Former Whitehaven forward Kieran Hudson has suffered a major blow during pre-season training with Castleford.
The 22-year-old forward has suffered an Achilles injury and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Castleford are bringing their Super League side for a pre-season warm-up game at Whitehaven on January 29 and Hudson would have played.
Hudson joined the Tigers from Whitehaven ahead of the 2022 campaign. He returned to the Championship side on loan for the duration of that season.
Hudson had been training with Lee Radford’s first-team this year.
“It’s obviously heart-breaking for him because he started pre-season so well, so picking up this injury is a tough one to take for him,” head coach Radford said.
“We’ll take care of him and try to help him get back to full fitness so he can reach the levels we know he is capable of.”
As a youngster, Hudson was with Sunderland as a goalkeeping prospect before switching to rugby league.
He joined Whitehaven in October 2021, as part of a double signing alongside Liam McAvoy as both switched from Newcastle Thunder.
He started his rugby league career on the wing before transitioning into the front-row.
Hudson is currently in the last year of his two-year deal with the Tigers.
