weekend on 3 June. ^[20] However, he also topped the league for missed tackles and registered only 1 try assist throughout the year. ^[21] He made a total of 26 appearances for Castleford in the 2023 season, as the Tigers narrowly avoided relegation by finishing above his previous club Wakefield. ^[22]

Miller's strong performance in 2024 pre-season was highlighted by new head coach Craig Lingard. ^[23] In round 3, he was voted Fans Man of the Match against Warrington. ^[24] He scored his first try of the year against the Batley Bulldogs in the Challenge Cup on 23 March. ^[25] In July, he provided four try assists in a Man of the Match performance against London. ^{[26] [27]} Towards the end of the season, Miller was occasionally rested as Lingard experimented with different halfback combinations, ^[28] and he was linked with a move away from the club. ^[29] On 7 October, it was announced that he would depart Castleford alongside eight teammates after being released from the final year of his contract. ^{[30] [31]}

Club statistics

Appearances and points in all competitions by year

Club	Season	Tier	App	T	G	DG	Pts
Wests Tigers	2011	NRL	4	0	1	0	2
	2012	NRL	1	1	0	0	4
	2013	NRL	4	1	0	1	5
	Total		9	2	1	1	11
Hull F.C.	2013	Super League	14	3	0	0	12
	2014	Super League	10	3	9	0	30
	Total		24	6	9	0	42
→ Doncaster (loan)	2014	Championship	5	2	0	0	8
Wakefield Trinity	2015	Super League	30	15	17	0	94
	2016	Super League	32	10	0	1	41
	2017	Super League	22	10	0	1	41
	2018	Super League	31	6	0	2	26
	2019	Super League	25	10	0	1	41
	2020	Super League	15	2	0	2	10
	2021	Super League	21	5	0	2	22
	2022	Super League	24	4	0	1	17
	Total		200	62	17	10	292
Castleford Tigers	2023	Super League	26	3	0	1	13
	2024	Super League	26	3	0	0	12
	Total		52	6	0	1	25
Career total			290	78	27	12	378

As of match played 19 September 2024

References

1. "Jacob Miller CastlefordTigers". superleague.co.uk. Rugby Football League. 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
2. "Player Summary: Jacob Miller". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
3. League Central
4. Rugby League Project
5. Mitchell Craig. "Wests Tigers sign Mullumbimby's Jacob Miller". rlcm.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
6. Daniel Briggs (22 July 2009). "Canowindra star makes Australian Schoolboys". Central Western Daily. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
7. Chris Barrett (1 April 2011). "Cooped-up Rooster gets a run with Tigers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
8. Glenn Jackson (4 April 2011). "It's Miller's time at last as young cub earns stripes with late show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
9. "Custom Match List". RLP. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
10. "Tiger cub wants key role". SportsNewsFirst. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 20 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
11. Jon Tuxworth (11 October 2012). "Wighton to start in the halves for juniors". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
12. Nathan Ross (15 October 2012). "Miller happy with his year". weststigers.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
13. "Braith Anasta has mixed emotions over move to halves for Wests Tigers". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
14. Holden, Matt. "HULL END SEVEN SEARCH WITH AUSSIE STARLET MILLER". hullfc.com. Hull FC. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
15. "Jacob Miller: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats sign ex-Hull FC half-back". BBC Sport. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
16. "Jacob Miller: Half-back moves from Wakefield to Castleford". BBC Sport. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
17. "Super League: Hull FC 32-30 Castleford Tigers - Away side fall just short of remarkable fightback". BBC Sport. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
18. Castleford Tigers [@CTRLFC] (20 February 2023). "Your first @HuntersHomes Fans Man of the Match of the 2023 season is @jmilky34!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
19. "Super League: Castleford Tigers 7-12 Hull KR - Rovers move within two points of leaders Warrington". BBC Sport. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
20. "Super League: Leeds Rhinos 24-26 Castleford - Tigers end six-game losing run". BBC Sport. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
21. "Player stats - Jacob Miller". Super League. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
22. Olawumi, Ben (22 September 2023). "Castleford Tigers ace Alex Mellor delivers brutally honest assessment of 'awful' season; 'We've massively underperformed'". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
23. Chapman-Coombe, Louis. "Exclusive: Castleford Tigers boss Craig Lingard on unlocking Jacob Miller and Innes Senior's arrival". casforum.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
24. Castleford Tigers [@CTRLFC] (4 March 2024). "The @HuntersHomes Man of the Match from Friday night goes to... Jacob Miller!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
25. "Challenge Cup: Batley Bulldogs 14-28 Castleford Tigers: Paul McShane stars as Super League side progress". BBC Sport. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
26. "Controlled Castleford beat bottom club Broncos". BBC Sport. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
27. Betfred Super League [@SuperLeague] (15 July 2024). "Was this Jacob Miller's best performance in a @CTRLFC shirt? Four assists in the Round 17 win over the Broncos" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
28. Mitchell, Ollie (1 September 2024). "Castleford Tigers boss explains why he dropped a key man for Hull FC clash". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
29. Harber, Tony (1 October 2024). "Castleford Tigers closing in on half-back signing with Jacob Miller making way for overseas recruit". Wakefield Express. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
30. "Miller heads lists of nine Castleford departures". BBC Sport. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
31. O'Brien, James (7 October 2024). "Jacob Miller heads Castleford Tigers list of departing players as club tease new signings". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 17 October 2024.

External links

• Castleford Tigers profile
• Wakefield Trinity profile
• Super League profile