Gareth Widdop absence explained by Castleford coach

Newly-appointed Castleford head coach Andy Last has explained why star half-back Gareth Widdop isn’t part of his 21-man squad to face Hull KR on Friday.

The former England international made his return from an illness in last Thursday’s 14-6 defeat at Salford, but he has dropped out of the squad again this week whilst he continues his recovery.

“Gareth Widdop isn’t part of the 21,” Last said. “The illness he had a couple of weeks hadn’t cleared up as much as we wanted it to.

“He was a bit low on energy last week, we thought he was going to be okay but in the contest he felt quite fatigued which impacted on his performance.

“We felt he needed to gain a little bit more weight to be functioning close to his best so we made the decision to stand him down to get on top of his weight and get his strength markers back up to where they need to be.

“That’s an area where we’ve got a bit of concern with Gaz. He’s going to be okay, but he lost a fair bit of weight in that illness he had a couple of weeks back so we are monitoring that and hopefully he’ll be back soon.

“That gives us the opportunity to get Jack Broadbent back in to that position where he was so successful for us.

“That’s a change but it is a good one because Jack has excelled in that position. It gets him one step closer to the ball and he’s certainly a run threat so I’m looking forward to seeing Jack back there.”

Andy Last hints at Castleford debut for new signing

Last hinted that new recruit Will Tate could make his debut against his former club Hull KR on Friday night.

“Will is someone we obviously brought in a couple of weeks back,” Last said.

“He played a full game for the reserves against Hull Kingston Rovers on Saturday and did a good job.

“He’s athletic and a really good lad in terms of professionalism. He is very diligent in his preparation and he’s got some offensive strike.

“He’s quick, carries the ball well and he’s the type of player who can make a difference in the game, so he is certainly someone we’re considering in the team and he could potentially be making his debut.”

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