Huddersfield boss confirms interest in Castleford Tigers utility

Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson has confirmed his interest in off-contract Castleford utility Adam Milner for the 2024 season.

Milner, 31, is in his final year with Castleford, having signed a two-year extension ahead of 2022.

He remains a one-club player since his debut with the Mend-A-Hose Jungle side back in 2010 against Huddersfield, having progressed through the youth ranks at Castleford.

Milner has since made 301 appearances for the club, and has become a utility player in recent years, able to feature at nine, back-row and at loose forward. 

Watson confirms Adam Milner interest

On reported interest, Watson responded: “He’s a decent player, he’s played in Grand Finals.

“We’re in a position where we obviously lost a nine late on last year and felt like we recruited those kind of guys for this year.

“But going forward, having an English nine who can add to the quality to your squad and bring on players and develop and bring the younger players on to a better level, it is what you need. 

“Whenever there’s a quality player who becomes available, you’re always interested. I won’t say that I’m not interested in Adam Milner.

“The fact that he’s English, is a competitor and plays with enthusiasm, he’s very similar to Ash Golding in many ways.

“It’s probably a no-brainer for us as well. We want to keep on building the team and building it the right way.”

Ian Watson on contract negotiations

The Huddersfield boss says that contract negotiations continue at the John Smith’s Stadium, with a handful of players still without a deal beyond the current season.

Chris Hill recently extended his career with a new two-year deal with Huddersfield until the end of 2025. 

But the likes of Jermaine McGillvary, Jack Ashworth and Leroy Cudjoe all remain without a deal.

“There will always be some tough conversations,” Watson said.

“It’s about having the right leaders, a balance of youth and experience and getting that right as well. 

“We don’t want to be too heavy in over-experience, but at the same time those players give you exactly that in experience. 

“Some of the younger players are developing at a really good rate and they’re coming through and we need to be able to bring them through and not stop their development as well.”

Owen Trout exit confirmed

Watson also revealed that injured forward Owen Trout has secured his future, confirming an exit from the John Smith’s Stadium.

The 23-year-old is likely to have played his final game for the club after suffering an ACL injury during the club’s 28-0 win over Hull KR in Super League.

“Unfortunately, that looks like the case,” Watson said.

“He’s a great bloke and I had a chat with him the other day actually just making sure everything was alright.

“He’s alright but disappointed and now needs an operation to go through.

“The good thing is, he’s got his future sorted out. That will all become clear soon.

“That’s probably one worry from his mind. If he had just done his ACL and hadn’t had his future, that could have been an uncomfortable time.

“Owen knows what he’s doing and where he’s going and we fully support him on the back of that. He just needs to focus on his recovery now and he’ll be fine.”

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