CASTLEFORD TIGERS star Innes Senior has been ruled out for the rest of the 2025 Super League season.
Senior dislocated his ankle in the Tigers’ 20-14 win over Warrington Wolves almost a fortnight ago – and now director of rugby Chris Chester has given the damning prognosis.
“There will be a few changes, one forced with Innes out for the rest of the year,” Chester said.
“He had surgery on the Tuesday after the (Warrington) game and that keeps him out for the rest of the season.”
The Tigers will also be without second-rower Jeremiah Simbiken following a one-match ban – and Chester explained that the club decided not to appeal the suspension.
“Jeremiah Simbiken got a ban, it’s something we were going to appeal but looking at how the law is written and the consequences of us fighting it and potentially losing, every time Jerry gets a point, it will be a two-game ban.
“We weighed a lot of things up, it’s pot luck with the system at the minute. I don’t like going into it too much.”
Whilst Simbiken and Senior will be out, Chester has hinted at the inclusion of a number of youngsters in the upcoming weeks, not least halfback Jenson Windley and winger Andy Djeukessi.
“I’ve brought Jenson Windley and Andy Djeukessi into the 21-man squad and at least one of those guys will play this week.
“Andy is only slight but he is a million-miles-an-hour kind of player and if he gets in space very few people will catch him.”
Chester went on to emphasise that the club is determined to keep hold of the younger talent that is consistently being produced in the Castleford area.
“Cas have been notorious in producing good young talent and some of these kids are getting cherry-picked from the so-called bigger clubs so it’s important we get on the front foot of it all.
“In the next five to ten years, it would be great to see a team that’s made out of Castleford lads playing for their hometown team.
“That’s certainly a goal of ours within that ten-year period but there’s a lot of hard work to do to get to that point.”
So who does Chester see as the next ‘cabs off the rank’?
“Daniel Sarbah, Akim (Metvejev) and Jenson (Windley) are probably the three that stick out there that could play in the first-team once they’ve got consistent footy behind them.
“Then on top of Andy (Djeukessi) and Fletcher (Rooney), there’s five young kids that have come through the system.”