Castleford Tigers have been dealt an injury blow ahead of the new season with Rowan Milnes unlikely to be fit for the start of the Super League campaign. Rugby League Live can reveal Milnes has suffered a knee injury and appears likely to miss the start of the season as a result.

Milnes suffered the injury just before the turn of the year and is expected to be out of action for around eight weeks, meaning he is likely to be out until the end of February. If that schedule proves correct, it would see Milnes miss the Challenge Cup third round, as well as two Super League fixtures, before his anticipated return.

Like all injuries, there is the potential for his return to be brought forward or pushed back depending on the rehabilitation process but the Tigers are anticipating that he won't be available for the early rounds of the season, an untimely blow given the club have a new halfback partner for Milnes in Daejarn Asi, who has arrived from Parramatta Eels.

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Complicating matters further is the fact a lot of Castleford's previous halfback options are no longer at the club. Paul McShane and Jacob Miller have both departed, leaving young halfback Jenson Windley as the most viable option in the squad to take Milnes' place in the early rounds. The teenager played in the final five games of last season and has been tipped as a player for the future, but he could now be thrust back into the limelight at the start of the campaign.

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