Squad Update: 8th October 2020

After the suspension of the season, members of the Tigers’ Reserves and Academy teams were drafted into the First Team training group and have been working with our coaching staff over the past couple of months. In addition, Gareth O’Brien was brought into the club on a season-long loan and Dan Fleming on a trial period – boosting our squad numbers to 38 men.

Due to injuries to 14 players and Covid-19 protocols restricting 10 more members of the squad, this resulted in only 14 players being readily available for selection for Thursday night’s match. Three players were set to be checked over in the final 24 hours before kick-off, one of those players was ruled out on Wednesday night, so if Castleford were to play against Leeds Rhinos it would have been a squad of just 16 Tigers, had the final two been cleared.

On Wednesday morning Castleford Tigers were informed of three positive Covid-19 tests from the First Team squad and training group, after working through track and trace protocols a further six players were told to stand down, with one more player already self-isolating due to a family member contracting Covid-19.

Late on Wednesday night, Hull FC agreed to take the place of Castleford for this round of Super League fixtures and effectively switch when the clubs would face the Rhinos from Round 15 to Round 18, more details about the switch can be found here.

The club thanks Super League, Sky Sports and our fellow clubs for their assistance at this time, particularly Hull FC who stepped up to fulfil this fixture, like the Tigers did earlier in the season after there were positive tests in the Black & Whites camp. We appreciate them doing the same with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Another round of testing for our First Team will be completed on Friday morning and then again on Monday too. With some players due to return from injury and the hope of fewer coronavirus complications, Castleford Tigers should be able to field over 17 men for next week’s match against Hull FC at the KCOM Stadium – more details about that fixture can be read here.

Below is the club’s current injury list with estimated time frames for their return where possible.

George Griffin
George received a head knock in the Tigers last match at home against Hull FC and suffered a concussion, he is expected to be available for selection within the next week or two.

Oliver Holmes
Oliver suffered a calf strain in Castleford’s match against Hull FC in the Challenge Cup, he has been working on getting match ready since and should make a return within the next two weeks.

Jesse Sene-Lefao
During Castleford’s match against Huddersfield, Jesse rolled his ankle and so was ruled out for last week and this week’s fixtures but should be back for next week.

Michael Shenton
Following last week’s match against Hull FC, Castleford captain Michael Shenton suffered a slight neck injury but is expected to be available for selection within the next two weeks.

Danny Richardson
Danny was suffering from a fractured clavicle and some nerve damage with loose fragments in his shoulder following the match in the Challenge Cup against Hull FC. After being rested and treated Danny should be available for selection within the next two weeks.

Daniel Smith
Daniel made his first appearance since the restart of the season against Wigan Warriors at the end of August but unfortunately injured his pectoral muscle in that match. Daniel is scheduled to be available to play in November.

Bailey Hodgson
Bailey unfortunately injured his patella during a training session, he is expected to be available for selection at the end of October or early November.

Sosaia Feki
Sosaia suffered an MCL injury in a collision during the Tigers’ Cup match against Hull FC, his recovery will take up the rest of the 2020 season.

Peter Mata’utia
Peter was injured due to a muscle tear in his leg during the Tigers’ Challenge Cup tie against Hull FC when Oliver Holmes accidently fell into him when the two Tigers went to make a tackle. Peter was ruled out for six weeks so may return during November.

Nathan Massey
Nathan is also awaiting more checks for a potential bicep injury.

James Clare
James is currently awaiting further tests on a cervical spine injury.

Jake Trueman
A back problem has persisted for Jake, he was originally scheduled to return into the starting line-up last week but had an unfortunate setback during the final training session. Jake has received scans which have shown nothing significant but his back continues to cause him difficulty. We await to see when Jake will be fully clearly to return at this stage.

Alex Foster
Alex is being currently being assessed for a back issue.

Jacques O’Neill
Jacques is currently awaiting further medical checks on his ribs following last Thursday’s match against Hull FC.