KEIGHLEY COUGARS coach Alan Kilshaw has clarified the situation surrounding young stand-off Ben Dean.
Although he has been named in the 21-man squad on occasion, Dean hasn’t featured since the defeat to Swinton in early April, which resulted in some querying his absence.
Kilshaw explained: “Ben’s scheduled for some surgery in September or October. He’s got a condition where he cramps up and can’t get through the full 80 minutes, so if we do start Ben, it’s a risk as we would have to bring a halfback off.
“He’s been in the 21-man squad as a consideration that he could start and rotate, or come off the bench, but he’s pulled up tight in training.
“He’s a big part of our plans, he’s contracted for next season and he’s training well.
“We don’t want to put that pressure on him. The last time he played was Swinton at home and unfortunately he did have to come off with 20 minutes to go, and it burns our interchange. You don’t plan on losing a halfback during a game.
“We have considered different options where we can use him and he may still feature before the end of the season.
“But once he’s had that surgery, it will eliminate those issues all being well, and it’ll be a good boost for him and us.
“He’s getting plenty of reps done in training. He’s a player that I really like working with and I’m looking forward to getting the best out of him in 2026.”