IT’S fair to say that the Castleford Tigers are doing it tough in Super League 2024.
Sitting third bottom in the Super League table after just one win from their opening seven games, the Tigers have had an injury list that is freakish considering the time of year.
12 first-team players sat out last week against Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup quarter-final due to injury Jason Qareqare, Nixon Putt, Luke Hooley, Josh Simm, Paul McShane, Rowan Milnes, Will Tate, Albert Vete, Fletcher Rooney, Muizz Mustapha, George Griffin and George Lawler, whilst Joe Westerman played with a calf issue and Liam Watts was banned.
Now, Sylvester Namo’s five-match suspension has worsened the crisis currently befalling head coach Craig Lingard at The Jungle.
Yes, Lingard will get Watts back at his disposal following his one-match suspension, but Namo’s hefty ban is a kick in the teeth for a tackle that you see multiple times a game and multiple times in a round of Super League.
The injury suffered by Wigan’s Willie Isa – a fractured and dislocated ankle – is horrendous and no one is downplaying the injury nor the length of time that the forward will spend on the sidelines.
However, Namo’s first point of contact in the tackle is at hip height – not below the knee – and it appears from video footage that it is the PNG international’s knee that collides with Isa’s leg, trapping the latter in an awkward position.
Do @TheRFL have the same rule regarding third man in as @NRL?
“Defender can still be penalised for any forceful, dangerous or unnecessary contact’ at the legs that involves an unacceptable risk of injury to the player in possession” pic.twitter.com/ccz9VkATmJ
— ATG (@ATGWigan) April 15, 2024
Isa himself took to social media platform X to profess that “no one is to blame” for the horrendous injury he suffered. He posted: “This moment was hard to comprehend + come to terms with but I realise it is part of the game + have no blame on anyone! Incredibly grateful for the medical staff at @WiganWarriorsRL & @CTRLFC & for all the messages of support from the RL community. The comeback is on.. again.”
It’s difficult to think where the Tigers will go from here in terms of appealing. The club has said that it will “review the options” available to them and make a decision tonight on whether to appeal or not.
The fact of the matter is, Castleford are down yet another body when they need it most – and new blood is becoming more desperate than ever.
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