Castleford Tigers head coach Lee Radford admits there is concern over Liam Watts

Castleford Tigers head coach Lee Radford has admitted there is concern over Liam Watts.

The prop forward was banned for a sixth time following Monday’s loss to the Salford Red Devils with Watts given a two-match ban for a late hit on a Salford man.

For Tigers boss Radford, he has admitted that there is concern over Watts needing to adapt and change to the way in which the game is now being policed.

“You’ve got to accept that there are changes first and then you can adapt to that,” Radford told BBC Radio Leeds.

“If you asked Liam, he is struggling a bit with it because the game has changed and what you could do three or four years ago, you can’t do anymore.

“Either you adapt or you fall by the wayside and that’s going to be a challenge for Liam.”

Radford did admit that there was frustration, too, at Watts’ continuing with down this route even after working on it.

“It makes him a squad player being unavailable that much, but he’s not a squad player and shouldn’t be a squad player.

“It’s a frustration, definitely. We spoke about it (disciplinary) after his last suspension and really worked on it during his suspension.

“So, that’s the frustration with this one.

“The ruling of the game has changed and you’ve got to adapt – but you’ve got to want to change.”

As Castleford head into what could potentially be their last game of the 2022 Super League season, Radford will have to do without a number of key men – as has been the case for much of the year.

The likes of Jake Trueman, Niall Evalds, Danny Richardson, Ryan Hampshire and Callum McLelland have decimated the Tigers in the spine with Greg Eden and Paul McShane likely to be the makeshift halves for this weekend’s crunch clash with Leeds Rhinos.