‘A guy came out with a wheelchair’ – Castleford Tigers’ Danny Richardson reveals horror after neck injury that ‘will never properly heal’

It’s safe to say the past few seasons have been a bit unlucky for Castleford Tigers halfback Danny Richardson.

After joining the Tigers on a three-year deal back in 2020, no one could really have foreseen his experience at the Jungle so far.

From starting off well, to getting disrupted with Covid-19, Richardson’s time in West Yorkshire has been difficult to say the least.

And, to make matters worse, at the beginning of the 2022 Super League season, the halfback suffered a horrendous neck injury from a seemingly innocuous tackle.

In just the first game of Castleford’s new era under Lee Radford, Richardson had to be taken off midway through the fixture with the Salford Red Devils with a neck fracture.

And, after being taken to hospital, he feared the worst.

“I was sat in the hospital when I first went in and a guy came out with a wheelchair so I expected the worse, thinking no way that can’t be me,” Richardson told The Super League Show in the aftermath of Castleford’s 17-16 win over Catalans Dragons at the weekend.

“But it looks like I’ve dodged a little bit of a bullet with no surgery and hopefully I can kick on now for the rest of the year.”

Richardson proved to be the hero in last weekend’s game, dropping over the winning one-pointer to consolidate the Tigers’ place in sixth in the Super League table.

“I’ve not had much luck but touch wood but I seem to have come through ok.

“Hopefully I can get a run of games together now and start enjoying my rugby again.”

Radford previously revealed to BBC Radio Leeds that the injury will ‘never properly heal’.

“When you see it on the scans, you grimace, but the specialists have said it’s never going to heal properly.

“It’s been a long time for him, the neck brace was a real struggle for him because when you’re wearing that, you can’t do anything physically and you lose all your mass.”

Richardson is, however, out of contract at the end of the season with head coach Lee Radford yet to make a decision on whether or not he will hand the halfback a new deal with the halfback surprisingly linked with Wigan Warriors earlier in the year.

Asked whether a decision has been made yet, Radford said: “Not as yet no; over the next two or three weeks (a decision will be made).

“It’s a funny one because I’ve not seen him play – I’ve only seen him twice.

“He played against Salford and he was only on for 45 minutes, but the last two performances have been really impressive.