Castleford Tigers head coach Danny McGuire has revealed starlet Fletcher Rooney is set to make his return to action a full month ahead of schedule.
The academy graduate was a bright spark in the Fords’ early season, but suffered a serious quad injury in March during a training session which was expected to rule him out until at least mid-July.
Rooney made his Castleford debut in 2023 against Leeds Rhinos, and has made nine appearances in total for the club.
The 19-year-old was seemingly enjoying a breakthrough season in the early part of this campaign, deputising at full-back with Tex Hoy in the halves following Rowan Milnes’ injury. He appeared in all of Castleford’s first five games of the season, scoring two tries in the process, but the injury quickly brought this run to a grinding halt.
But, it seems he is nearing a return to full fitness, with McGuire detailing the club are having to keep him on a ‘tight leash’.
“I’ve just been doing some work with him this morning, he’s flying,” the head coach said of Rooney. “He’s having to be held back on a tight leash; he’s itching to play.
“He’s doing some really good things (in rehab). I don’t want to put a timeframe on it, but I feel like he’ll be available in the next couple of weeks.
“We’ll look at getting him in a reserves game, we’ve got one in two or three weeks, so he’s been pencilled in for it. He’s also permanent markering over the pencil, he’s that keen to get back in and play. He’s doing everything right.
“He’s a great kid, and I love working with him and seeing him around the place. He’ll be a big asset to us when he’s back fully fit.”
A lengthy lay-off like this is never easy for any player to deal with, let alone a young professional, but McGuire was full of praise for the way Rooney has gone about his rehab process.
“He’s so professional, he does everything right. For such a young player, he just takes care of himself and puts time and effort into his preparation and recovery, and he’ll get the rewards for the rest of his career because he’s a smart kid and really disciplined.
“I’m excited to see him get back playing because he’s a future superstar for the club, no doubt.”
His return also comes at a crucial time too, with fellow spine member Hoy ruled out for three to four weeks with a calf injury.
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