Castleford Tigers were left rocked earlier this week, when scans revealed that star signing Blake Taaffe suffered an ACL tear in their defeat to Wigan Warriors.
Taaffe was one of many new recruits brought to the club this off-season, but their new full-back will now miss the entire 2026 campaign, so Ryan Carr and his team will have to look elsewhere.
Whether the club will receive salary cap dispensation remains to be seen, however it is highly likely that they will given various other instances.
Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC both receives cap and quota dispensation last season, when Maika Sivo and Ligi Sao respectively missed the entire year due to injury.
The Tigers have a number of options currently at the club that could fill in the role, and we have assessed each potential candidate who could take over the number one spot.
Ashton Golding signed for the club earlier today, and whilst he started his career at full-back, he is expected to feature in the hooker and loose forward positions, as he has done with Huddersfield Giants over the past few seasons.
Castleford Tigers full-back options
Fletcher Rooney
The obvious choice, if there is any positive to take away from the situation, it means that a youngster like Rooney gets an extended opportunity in the side, and stake his claim as a regular starter.
We have seen at Leigh Leopards, Bailey Hodgson has turned into one of the best attacking full-backs in the league, as he fills in for the injured David Armstrong, and Rooney has the chance to cement himself as a key Castleford player, should he be given the opportunity.
Zac Cini
The former Parramatta Eels man has had his own injury concerns, and has not yet made an appearance in 2026. He is currently managing a soft tissue injury, and will be monitored on a week-to-week basis.
Cini featured at full-back for Castleford last year, with many of their fans believing his best games for the club were in that position, as opposed to his natural role of centre.
Krystian Mapapalangi
The club’s most recent overseas recruit saw former Newcastle Knight Mapapalangi move to the UK, and after just a fortnight of being here, he has already impressed.
With a brilliant performance on Super League debut, the 23-year-old looks a great purchase for the club, and his versatility is another bonus of his game.
Able to play centre, in the halves, or at full-back, the new addition could well be set for a role change despite
Darnell McIntosh
The former Leigh and Huddersfield man has experience playing at full-back, but it is certainly not his natural role.
He has played there 42 times across his career, but only one of those have been in the past four full seasons.
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Fumper27
February 21, 2026 at 5:17 pm
Terrible and boring assessment