Adam Milner and Castleford Tigers go hand-in-hand.
With over 250 appearances for the club, the 28-year-old has spent almost a third of his life at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle. But, despite being keen to stay longer, the hooker-turned-loose-forward’s contract ends at the end of 2021 and he is unsure where his future may lie after that.
“I’d be more than happy to finish my career at Castleford,” Milner says.
“It is all I have ever known since turning professional and being at the club for more than ten years.
“I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly along the way and the club will always have a huge place in my heart.
“I am also extremely proud to be a one-club man, but I still feel as good as when I started, so I would like to think there are plenty more years of playing Super League left in me. Who knows what the future will bring?”
The Tigers have endured a miserable time on the field since the season resumed, winning just two of ten games. For Milner, however, the team hasn’t been far away.
“I could give you a list of reasons or excuses as to what’s gone wrong,” he says.
“We’ve had injuries, late fixture changes and people missing with COVID, all of which haven’t helped our current situation,” he argues.
“Ultimately though, we are two wins since the restart, which isn’t good enough.
“If we are going to be positive though, if you look at the majority of games since the restart – apart from the latest Hull FC game – we have been close and haven’t been a million miles off.
“If key moments and decisions had gone our way then I believe we could easily be looking at being eight or ten points better off in the table, or whatever that is percentage wise.”
Since Daryl Powell took over at Castleford midway through 2013, the Tigers have not finished lower than fifth position. But, despite that looking like a record that will end this season, Milner refuses to look ahead to 2021 and instead speaks of his desire to win as many games as possible this season.
“I hate speaking about next year because this season hasn’t finished yet; there are still plenty of games to be played,” he insists.
“For me, playing the game I love is a privilege and I certainly realised that during lockdown as those were uncertain times.
“So I have every bit of determination to win every game from now on and to finish this season off as best as we can.
“It is massively important that we turn our current bad form around, so we can build some momentum going into next year.”
Milner is not only keen for his side to improve, but wants to get better himself.
“Before lockdown I was going alright and fairly happy with how I’d started the season.
“Then, after the restart, I had a shocker against Wigan. I was a mile off in that game and I should really have been dropped. However, I made myself accountable and I was determined to put things right.
“Since that game, I believe my performances have turned around and improved; I have got myself back into the starting 13, which I’m happy about.”
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