Castleford coach provides the latest on Niall Evalds and Gareth Widdop

Castleford coach Andy Last has confirmed a pectoral tear for full-back Niall Evalds, while Gareth Widdop has been included in the 21-man squad to face Hull.

Evalds suffered the injury in the defeat to Catalans at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle in Super League, forcing the one-time England international from the field.

The 29-year-old has been limited to just seven appearances so far this season, having damaged an ACL joint earlier in March which sidelined the full-back for six weeks.

The club are anxiously awaiting scan results to determine the extent of the injury, which could require surgery.

“We’re waiting on scan results for Niall. He’s had his scan today so we’re going to be waiting on the results of that scan which will probably drop Friday,” Last said.

“There is a definite tear in there but we need to see the results of the scan to determine the severity of it and to see if it needs surgery, so that’s not great for Niall.

“He’s run over a black cat in the couple of years here, he hasn’t been able to get on the field and they are all upper body injuries.

“He’s had a bicep tear, he’s had a couple of AC joints on a shoulder and now a pectoral tear, so it is disappointing for Niall.

“He was absolutely gutted last week which he’s going to be.

“He wants to get on the field and contribute and help out his team-mates and help out this club and he doesn’t feel like he is able to do that at the moment, so we’ll support him and hopefully he’ll get some good news that it’s not as severe as we first thought.

“We’ll see what results come back from the scan.”

Last provides update on Gareth Widdop

Meanwhile, Last reported that half-back Widdop was able to train during the week, having also picked up a knock in the 46-22 defeat to the Dragons in Round 12.

Widdop, 34, has missed three games so far this year due to illness and is yet to register his first try or assist for Castleford.

He has been included in the 21-man squad to face Hull in the Challenge Cup on Sunday.

Last continued: “Gaz Widdop has jarred an ankle. He has got a bit of floating bone in his ankle which can sometimes lock up a bit, causing a bit of discomfort which challenges him when trying to get around the field.

“That’s settled down. He was able to train today and got through the sessions both morning and afternoon, so we’re happy with where Gaz is at.

“It’ll just be a pain tolerance with him.”

Fellow playmaker Jacob Miller will miss the club’s Challenge Cup sixth round tie with Hull due to a failed head injury assessment.

Castleford host Tony Smith’s side on Sunday live on the BBC, while Last admitted that it hasn’t been the ideal preparations for the tie with his side dealing with illness in the camp.

“Jacob Miller won’t be able to play because of a failed HIA, so we’ve lost three key players there, but we’ll just have to roll with what we’ve got,” Last explained.

“For the guys playing in unfamiliar positions and out of position etc, it will be a free hit for them and we’ll give the best account of what we can from the 17 we’ve got available.”

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