Castleford Tigers are set to be without Liam Hood for longer than they originally thought, with the hooker having an operation on his knee.
The former Wakefield and Leeds man has been out of action since the Challenge Cup defeat to St Helens, and boss Ryan Carr has revealed it will be a few more weeks before we see him back in the 17.
Hood has scored two tries in his first four league games for the club, including their first of the 2026 season as he barged his way over from close range against Wigan Warriors in round one.
Confirming the injury news, Carr said: “He had a knee clean out, so he’s out for a few weeks there. We needed to get it done. He’d been pushing through pain since round one, really.
“He’s a tough person. And being a 20-27 game season or whatever it is, I just didn’t want to continue to put him through injections from this early in the year. So the clean out was important that he got that and he’ll be back in not too far away.”
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Ashton Golding came in around a month ago and has been used in the position, but when he picked up a knock prior to defeat at Warrington, it forced the club to utilise prop George Lawler at hooker and give Aiden Doolan his first Super League appearance.
With Golding still not 100% and Hood out for the foreseeable, the Tigers have brought in Wigan hooker Tom Forber on a month-long loan, and he will provide quality cover whilst the aforementioned duo return from their respective knocks.
“He’s really good kid,” the Castleford boss said on his new addition. “He’s just hungry for some rugby, to play some footy and get out there and compete hard.
“He’s a tough, tough competitor. I’ve always enjoyed watching him play. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and we’re super fortunate to have him here.
“He’s going to get an opportunity to play this week and we can’t wait to see him in our jersey.”
