Castleford Tigers have confirmed outside back Will Tate has been sidelined for a chunk of the Super League season. Tate had been hoping to kick on this season and make an impact at Wheldon Road after missing much of last season through injury.
However, his progress is now on hold after picking up an ankle injury which will need to be operated on. As a result, Tate is now expected to miss around four months of action, ensuring he could be looking at a return to action in June.
It comes as a huge blow for Tate, who is still waiting to find traction as a senior player after making the move from Hull KR to Castleford in 2023.
“Everyone at the club is absolutely gutted for Will. He’s a great bloke and a top professional,” Dr Nick Raynor, Castleford Tigers’ head of medical services told the club website.
“After coming back from a long-term injury last year, he had a really strong pre-season and was looking forward to making an impact. It’s just really bad luck. He is receiving full support from our physiotherapy staff, and I know he’ll tackle rehab with total commitment.”
Tate joins an injury list that already includes Jason Qareqare, Louis Senior, Sam Hall and Rowan Milnes, with the latter expected to return to action before too long.
The oustide back started his career at Hull KR, emerging through the ranks at Craven Park to make 16 appearances for the club over the course of three seasons. He scored four tries in that time but he was allowed to leave east Hull in order to join up with the Tigers in 2023.
Since then, Tate has made 10 outings and scored three tries but his game time has been significantly impacted by injuries. Due to the ankle injury he picked up last season, he made just three appearances for the club with all three of those games coming in August, towards the back end of the Super League season.
With his contract expiring at the end of the current season, he’ll be keen to prove his worth and find form upon on his return to action.
