Castleford Tigers braced for Ryan Hampshire blow but Niall Evalds ready to return

The 27-year-old was forced off in the second half of last week's golden-point win over Catalans Dragons and although the full extent of the knee problem has yet to be determined, Lee Radford is fearing the worst.

"It doesn't look great," said the Castleford head coach.

"We've got a second scan early next week but ACL-wise it's not looking fantastic.

"It's really unfortunate for him because the last three games I think he's been good for us. It's disappointing."

It is another setback for Hampshire after a broken hand prevented him from making his Castleford debut until mid-May.

His latest injury leaves him facing another uncertain period with the short-term deal he signed in March set to expire at the end of the year.

"The timing couldn't be any worse really," added Radford. "Unfortunately, it's part of the sport that we play."

The loss of Hampshire has been offset by the return of first-choice full-back Niall Evalds.

The England international is fit again after spending 10 weeks on the sidelines with a bicep injury.

Evalds will make his comeback against Huddersfield Giants tomorrow night.

"It's a massive boost," said Radford.

"It's Rocky's setback but it's an opportunity for Niall now. He's come through a pretty hefty injury as well.

"He's trained with us the last couple of weeks and this week he's been fully in so hopefully he can really perform for us tomorrow."

A date with the Giants is one of Super League's toughest assignments in 2022.

Ian Watson's men, who have won six games in a row to nail down a place in the top four, are viewed as a surprise package but Radford believes his counterpart was given all the tools to succeed before a ball was kicked.

"I think if you look at what they're spending you'd expect them to have a fair old year," he said.

"You only have to look at the squad they've got and the people that don't make their 17. They should be up there."

A top-four finish appears to be out of Castleford's reach but they remain in control of their play-off destiny thanks to back-to-back wins.

The Tigers could end the round in fifth spot, a fact not lost on Radford.

"If we can get a result tomorrow and results go our way, we can take a step up the ladder," he said.

"Ultimately we're trying to build some momentum going into the back end of the season."